ShimaHama Home

After confirming and paying for our booking, the owner told us to go to another address an hour away. When we asked whether there had been a mistake, there was no apology. We asked to switch back to the original room we’d paid for but got no response. Even after paying and repeatedly asking if a room was available, we still weren’t sure. With no clear confirmation in time, we went to the other address and hoped for the best. We’re foreigners, but we’ve lived in Japan for many years. I make a point of writing messages in Japanese and checking that the translation is right so owners can feel at ease. If you can understand this review, you can see that my message was clear and the problem wasn’t a translation error. When we arrived, nobody was there and there was no check-in. I messaged to say we’d arrived and ask how to get in. The only reply was, “We called about check-in, but you didn’t answer.” We waited outside for an hour with no further response. Calls to the owner’s cell phone went unanswered too, so we had to contact Booking.com customer service. They couldn’t reach the owner either. Booking.com said this wasn’t the first time there’d been trouble with this owner and that they were already considered very problematic. They told me the owner would no longer be listed on booking.com. Fortunately, Booking.com refunded me and gave me an additional 50 percent discount. Online reviews also make it clear to me that the owner is extremely racist. Several reviews from foreigners include negative comments about foreigners from the owner. I’m sure the owner will respond angrily to this review, so I’ll provide screenshots of our messages as proof of what happened.

The owner was very kind, and it’s a nice place. I was disappointed by the bath, though, because I couldn’t use it. The shower pressure was weak, so it wasn’t usable in the cold winter. The owner told me about a day-use hot spring at a nearby hotel, and I went there instead.

It was cold and dirty, and there weren’t any restaurants nearby. The owner didn’t explain why he was charging 700 yen per day for parking near the parking lot.