Short trip to Japan for family celebration events. I came to Nagano Prefecture where my family lives.
This Mercure Nagano Matsushiro is a 20-minute drive from Zenkoji Temple, a famous landmark in Nagano City.
The huge hot spring hotel became Mercure brand and opened in April 2024.
The rooms and other facilities are quite old style, but the onsen and outdoor baths are very nice. The system is quite efficient, and amenities and water are self-service, taken from a place where they are put together.
The Mercure group in Japan has an all-inclusive system, which means that buffet breakfast, buffet dinner, drinks and alcoholic beverages at meals, and drinks and alcoholic beverages in the lounge are all included in the price.
The meals are not luxurious food, but they are very tasty and of high-end hotel quality, and are made special by the local red grape juice, apple juice, Shine muscat, and creative sauces, as well as all the sake, shochu, and sparkling wine you can drink. It is very satisfying.
It was extremely crowded even on a weekday (most of the customers were Japanese), but it was a great value for money, which explains why it is so popular.