When we visited Yudanaka a couple of years ago, it was a cute town, but parts of it seemed deserted and boarded up, like it had seen much better times. On this visit, Yudanaka had come alive again. A handful of new lodgings and restaurants and bars had opened up and it seemed a little more vibrant. The town has also become a little more English friendly with some of the dining establishments offering English menus. It definitely hasn’t lost its Japanese essence and continues to provide a nice Japanese experience, nice onsens, and easy access to the snow monkeys, Shibu Onsen and a range of nearby ski resorts.

We stayed at the Hostel Aibiya, which provides high quality value accommodation. The hosts speak English and can get you dialed in regarding things to do in and around Yudanaka. You can see our Hostel Aibiya review here.
See our video here

We loved staying in Yudanaka and using it as a base to travel to nearby ski resorts. We were on a Nagano Powder Package tour so we had guides to drive us around to the ski resorts (which was fabulous), but Yudanaka could work well for those DIYing it with a rental car. Or without a car, Yudanaka could be readily used a base to ski or snowboard at Shiga Kogen.

What we loved about Yudanaka was that it provided a “non-resort” experience and a chance to experience traditional Japanese culture and architecture, especially in combination with nearby Shibu Onsen. It was great exploring the streets, the little funny bars, and little restaurants.

We stayed at the Ryokan Biyu, which added to the overall fantastic experience of staying in Yudanaka and of course the snow monkeys are an absolute must do!
See our video here