We stayed at Ryokan Sawanoya twice during our trip to Japan after reading the glowing reviews on TripAdvisor, and we weren't disappointed. The family who owns the ryokan were incredibly friendly and helpful, offering advice on local attractions and help where needed. The rooms were spacious and comfortable, with nice little touches such as the origami cranes waiting for us on the "beds" and the tea-making facilities. A special mention has to be made to their in-house ofuro (baths): they were so good we didn't use the facilities we had in our private room.

Don't let the slightly off-centre location put you off - Ueno has plenty to do and see, great food options and offers easy access to the many wonders of Tokyo (about 20 minutes away on the underground to places such as Tokyo station and Ginza). When we return to Japan we will definitely stay there again!

Ryokan Sawanoya was the best experience I ever had! It was December 2011, so it was fairly cold, so that hot tub they have (public bathroom) is really nice! tatami mats were good. owners were very friendly. also they had a huge library of brochures on my next trip to japan! very well heated too.

couple of things:
1. when you get out of the train station at Nezu, make a LEFT.
2. if you arrive late (after sunset), the road down can (at first) look shady (since it's dark up to the ryokan), but it's actually very safe once you know the area.
3. Nezu is so quiet no crime occurs. literally everyone knows everyone! i had a hard time finding the ryokan at first, so i just asked a shopkeeper...."Ryokan wa doko deska?" and she even walked me to it!!

they have wi-fi!
use google's JPN / English translate. it was a very human experience as the owner of ryokan sawanoya and I talked via my android phone!!! =)

I stayed 4 nights at Sawanoya in December, 2011. Very pleasant and comfortable, and an excellent value. As a 57 year old woman traveling alone, I felt perfectly secure at the ryokan and in the neighborhood. I recommend it highly for any reasonably fit, moderately adventurous traveler. The bath is marvelous, and a required element of any visit to Japan.

Keep in mind: No elevator, so you need to be able to manage stairs. The staff will assist with luggage. It's slightly off the beaten track in a charming older neighborhood. They will give you a good map, but taxi drivers don't know it - tell them it's near Nezu station to get them going in the right direction. It's a moderate walk to either of the nearest subway stations. Best bet coming into town is to get to Ueno station and take a cab with your luggage. After that, public transportation is fine. At my age, I found it more comfortable to put two futons on top of each other.

I selected this ryokan for 2 nights last November based on the good feedbacks here and the pictures of the baths that i found appealing.
The baths turned to be spotless and great after a tiring day of sightseeing.
The room was spotless and quite small (being used to ryokans, it was not a problem for me). There was no tv but it is possible to request one from the smiling young gentleman at the front desk.
The location is good for visiting Ueno and there are plenty traditional and affordable Japanese restaurants around.
The thing that i regreted is that apart from that young gentleman, the lady who owns the place was though being polite not welcoming.