Very traditional japanese style accommodation. Was decent accommodations, but a bit expensive.

This is a small ryoken (bed and breakfast). You can reserve a private onsen (where you and your opposite gender companion) can bath together. The proprietor is nice and gave us a ride to see the snow monkeys. He spoke some English which was helpful as an American and the messages of gratitude from many countries and languages all over the walls suggest that many other travelers from all over the world had good stays.

If I could rate Shimaya an 11 out of 10, I would. The inn itself was so charming and wonderful, and that's long before you get to the wonderful hosts' hospitality, joy, and kindness. When we shared our plans for Nagano, we were told we HAD to check out Obuse...which was a worthwhile stop on our trip and definitely added to the richness we enjoyed in Japan! Thank you so much.

The staff managing the hotel are warm & very helpful.

Shimaya is a traditional inn with comfortable futons on tatami flooring. Nicely hot onsen, unique deep soaking bath in the room. Owners are lovely and it was extremely useful to be driven to the monkey park in time for it opening. That's a taxi fare of about 2000 yen so a generous honour provided by the owners. Great location

Very comfortable, clean, and close to snow monkeys!! Owner was very hospitable, drove us to/from snow monkey park. Thank you for a very memorable stay!

Spacious, clean room with a great view. Very friendly and helpful host.

Although the room was spacious and parking was included, this was a very disappointing stay. The Onsen was dirty, the facility was extremely old and in need of an update. The breakfast was expensive for what you got. They did not restock breakfast, just not worth it. There is no elevator, the bedding is old and there are barely any restaurants around. We went to Goen restaurant - which was good… but also the only one open and nearby. Would not stay here again.

The hos was really nice

The man at the front desk is the sweetest. He drove us to/from the monkey park at no extra cost. Highly recommend the onsen. You do need to book a timeslot with the hotel. The room was cozy and clean. All 4 of us slept great. Not much to do in the area but the snow monkeys and mountain views were worth it for 1 night.

Amazing place to stay. The onsen was perfect after seeing the monkeys. Got a ride up and back by the owner.

The owner was very kind. He gave us a ride to the monkey park and to the train station.

Great stay. Mr Yumoto was super friendly and accomodating.

This was the first time we stayed at a ryokan. We expected this hotel to be quite old but it’s surprisingly clean, from tiles to tiles! Toilet’s location in the room is unusual to us for it is kind of outside of the room at the enclosed balcony area. We are still glad that it is a private toilet and we have private bathroom. It is a bit pricey for ryokan not including breakfast. One thing which is a bit misleading in the property description is the outdoor onsen. It was the main reason why we booked this ryokan, but found out they only have access to that outdoor onsen. We had to pay extra 600 yen per person and walked a little to get there which is like backyard of another house. And we couldn’t shower there so it made me wonder how clean the onsen was.

This was our second trip to stay at Shimaya. Very convenient to Yudanaka Station and free shuttle to Snow Monkey Park are a must for us with young children. Breakfast teas delicious but unfortunately western style was not available. All staff are VERY friendly and all speak English. Staff will assist at all times.

The owners are very nice and helpful. They offered to drive us to the monkey park. The indoor onsen was quite nice as well.

Friendly, accommodating proprietors. Available breakfast, tasty and convenient.

This hotel was amazing! Definitely worth the effort to get to. Ryokan style room is wonderful plus a traditional Yukata to boot. The family that runs the place are very gracious. They are kind enough to shuttle you to and from the Monkey Park. Both the indoor onsen and the outdoor is an incredible experience! This has been my fondest memory of my trip! I deeply regret only staying here for 1 night and will be sure to stay here again!

Our host was fantastic! Gave us a ride to and from the Monkey Park. He also offered to take us to the train station. Breakfast was enjoyable!

