Reviews of Shimaya Ryokan

20 February 2008 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: The host was very accomadating and offered a lot of advice on sights and activities!!! He even goes out of his way to drive you to the Monkey Park for free! Really nice and friendly !! I cant say enough about the help he provided, just excellent, it is always the little things that impress the most!!!

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.

01 February 2008 Charles would recommend this property

Liked: Simply the best accomodation I have stayed at anywhere in the world. Read on!The room had two sitting areas, two futon beds with all the doonas and blankets you could need, and an electric mattress to keep you warm during those cold yudanaka nights! As well as that we had a fridge, TV, our own bathroom and shower, and plenty or space to store our bags and coats. This sort of accomodation is unheard of for that price. Even if you have been staying in very cheap hostels, this place is worth the splurge as it's not just accomodation, it's really an experience! Plus the money you save on the services provided makes it worth it anyway!The Ryokan has its own onsen, which can easily be set aside for your own use, and it's very nice and relaxing. Onsen clothing and towels are all provided!But the best thing about this Ryokan is Yumoto-san and his lovely wife, who happily drive guests to and from all the local attractions and to the station and back when need be. Their restaurant and sightseeing recommendations were brilliant, and they did everything they could to make not just out stay in the Ryokan brilliant, but in the town of Yudanaka as well. Japan is the land of brilliant service, and this ryokan has the best I've seen anywhere.Cannot recommend highly enough.

Disliked: Charles left no negative feedback.

30 January 2008 David would recommend this property

Liked: Yumoto-san and his wife are the loveliest and most helpful people, our stay here was one of the highlights of our trip.

Disliked: David left no negative feedback.

21 January 2008 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Very friendly and helpful owners who will go out of their way to help their guests. Happy to drive you to the train station (5 mins walk) or to the Snow Monkey Park. An absolute must see.Excellent meals especially breakfast.We stayed in a Japanese style room and loved it. Our first visit to an Onsen and appreciated the ability to have a private bath Japanese style.Highly recommended.

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.

17 January 2008 shane would recommend this property

Liked: The owner and his wife are extremely friendly and helpful. Yudanaka and especially the Monkey Park is one of the highlights of any trip to Japan.

Disliked: shane left no negative feedback.

12 January 2008 Garry would recommend this property

Liked: this hostel is in a great location in yudanaka. its only a short walk from the train station. The owners are great. we went to see the snow monkies and they drove us there and back. the hostel also has an onsen in the hotel. so it is great if want to do that. the scenery was brillant. Nagano was hosts to the winter olympics in 1998 (i think) so surrounded by lovely mountain and snow etc. would definitely recommend this hostel. its was a bit more expensive than planned but well worth the extra.

Disliked: Garry left no negative feedback.

02 January 2008 Jane would recommend this property

Liked: The owner and his wife went out of their way to make you feel at home. They had excellent suggesting for great sightseeing day trips.

Disliked: Jane left no negative feedback.

02 January 2008 John would recommend this property

Liked: The owner of this ryokan, Mr Yumoto, is without question the most helpful person I've met in many years of travel. Given that Yudanaka is a small town, with limited transport and English language information, he makes it posdsible to enjoy the delights of the surrounding area. Everything you read about this place, and Mr Yumoto, is true.

Disliked: John left no negative feedback.

15 December 2007 Zhong Wei would recommend this property

Liked: Excellent service, extremely friendly staff who will go out of their way to help you. Breakfast was a little too expensive though, but otherwise a really pleasent place to unwind.

Disliked: Zhong Wei left no negative feedback.

13 December 2007 Mathew would recommend this property

Liked: helpful friendly owner, free shuttle to monkey park.

Disliked: Mathew left no negative feedback.

22 November 2007 Angie would recommend this property

Liked: Absolutely beautiful place to stay and experience true culture of staying in a traditional Japanese hotel. The owners bent over backwards to see to my every need and were incredibly welcoming.

Disliked: Angie left no negative feedback.

19 November 2007 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Mr and Mrs Yumoto!

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.

16 November 2007 Darryl would recommend this property

Liked: The owner was very helpful and drove us to and picked us up from the Snow Monkeys. He also took us to a great outdoor onsen where he arranged the booking for us and also picked us up when we had finished. The room was very clean and tidy as was the rest of the Ryokan. The owner also let us use the onsen at the Ryokan in private. The owner is extremely helpful and speaks English very well. If we are lucky enough to go back to Japan we will definately stay at Shimaya Ryokan again (we will bring our kids as well). We would recommend this Ryokan to anyone.

Disliked: Darryl left no negative feedback.

25 September 2007 Alyson would recommend this property

Liked: The rooms were absolutely beautiful and clean and the japanese breakfast was amazing. Mr and Mrs Yumoto delightful and so very helpful.

Disliked: Alyson left no negative feedback.

28 June 2007 Antonius would recommend this property

Liked: The owner, Yamamoto San, is extremely helpful in guiding foreign guests through the neighborhood. He speaks English and brings you to places in the neighborhood or explains all the restaurant possibilities.

Disliked: Antonius left no negative feedback.

27 June 2007 Kathryn and Guy would recommend this property

Liked: Proprietor extremely helpful for local sights. Onsen was also a delight. With an open window you can hear the brook/hotsprings.

Disliked: Kathryn and Guy left no negative feedback.

07 May 2007 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Atmosphere of the hotel, affordable Japanese Ryokan, very friendly and helpful staff, hotel Onsen (that also includes family onsen), nice breakfast, and good location in a nice little town.

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.

26 April 2007 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: I stayed at Shimaya with my daughter and we had very relaxed time. We were helped with transport to see the famous monkeys and received kind and patient support when we wished fo find out where to go and where to eat etc. Above all we liked the funky atmosphere.

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.

22 April 2007 Paul and Susan would recommend this property

Liked: atmosphere, extremely friendly & helpful staff, with suggestions of what else we could see in the area (we had only gone to see the monkeys), and suggestions of the train connections to make to get back to Tokyo. Excellent value for money, especially for those wanting a more traditional Inn, but it was the friendly and helpful staff that really made the place.

Disliked: Paul and Susan left no negative feedback.

17 April 2007 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: The owner is really friendly and allways telingl you the highlights of the zone.

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.

16 April 2007 Kathy would recommend this property

Liked: We arrived on Sat 7th April 07 & found the owner was very helpful. True to his word upon arrival he drove us & others up to the Monkey park then told us to phone from the park & he picked us up afterwards too. Gave everyone suggestions of places to eat or visit as well & was willing to drop people at the station if required. I would suggest though that a sign outside saying 'Shimaya Ryokan' would be handy as there is none we saw & we all walked right past it & only located it by asking several people where it was?

Disliked: Kathy left no negative feedback.

10 April 2007 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Mr Yomoto is very helpful and enthusiastic. Great recommendations on where to eat and advising us to go to Obuse.

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.

05 March 2007 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: The owners were incredibly helpful, driving us to the Monkey Park gates and station, and picking us up. It made it so much easier to get around. The hotel was charming, and they recommended local restaurants which had great food.

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.

03 December 2006 would recommend this property

Liked: Mr Yumoto was an amazing host..he drove us to the monkey park, the most beautiful outdoor onsen, to restaurants..he even ordered for us because we couldn't read the menu. His ryokan was clean and tradtional with its own indor hot spring bath..delicious!!

Disliked: left no negative feedback.

18 November 2006 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Very friendly owner who drove me around and helped out a lot. Only 1 other person was staying there that night so it was very quiet

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.