Shimaya

Great pick up services and view from the room. It was clean and the owner was very kind and friendly and can communicate in English. Would like to visit once more during winter :)

super hôtel, personnel des plus accueillant je recommande vivement, allez y vous serez bien reçu.

Really cozy room (it was cold outside, not so inside:) but spacious.Lovely view out the window, quiet stay. loved the onsen, and Mr. and Mrs Yumoto were both very warm and welcoming. I felt right at home and definitely could have stayed longer. Super happy to have a good coffee for breakfast as well!

This is a hotel that provides 5 star service. For our stay, the hotel owner helped us rebook our bike ride, told us when to best see the monkeys, and helped us find an excellent dinner. It’s also a great location and an onsite onsen. Highly recommend.

We stayed at Shimaya in February 2024 for 3 nights. Would highly recommend staying here for the close location near the station (10min walk with luggage). Shimaya is walking distance to various dinner options and the shuttle bus to the ski field. The host was very accomodating and drove us to the monkey park. We opted to walk back to Shimaya as opposed to getting the bus which I would recommend as you can see a lot of the town. Would stay again if we are in Yudanaka

Mr. Yumoto met us at the train station. The ryokan is a few minutes walk from the station and a lot of restaurants. But a lot of the restaurants were close during that time January. Our room is at the 3rd floor and at first I couldn't find the water closet as it was near the balcony. We were driven to the entrance of the snow monkey park. We rode the bus back to Yudanaka. They lent us gum boots to walk in the snow so it isn't slippery. There was an in house ryokan for men and women. The breakfast was very simple prepared by Mrs. Yumoto. We were very comfortable and welcomed during our stay

This is a very traditional Japanese ryokan and thus is not for everyone... do not go here if you are expecting something like a modern hotel. That said, if you want an authentic experience this is a wonderful place to go and the owners are so very friendly and accommodating. As we went in the winter it was very cold, but we were toasty next to the heater and under the blankets on our futons. There are onsen available and the private bathroom had a giant bath to soak in. The owner drove us up to the park to see the snow monkeys and even provided boots for us to wear that were much better than the ones we brought from home. I wish I had worn them walking down the hill to dinner, though--it's VERY icy on the road in the town and I fell. Take my advice and wear the boots provided at the inn or bring crampons for your boots if you travel here in the winter. The town is small and therefore there only a couple of restaurants, but there is a convenience store and the restaurants had excellent food. I would love to return someday.

The most epic experience we’ve ever had. The Ryokan + Yumoto-san and his staff are the best. Winter is truly magical here

Thanks Mr Shimaya and all the staff! We were 4 people and we spent two nights in this traditional Japanese-style room, very comfortable. All the essentials were present. The futons were very soft and warm. The room consisted of an entrance hall, a fairly large main room, a small room with shower, a sink, an outdoor room divided by paper walls with a table and two chairs and the necessary to make tea and enjoy the view of the panorama offered by Yudanaka, a small closet immediately alongside containing a toilet, and finally an external balcony. Inside the structure it is possible to have breakfast (we have not opted for this service so I cannot express myself on the matter), but the most important thing is the presence of an internal onsen (no mixed gender), that you can use how much do you want. It was beautyful. There is also the possibility of getting a very characteristic public onsen's key right behind the hotel. The first morning the Shimaya staff accompanied us to the Snow Monkey Park for free. In the early afternoon we have Booked the private onsen where you can go dressed a bit like in the pool, to bring even the most reluctant to bring this wonderful aspect of Japanese culture. Mr Shimaya was great to advice us for where tò eat or what to do nearby, and he was very kind with all of us. Thanks again from all 4 of us, we loved every minute spent there. ありがとう ！ ＜3