This ryokan is a cosy place to stay. The hospitality of the old couple running the inn is really good and sincere. The owner will offer a complimentary ride to and fro the snow monkey park, The downside is that this place is about 700m from the train station up the slope and the town is not very lively after dark. The owner will kindly give some recommendations. However the rooms are very dated and the toilet very small. Only very basic amenities are provided like 3 sachets of wash for a family of 4 over 2 days. A change of towels required 100 yen, Considering that we are paying a hotel room's rate for this ryokan, the lack of amenities is a bother. Also the futon sheets are not too clean. My children were bitten by dust mites all over, Overall it is the hospitality is great but entirely not my top choice to stay in given the price we paid.

Mr Yumoto drove us twice to the snow monkey park. He also arranged an outdoor private onsen for us on the roof top. He even provided us with brochures for our next stop in Japan. Their Japanese breakfast was superb. Super cute family owned ryokan and a very pleasant stay!

My friend and I stayed for one night in this traditional ryokan. Mr Yumoto and his wife we’re lovely. We ordered breakfast for the morning; one western style and one Japanese style. Both were great and filling. We got a phone call at 8am to say breakfast was ready. We did not use the Onsen due to limited time. The host collected us from Yudanaka Station after I messaged him so state our arrival time.it is a 2 minute drive uphill. He also gave us a lift to and from the snow monkey park in the morning and let us use his selection of wellies as it was muddy that day. He gave us a lift back to the station. Overall a lovely stay. Thank you :)

The owner of this place made my stay wonderful and was a highlight of my entire trip to Japan! He is one of those people who loves helping his guests find the enjoyment in the local sights so he's very involved in making sure you're getting the best out of your trip. Very much enjoyed his hospitality, would stay here again!!

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Shimaya. Mr Yumato was very kind in recommending various places to visit that were perfect for our interests. Ms. Yumato prepared a lovely Western breakfast that filled us up for our trip to see the monkeys in the park. Parking was easy and free just across the street. The baths onsite and the outdoor bath just a short walk away were so nice and relaxing. Everything was clean and quaint. Definitely recommend a stay here and visit to the area!

Ichiro made sure we were well taken care of! The inn was clean, beautiful, and had plenty of amenities! We enjoyed two of the onsens in our one night stay. Ichiro makes sure that your stay is nothing short of fantastic! We would absolutely stay here again.

They provide great services including driving us to and from the snow monkey park, change the onsen to private for me and my husband. Their breakfast is delicious. We had a very nice holidays. Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Yamato.

The property is a bit old. Regardless, the service made up for it! The owner drove down to train station to pick us up and also sent us to the snow monkey park! Despite being old, it has everything you need and I would still recommend this place to anyone who visits!

Mr Yumoto was more helpful in bringing me and my wife to the snow monkey park and to the train station on our departure, he has also readily suggested routes to take when we said we will just be walking around the town. Would definitely stay at Shimaya again if i ever head to yudanaka again.

This is a traditional six generation Japanese stay. We absolutely loved it! Mr and Mrs Yumoto are great hosts, very friendly and accomodating. We requested and were given a traditional Japanese breakfast one morning. It was delightful. One of our main reason for our stay was to visit the Snow Monkeys. This location is absolutely perfect. Just down the street from the Yudanaka train station. Our hosts gave us a ride to and from the park which made the stay that much more awesome. These accomodations offer Private Men and Women Onsen's and a shared one as well. There is also a private outdoor Onsen option a few minutes walk away which Mr. Yumoto took us to himself. We watched the sunset it was so nice and the temperature was perfect. We highly recommend the Shimaya for your stay in Yamanouchi. John and Michelle from BC, Canada.

I think I have left a positive review already and I would like to add that the owner of the hotel is more than Kind to the guests. He gave me more information than the information centre and he took me to the snow monkey park at the extra cost and moreover he gave me information about the neighbour city such as Obuse and I feel grateful that I was able to make a visit to Obuse on the way to Tokyo and I discovered a very interesting and very cultural small town.

The owners of this small hotel are very friendly and kind. They shuttled us back and forth from the train station and the monkey park. We had a really heavy luggage and there is no elevator but they helped us carry our bags up three flights of stairs.

Fantastic stay, host are amazing and happy to help in anyway. Highly recommend the private Onsen experience.