The toilet is outside of the room at the balcony so it is a little cold

Love the onsen downstairs and the hospitality of the owners. They were very helpful and kind, especially the uncle. He gave a lot of suggestions, directions and help. Even loaning us snow boots and recommending restaurants and parking to us.

Stayed in December 2023

Very friendly staff with comfortable traditional rooms with lots of amenities.

Stayed in December 2023

The owners were so friendly and welcoming, it felt like we were gusts in their home. The onsen was very relaxing and a great way to relax at the end of the day. Thank you so much for your hospitality! I hope to come back one day and stay here again :)

Stayed in December 2023

Lovely accommodation, not far away from the trainstation. You can choose a Yukata for the stay in this hotel. Nice view from the higher floor. But theres no lift so I would recommend to travel with light luggage, not like I did. Super friendly owner who drove me to the snowmonkeys. The walk back was nice. The owner even dried my shoes after there where wet from the rain

Stayed in November 2023

There was no shower gel or soap in the bathroom.

The owner was very helpful and kind. He brough and picked us up from The Monkey Park. Advice us which places to visit such as Shibu Onsen.

Stayed in November 2023

There's no elevator. Getting luggage up and down the stairs was a mission. We were on the top floor too.

Very nice friendly staff. Welcome you and fairwell you every time entering or exciting the building. The private onsen was so nice. Highly recommend booking it for sunset or sunrise. Lots of good local resteraunts. Close to the monkey park which they offer to drive you there for free. Basic ok breakfast, I'd recommend trying some if the local cafes. The room and building was a little old and run down but still clean and comfortable. Aircon worked well. Really nice view of snow capped mountains and the town. Boiling water delivered to our door every day for tea.

Stayed in November 2023

The bathroom is a bit rough around the edges, but you can also shower in the onsen.

I adored the room! It was super nicely decorated, and we also had a cute balcony with mountain views. The owner was a lovely gentleman who drove us to the monkey park! We went to 3 ryokans during our trip, and this was the cheapest one, and yet the one with the best room :)

Stayed in November 2023

The only small comment i would have is that they don’t have a dinner option, which the booking.com page says they have and there are also lots of comments and pictures in the reviews about both dinner and more elaborate breakfast. I assume they either don’t do that anymore or do it only in high season. Either way, it was not a big deal, but good to know and adjust your expectations :) there are great places to have dinner nearby though!

Shimaya was the best stay in our trip to Japan! The host was super helpful, gave us great tips for the region and drove us for free to the monkey park. They have a simple but very fair breakfast and the room was super cozy and comfortable. The indoor onsen is also really nice and hot! There is one for men and one for women and both my husband and i were very happy with them. You can also book an outdoor private onsen that is less then 5 minutes away. That was really amazing and relaxing and it was great to be able to go together. The stay was definitely one of the highlights of the whole trip!

Stayed in November 2023

The place is quite old and have abit of damage here and there but that adds to the charm. So no complaints here.

I was there during autumn. The owner went out of his way to help us make our trip and stay so much better! Our favorite stay of our entire 15 day trip in Japan! And that says a lot! The owner and wife personally greeted us and drove us to the monkey park! Checked if there is monkey at the park before driving us there so we will not make an empty trip. And offered to drive us back after visiting the monkey park! Love the traditional ryokan that was kept so clean. And the onsen on property is excellent. Highly recommended.

Stayed in October 2023

There isn't an elevator so you have carry your bags up thr stairs. Not really a problem for us but could make it difficult for some.

Great to experience traditional Ryokan. Room was really cosy and the owner is so friendly. We were allowed to check in early and the owner drove us straight to the monkey park. Private onsen also available at a cost.

Stayed in November 2023

Nothing. The whole experience was outstanding.

This ryokan was recommended as "a highlight of your stay in Japan". It did not disappoint! Mr & Mrs Yamoto made us feel welcome straight away, and went out of their way to make our stay memorable. Our room was large and very comfortable and the onsen was fantastic. Breakfast was simple, but adequate. We found two very nice restaurants down the street towards the station for our evening meals.

