Staff and atmosphere

Noise and cleanliness

Very nice room with good view, owner was nice and offered to pick us up at the station. Onsen (paid on top) was really a gem

Room was at the 4th floor with no elevator. Please make sure about this when you book should you have any issues

It felt like an authentic Japanese home experience. The owner went out of his way to be accommodating including rides to the train station, rides to see the snow monkeys, and detailed maps. The rooms were clean and traditional.

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It was in a great location, only a short walk from the train station, which has regular trains to Nagano. The town is full of hotels and hot baths, with geysers pouring out boiling hot water everywhere and drainage channels from the heart of the mountains, down through the lower village settlements. You could hear the water pouring down everywhere along the quiet streets. It was too hot to take a bath but we tried one outside anyway and it was a great experience. It would be wonderful in the cold. It’s quiet and it’s a very pleasant walk around the town. The snow monkeys were well worth a visit. The owner drove us there and we had a very pleasant walk back. Up in the hills, it was cool and healing, walking through the massive red cedar forests, which help to stabilise this fragile natural environment from earth tremors. In the evening, we ate at a lovely restaurant called Time, recommended by our host, but it took awhile to find it in Japanese but we recognised the Japanese name. We stayed in July and it was very hot but we had air conditioning in the hotel and in our room. The room was modelled on the traditional Japanese ‘tea room style’ In beautiful soft wooded Japanese red cedar. We had our own facilities on the fourth floor with a great view of the mountains all around. The breakfast was very good and the pianola was amazing.

The air conditioning panel had a bright light when it was on, which illuminated the room, when trying to sleep. It needs to be dimmed as it affected our sleep.

We loved our stay at this traditional Ryokan! The room was so beautiful with its Tatami floor and the transparent paper doors (Shoji) separating the sleeping area from the balcony all located on the 4th floor with a nice view. The owners are so welcoming and helpful! They offered us to drive us to the monkey park and gave us keys to three public Onsen in Yamanouchi which were very very hot but so beautiful! The Yukata provided are pretty and the hotel even has got two Onsen itself (men/women). Around the corner there also is a great sushi place that the owner recommended us for good vegetarian sushi!

Nothing! Great visit! We’ll come back for sure!

The innkeeper was very helpful. He offered to give us a ride to the hotel and also a ride to the monkey park nearby. He also arranged a private onsen for us. Breakfast was great, with many food options. Lastly, it felt felt very much like an authentic ryokan (traditional inn). At least to us tourists.

Sleeping on the ground on a futon might not be on everyone's liking.

the staff were amazing and exceptional, ichiro and his wife were very nice.

can’t name anything too bad

We loved Shimaya!! The host is incredibly helpful, he drove us to the monkey park and provided maps that showed us the best way to walk home so we saw the onsen town. The room is extremely comfortable, the bed on the tatami mats is very firm and good for your body. We comfortably stayed with three adults in one room. The host provides yukata for guests to wear after using the hot spring baths. The bath is amazing. Extremely relaxing. The train station, convenience stores and restaurants are all a short walk from the accomodation. We chose to have the continental breakfast at Shimaya and there was a good range of cereal, toast, boiled eggs, fruit, coffee and juice. I highly recommend Shimaya.

One couple, stayed for one night. -The room was spacious and authentic. -The Ryokan is run by a lovely older gentleman, he was very kind, helped drive us to the monkey park, and frequently checked up on us during our stay. - The atmosphere of the area is very good, it is an old town that is quaint and has lots of charm - The onsite Onsen was really good, felt really good on the body. Do note it is quite hot; so be prepared for that! -The owner offered us to use the outdoor Onsen for an additional fee, a kind gesture as we only stayed that one day and had not booked it in advance. The view of the sunset was lovely and we enjoyed the overall experience. However, we both found the Onsen too hot for us personally, especially deeper in the water. We ended up only dipping our legs in the end. Maybe more for those who are fans of hot hot onsens!

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- super friendly owner that drove us to the snow monkey park and gave us lots of recommendations and maps - the room is large and in a nice traditional Japanese style. the futons are comfy

- one of the windows didn’t have a proper curtain so the room was very light when the sun came up in the morning - I think it’s too expensive for what you get, given we had a shared bathroom and it’s quite an old building. it was the same price as our Tokyo hotel. extra cost for breakfast and the private outdoor onsen if you wish to use

We liked the private onsen very much. The breakfast was simple, but complete and more than enough. It was very nice to stay in a traditional japanese room, which had all the comfort we needed. We got a lot of information from Mr.Yumoto and he was so nice to drive us to the monkey park.

The family that run this ryokan are really friendly and helpful.

The bathroom was across the room from the shower and sink area. The shower /sink area smelled, but it might have just been from the water if high in iron or sulphur something stinky, but not dirty.

