Shimaya

I will be up front, this is an older property with some older sensibilities, not everything is pristine and glistening and new. What you do get however is one of the most charming bath houses, set against a backdrop of stunning mountains. It is a family run business and they will and do go the extra mile for their guests. I cannot reccomend more than if you are going to see the snow monkey park nearby that you stay here, enjoy the fantastic ambiance, a thoroughly musical breakfast and some of the best and kindest owners you could ask for.

Honestly, the rooms were more run-down than I imagined. However, what's lacking in the facility

The gentleman who runs the place is very nice and accommodating. There was hot water and tea waiting for us in our room, which was a delicious, unexpected treat. The bathroom / shower are small, but were clean and served their purposes. The women’s onsen was very relaxing and much needed after a day at the Snow Monkey Park. My family and I enjoyed our stay.

Cozy place that’s conveniently accessible to Yudanaka station. There’s a convenience store (Lawson) located right outside the train station and on the way to Shimaya. The couple who owns the place is very friendly, often greeting guests at the common area throughout the day. Room is spacious enough for 2, including much space for airing snowboarding attire. Comes with hot water that is replaced everyday, as well as green tea powder if you wish to make your own. Washroom and bathroom are clean. Overall a very pleasant experience, would highly recommend to anyone visiting Nagano and/or snowboarding at Shiga Kogen.

Great stay with very friendly staff, the offer free transport to the monkey park and the onsen are great.

We loved it there. This town is about a 15 minute walk to Shu

Clean room, comfortable, simple breakfast And good location. It is exactly as described.

Ichiro, the innkeeper, was very kind and even drove us to the snow money reserve and back free of charge. Nice to experience a traditional Japanese ryokan. Highly recommended.

Super friendly host that drives you to the snow monkey park for free and back. Wifi was not working for the entirety of the 3rd floor during my stay.

The manager (owner?) and his wife were incredibly welcoming and pleasant. They take great pride in their hotel and it shows in every aspect of our stay.

This hotel is 6-8 minutes walk from train station at gentle uphill. With a few days notice, you can arrange shuttle pick up. We did not. We stayed two nights in room 402. Room is large and clean with safe and fridge. It has a sitting area and small balcony. Traditional Japanese style room. Note hotel is very old and dated but after initial surprise, we grew to really like it. No elevator. Onsite onsen is very nice. They even have a small private one. Shuttle will drop you at monkey park entrance. We saw lots of monkeys and had at great dinner at Gion restaurant by the train station. In the summer the town is very quiet. Note you cannot visit most of the onsens in Shibu unless you’re staying right in the Shibu town and this hotel is a short walk away in neighboring town. For us the hotel’s onsen was just fine. Simple, affordable breakfast was offered. Would stay again

Superb host offered great advice and dropped us off at the entrance to snow monkeys. Room was great traditional room. Ideal location if going to snow monkeys easy walk from the train station

This was a charming little spot. The host and staff really went above and beyond to make me feel at home. He took me and some other guests to a local festival that I never would have otherwise known about, and wound up being one of the highlights of the trip. If you want an authentic connection to what’s going on in Yudanaka, this place is for you. The hotel is super interesting, with a very nice Onsen. You also get access to some local Onsen that would otherwise be inaccessible to tourists. As someone who lived in Japan for several years, has travelled extensively in the country, and speaks the language, let me just reiterate other comments here: this is a really unique and cool place.

We highly recommended a stay at Shimaya Ryokan for anyone visiting Yudanaka. The location, cleanliness & attention to detail were outstanding and host/owner Mr Yamuto (apologies if name is spelt incorrectly) went above and beyond to ensure we were comfortable and that all our needs were met… even driving us to Snow Monkey Park and providing us with maps for the next leg of our trip. A very positive and memorable experience.

We loved staying at Shimaya. The family run ryokan is clean and has only a few rooms. This meant that it was easy to book the private hotel onsen as a family and, later, my daughter and I had the larger women's hotel onsen to ourselves. The family was very helpful and kind, even driving our family to Snow Monkey Park, offering to drive us back, and suggesting a walking route back for exploring Shibu Onsen. They also provided various sized boots that allowed me, my husband, and our 10 year old daughter to have sturdy boots for the walk along the snowy and muddy path up to Snow Monkey Park. Our room was a perfect size for our family of three, including an enclosed balcony with a nice view of the mountains. It was also located a short walk from the train. While the ryokan only offered breakfast (which was great), there were many restaurants in Shibu Onsen and Yudanaka within walking distance. We had a wonderful time and will definitely return if we are able.

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charming - excellent service from hosts. as others have mentioned, they gave us a ride up to the monkey park, & to train station upon our departure, for which we were so grateful after a week’s trekking. as vegetarians, we were also super happy with the breakfast offerings. such sweet people, would stay again

The staff were amazingly friendly and helpful. Absolutely made our stay feel like we were guests in their own home. The building is older and a bit worn but this adds to the experience of staying at a traditional guest house. It feels like it has a very rich history of welcoming guests. The house was spotless and immaculately kept. Our hosts generously offered to drive us to the monkey park gate nearby The monkey park experience was like no other! An absolute highlight of our family’s trip to Japan.

Wonderful ryokan operated by a friendly couple - they went above and beyond to make our stay enjoyable by letting us borrow boots for the snow and driving us up to the Snow Monkey park.

Adorable, family owned place with big (for Japan) traditional rooms. The owners are extremely friendly and even drove us to the monkey park. The onsen is clean and very nice.