Stayed in October 2023

The inn was fantastic! This will be the highlight of my two week trip. The staff were fantastic and ensuring we left at the right time to find the monkeys

Stayed in October 2023

nothing!

this place is very authentic and gives you the full Japanese experience. it was the best and most memorable place me and my sister stayed. The Owner is so amazing, he made sure we got access to the private onsen - hot springs which was insane and well needed after a 3 hour journey to the hotel from Tokyo. He told us about a little sushi restaurant down the street, it’s amazing! best sushi I had in Japan. He took us to the monkey park free of charge and offered to pick us up or show us how to walk down through the village. We walked down through the village. The breakfast was very simple yet amazing. loved the thick white toast 😍. I can’t rate this place enough, I wish we had stayed longer and we will 💯 be back!!

Stayed in October 2023

Don't expect a modern take on a traditional hotel - the building is about 50 years old apparently, but it's comfortable.

I've never met a host as helpful as Mr Yumoto. Drove us to and from the snow monkey park, twice because the first time the monkeys had gone off on holiday....The onsen is a great experience -very hot! Very cheap Western style breakfast was provided for only 700yen, which we ate to the accomplishment of a pianola!

Stayed in October 2023

N/A

Great location, beautiful surrounding atmosphere, . Ichiro was friendly and helpful, it was lovely and great first impression of hotel. Everything about the hotel was exceptional. It was clean, stylish, with excellent service . The Room itself was well equipped and comfortable. I was very pleased with my stay. We hope to be back for a longer visit in the future. Ichiro was kind enough to drive us to the monkey park and also pick us up from the park.

Stayed in October 2023

We were very warmly welcomed at Hotel Shimaya and had a great stay for two nights. We had a wonderful view from our small balcony. For a small extra charge you could rent a private onsen, which we liked very much. The hotel is a bit older. Our small room was in a neat and tidy condition.

Stayed in October 2023

I had everything I needed for a good night stay. The owner is even willing to drive you for free to the monkey park. Excellent service

Stayed in October 2023

Amazing experience, Mr Ichiro-san drove us to the Snow Monkey park and arranged for an open air onsen. Fantastic experience and would gladly come back again.

Stayed in October 2023

Beautiful rooms, amazing onsen, sincere and kind service, authentic atmosphere

Stayed in September 2023

N/a

Traditional Japanese style accommodation and I LOVED that the onsen is 24/7! Ichiro very kind and helpful host, he gave us a lift to the snow monkey park :)

Stayed in September 2023

The decor is definitely aging, but the property is very clean. It can be hard work to take a heavy bag up the steps. Apart from that, no problems at all

Mr and Mrs Yumoto are absolute sweethearts, they put a lot of hard work into Shimaya and have made it a very comfortable place to stay despite it aging. Mr Yumoto took us to the snow monkeys at very short notice, and then to the station so we could catch our train! The private bath is great too, and we loved the artwork on the stairwell

Stayed in September 2023

A bit pricey

Room was spacious and clean. Futons are good to sleep View is nice Onsen inside the hotel are free to use

Stayed in August 2023

The room has one big light, which can be a little hot when turned on and when turned off, can be very dark. Also, had to be pretty quiet because the walls are thin.

The hosts were honestly the best part of the experience! They were very kind and offered to send and pick us up from the nearby station. When it looked like we would have trouble checking out on time, they even suggested sending our luggage to our next hotel for us! They also gave recommendations on where to go or stop by once they knew where we were going. The room was very clean with a nice view and it really gave off the traditional vibes with the low table, futons (which were SUPER comfy and fluffy) and sliding doors. There was even free room service where they helped to clean our room and provided hot water for our tea everyday.

Stayed in August 2023

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

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

Stayed in August 2023

N/A

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.

Stayed in August 2023