Chuoukan Shimizuya Ryokan

Absolutely amazing experience! This inn is a gem—run by the sweetest older couple who truly go above and beyond to make your stay unforgettable. The rooms are spotless, cozy, and beautifully maintained, giving the whole place a warm, nostalgic charm that feels like stepping back in time. Every detail here feels lovingly tended to, making it one of the cleanest and most welcoming places we’ve stayed. I’d give it more than five stars if I could! It deserves all the praise, and I hope people appreciate the unique, wonderful atmosphere the owners have created.

I had the best stay at Chuoukan Shimizuya! I’ve been traveling alone but the two grandparents that run the place are so kind and always available for any problem or question I had. They don’t speak English but with my broken Japanese and their broken English we could in the end manage to communicate well! They would always arrive at the door whenever I arrived or had to leave to wish me a good day or welcome me back home. Overall two very kind people. The house is very well kept in my opinion, some parts are old but very well kept and super clean and spotless. The room had a door on the outside that locks so you don’t have to worry about there being only sliding doors. Once you enter the door that locks, there is a small sink and area where to leave your slippers, and then you can open the sliding doors where there is the tatami floors so to not bring the slippers on the tatami. The room was extremely well kept and clean! They gave a new hot water bottle to have tea every day with new cups, tea bags and pot. Fresh towels and yukata every day. Just outside the room there is a small room just for the toilet, then downstairs there is two separate bath areas for women and men. The bath area is where the showers also are, bear in mind it’s an onsen type of bath area therefore there is no private showers. However, there is a lock on the onsen door, therefore if it’s not too crowded you can always lock the door while you shower quickly! As the shower room is cleaned after check out, the bathing times are only in the morning before 10am and then in the late afternoon and evening, to allow them to clean the onsen and showers, which I really appreciated because it was always extremely clean and hygienic, which is something I really look for in every place I stay at. Finally the futon was very comfortable and it didn’t feel hard at all. Nearby there are plenty of restaurants and convenience stores, and the famous Zenkoji temple is literally a 5 minute walk, and overall the neighborhood is very peaceful and quiet, I slept very well! It is also not that far from the train station, about a 20 minute walk or 6/7 minutes with the buses, that you can take from the train station for roughly ¥160 (they only accept cash or the local ic cards, so suica doesn’t work on these buses). I genuinely have no complaints at all and encourage anyone who would like to feel a bit at home and experience a traditional Japanese style house to come here! 😊

I had an incredible experience staying at this traditional Japanese Ryokan run by a lovely elderly couple. From the moment we arrived, they were incredibly welcoming, treating us with such kindness and warmth. They made sure we felt comfortable and went out of their way to share the beauty of their place with us.

Nice location with old fashion Ryokan hotel in Nagano.Business runs by 2 old people with warm welcome.It's share bathroomAnd they have onsen (small) avaliable for your stay.

Loved the whole experience of staying jn a Japanese Ryokan. The location is pretty assessable to Zenkoji Temple.

Holy. What a unique traditional Japanese stay. It's unlike anything if you've been doing the classic hotel stays in your time in Japan. The service is beautiful, run by the elderly couple. They would put out our shoes knowing we were last to leave the place - just so thoughtful and even gave us hand warmers when it was freezing. The Onsen in the spot is a treat. Very small like a public onsen in Japan - super hot. Very unlikely to be overpacked and usually will be the only one (if you're not comfortable with onsen experiences haha...). Loved everything about this stay. And the location is great too. Highly recommend if you want to have a very memorable experience in Japan.

Convenient spot right across the bus stop (do not get off at gondo train station and walk, it’s very far, take a bus instead). Rooms are very nice, clean, and traditional. The old couple who own the inn are super super nice and thoughtful people, you should come stay just to meet them haha… they saw us outside wanting to try a tonkatsu nearby, and even ran back to get a discount voucher for us 🥹

Loved this Ryokan! We wanted to have the experience of staying at a traditional inn and this was lovely. The managers are lovely and very helpful, and you can't beat the location (close to transit, lots of restaurants and the temple). Highly recommended!