A charming guesthouse with a small number of rooms which are really comfortable and clean in the traditional style. The hosts were really friendly and helpful, speaking good English. Mr. Yumoto brought us to the monkey park in his car and gave us each a pair of wellington boots to wear in the mud. We then had a good soak in the beautiful private outdoor onsen, admiring the sunset over the snowy peaks. He also gave us great advice on where to go after Yudanaka. Breakfast was lovely and served in the company of a player piano and vintage jukebox. Though our one-night stay was too short, this was our favourite accommodation following three weeks travelling in Japan.

We liked everything

The owner was very kind and offered to take us to the Snow Monkey park before our check in time. Had offered to pick us up afterwards and even dropped us back off at the station. The staff were all very lovely and overall was the most accommodating hotel we stayed at in our whole trip!

Such a wonderful host, hostess & staff! Shimaya is a short (400m) walk from the Yudanaka train station but we were picked up at the station & driven up (through the snow) to our onsen. The room (201) had everything we needed. Great heating, good wi-fi, lovely futons, simple but very functional furniture & fittings. We chose Shimaya as a base to see the snow monkeys, and we were driven to the start of the trail as well (go early). Everything is close by, the breakfast is simple but filling (matched with a remarkably entertaining pianola), and we absolutely loved our too-short 2 night visit!

It's hard to come up with any suggestions. I suspect families with teenagers who don't speak Japanese would find the lack of smart apps on the TV disappointing. We didn't - it's fun & educational to immerse yourself in Japanese free-to-air TV!!

The staff really make an effort to keep the place tidy. The receptionist even drove us to the monkey park which saved a bunch of time!

Indoor Onsen is quite small and the outside one wasn't quite warm enough. But they were still perfectly adequate. It takes about 40 minutes to reach the ski slopes.

The staff were very helpful and my bed was super cozy! Very simple breakfast, but happy to have the option. Onsen was a nice bonus. Walking distance from the train station. The rides to the monkey park and the train station in the rain were also a very nice bonus.

Wonderful owners, felt like home in a traditional ryokan. The owner was kind enough to drop us at the train station early in the morning. Enjoyed the hot spring bath as well Owner is a sweet guy who will give a free ride to Snow Monkey Park as well. He send us off with a lucky charm ribbon

Insulation could have been better. Inspite of the room heater there was a slightly cold draft somehow entering through our balcony

The rooms are quite nice and the onsen is open almost 24/7, so it is easy for guests to relax after a long day of exploring. Most importantly, the hotel staff is beyond helpful and experienced with handling international guests. You can rest at ease as an international guest at this hotel. The staff offered restaurant recommendations, rides to nearby attractions, and even lent me jumper cables and personally helped me when I had car trouble. Although it's not the fanciest hotel in the area, I guarentee it is the hotel with the warmest atmosphere. Tip: The hotel walls are plastered with home-made posters containing recommendations of how to best enjoy the local town and attractions, so be sure to check it out!

If you purchase the hotel breakfast, just be warned that it is pretty simple :)

Thank you to our very helpful host, who offered good advice about our trip and drove us to the snow monkey park. We enjoyed one night in this traditional style hotel during the New Year period. The futons were comfortable and there was a nice view.

As it was New Year the hotel only had continental breakfast and the price was very high for the room. The facilities feel somewhat tired. The stairs are very steep to carry bags up.

The staff was very nice and helpful.

I felt that the facility was a bit out of shape. The outside Onsen picture was a bit misleading. there is no outside one in the facility.

everything was correct except for a strange situation, when we were offered a 1-hour bath at an onsen with a supposedly magnificent view for 500 yen pp (the property has one, but this was not clearly explained to us). when taken there by the property’s owner, it turned out it was a small pool at the back of some villa, which didn’t seem occupied at that time. 5mins before the end of the time the owner entered the changing room, which didn’t have a door lock, not making sure that we (three girls) were done with changing. really bizarre situation. all in all, I wouldn’t recommend this additional onsen.

I tried the outdoor Onsen during the sunset and it was beautiful.

The owners were the kindest family! They drove us to the monkeys and picked us up. They recommend a bear by ramen spot. The private outdoor onsen was beautiful and relaxing. The bedding provided was luxurious and clean. We brought an air Mattress because our bodies don’t do well on futons. But the blankets were lovely. The next Morning a huge amount of snow had fallen and the owners shoveled our car out as well as scrapped the windows for us. We will definitely stay here again!

The only thing that could have been better would be a western bed instead of futon but you are in Japan 🤷‍♀️

Clean, cozy, and convenient. Wonderfully helpful owner who provided pickup service, transportation to the snow monkey park. and drop off to our next hotel.. Relaxing Onsen.

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