Shima Onsen Kashiwaya Ryokan

We spent two nights in the Hana room, with the private onsen on our balcony. The onsen was incredible! Hot! (we had to cool it down periodically with the cold showerhead, or have a cold shower and jump back in, which felt wonderful!) Walked up to the lake - a bit of a hike at 1 hour 20 minutes uphill each way! It’s pretty, but personally the incredible blue of the river is way more beautiful! If you walk into town you will pass deeper sections of the river which, especially in the afternoon, go an incredible shade of blue that my eyes could not believe! The beds in the room are on the firmer side, though still comfortable. We had to connect the tv to the internet using Google translate, it would have been nice if it was already connected for us. The food - lots of attention to detail, beautifully presented, and so many tiny bowls for each meal! It was a little on the bland side for us, but I understand that’s the style, and it made for a bit of a detox. We were certainly full at the end of each meal! Unfortunately the town is pretty much closed on Tuesdays so there was nowhere we could go for lunch. Lucky we had snacks in our bags that got us through. The private onsen you can use all looked lovely. We had our own one so we didn’t use them, but would have enjoyed them if we had one of the other rooms. The staff are all lovely, very friendly and attentive. We were glad to have gone there. Note: if you are catching the shuttle bus back to Tokyo station, make sure you go to the bus stop a bit further on from the local bus! Despite asking staff they told us to just wait ‘at the bus stop here’ and didn’t even mention there were two bus stops! If it wasn’t for another traveler who goes to Shima Onsen frequently we would have missed our one bus for the day! Aldo note that it’s a four hour ride including rest stops, not three hours.

My stay was relaxing and a great way to decompress from the stress of city life. I recommend taking the bus package, as it simplified my whole experience and gave me extra time to explore the quaint town of Shima. They have free rental bikes - take one and go explore! The dam park at the edge of town is super pretty, and the shops and restaurants in town are adorable. This is the essence of small town life. The food was amazing - my dinner was a course meal, and my server, Hitomi, made the experience a highlight of my night. Staying at an onsen is good for the soul - don’t miss it :)

Such a warm-hearted welcome from the staff, who all had the best vibes throughout. It was incredible to experience the traditional Onsens, wear Yukatas and each meal showcased delicious, fresh local cuisine. Would recommend AT LEAST a 2 night stay. Thank you to everyone at Kashiwaya Ryokan.

Kashiwaya Ryokan was an absolute highlight of our Japan holiday. The staff were amazing, the food is 100 out of 10, the Onsens are private and exhilarating, the rooms were very clean and well appointed. When we were there we experienced snow and beautiful sunshine. Special staff mentions to Hitomi who arranged our bike ride to the lake and Andrew for his warm welcome. We would highly recommend Shima Onsen and staying at Kashiwaya Ryokan.