Matsumoto Jujo
by the TopOfHotel team
Matsumoto Jujo is a 300-year-old ryokan retold in modern design language — a bookshop, cafe, cider house and onsen all in one place, on the Design Hotels list, for travelers who want an inn with real taste and an atmosphere unlike anywhere else.
Matsumoto Jujo is a 300-year-old ryokan retold in modern design language — a bookshop, cafe, cider house and onsen all in one place, on the Design Hotels list, for travelers who want an inn with real taste and an atmosphere unlike anywhere else.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
Staying at Matsumoto Jujo means sleeping in a ryokan over 300 years old that has been renovated into a renowned design boutique. The original building has stood since 1686 in the Asama Onsen district, passing through several generations of owners, until a major 2020 revival lifted it onto the Member of Design Hotels list, a curated global design network. There are only 24 rooms, no two alike, each done in a Modern Japanese style that folds the building's old woodwork into clean minimal furniture, with warm earth tones, low platform beds and thick duvets. Some rooms have a private wooden soaking tub in the bathroom; others have a wide sitting area looking out onto the ryokan's small garden. Many real reviews agree it feels like sleeping inside a work of art — every detail neat and considered, each room telling the story of the old building on its own.
Food and amenities
What clearly sets Matsumoto Jujo apart from anything else in town is its shared space. The design team built out several handsome corners that guests use for free: a bookshop with design, architecture and Japanese literature titles (English ones too) lined up on lovely timber shelves; a cafe open all day pouring drip coffee and fresh Japanese sweets; and a cider house that ferments Nagano apples into a clean, honest cider you can sip in a small-bar atmosphere come evening. The onsen draws on the soft Asama spring water, with indoor and outdoor baths sized to the guest count, so it never feels crowded and stays very private. The dining room serves kaiseki built on Shinshu produce in a semi-fine-dining setting, using seasonal ingredients including Shinshu beef, wild mushrooms, trout and mountain vegetables across a multi-course meal. The cooking is refined, and real reviews say it is a meal that stays with you after you get home.
Location and getting there
Matsumoto Jujo sits in the Asama Onsen district on the hills north of Matsumoto, an old onsen quarter that the city's samurai lords used to rest in back in the Edo period. It is about 6 km from Matsumoto Station — roughly 20 minutes by bus or 15 minutes by taxi — and the hotel runs a shuttle from the station at set times. If you want to reach Matsumoto Castle, it is about 15 minutes by car from the hotel and no closer than that. Using it as a base for Kamikochi or Norikura means heading down to Matsumoto Station first, then catching an Alpico bus, for roughly 1.5 to 2 hours all in. The Asama quarter is very quiet, almost silent after dark, ringed by small ryokan and a handful of local restaurants — ideal for anyone who wants to cut away from the bustle of the city.
Things to know before booking
Straight talk: the first point is price. Rates start from about $410 a night, kaiseki and breakfast included, which runs high next to the typical Matsumoto city hotel in the $140 to $290 range. It suits people who want a design-led luxury ryokan as the highlight of the trip more than budget travelers. The second is the Asama location, set away from the castle and the city center; anyone keen to comfortably walk the castle and Nawate-dori should stay in another district. The third is booking, which is fairly hard with only 24 rooms and design travelers arriving from around the world. High season (cherry blossom and autumn leaves) fills fast, so plan several months ahead.
Our take
Across many real reviews, Matsumoto Jujo stands out as the strongest choice in Matsumoto for anyone who wants a luxury ryokan with real taste. It sells a 300-year-old ryokan renovated under the Design Hotels banner, a bookshop and cider house that bring the shared space to life, an Asama spring onsen, and kaiseki on Shinshu produce that turns dinner into a moment you remember. If the trip in your head is sleeping in a room where old woodwork meets modern design, sipping Nagano apple cider in the hotel bar, soaking in a minimal-style onsen and reading an art book in a handsome corner of the lobby, this is the most direct and memorable answer in town. It suits couples, honeymooners and anyone who loves design — but if you want to save money or walk the city every day, it may not be the right fit. Overall we give it 9.2/10 for a boutique ryokan that is hard to match in Matsumoto.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- It made the Member of Design Hotels list, which only takes places with genuinely standout design from around the world — a real guarantee of quality and an experience you will not find in an ordinary ryokan.
- It sits in the original ryokan building that has stood since 1686 and was renovated in 2020, keeping the old woodwork and structure while adding modern minimal furniture. No two rooms are alike, and each one feels like sleeping inside a piece of art.
- The shared area is set up as a bookshop, cafe and cider house all in one, open to guests for free. The cider is fermented from Nagano apples, fresh-tasting and distinctly local.
- The onsen uses Asama spring water, an alkaline type that is soft on the skin, with both indoor and outdoor baths. It is cleanly designed and sized to suit just 24 rooms, so it never feels crowded.
- The dining room serves kaiseki built on Shinshu (Nagano) produce in a semi-fine-dining setting — refined and very private. Real guest reviews say it is a meal they remembered long after they got home.
- Rates start from about $410 a night, kaiseki and breakfast included, which is high next to the typical Matsumoto city hotel running roughly $140 to $290. It suits people set on a design-led luxury ryokan rather than budget travelers.
- The location is up in Asama Onsen on the hills north of town, about 15 minutes by car from Matsumoto Castle. Anyone who wants to walk the city on their own may find it inconvenient, even though the hotel runs a shuttle.
- With only 24 rooms, the booking queue in high season (spring and autumn) fills up very fast, so you need to plan months ahead.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Things to do near Matsumoto
Day tours, attraction tickets and experiences around Matsumoto — book ahead on Klook with mobile e-tickets.
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Insider Tips
- Spend an afternoon in the in-house bookshop, pulling a design book off the shelf and reading it over a glass of Nagano apple cider — many guests call this the highlight of staying here.
- Ask for a room in the renovated old building (Heritage Wing) if you want the full old-woodwork feel; the newer building leans more modern, so pick by taste.
- Book at least 3 months ahead for cherry-blossom season (late April) or autumn leaves (October to November), since there are only 24 rooms and design travelers come from all over.