Yu No Yado Yamabato

The mountain air after a hot bath felt especially good on a cold, rainy day in late May. In the middle of the night, you could hear rain and deer calling. Shima Onsen really does wash the world’s dust away. I’d been wanting to stay here for ages, and it’s a quiet, compact inn with a simple setup and nothing unnecessary. There are five guest rooms on the third floor, with the front desk, dining area, and parking on the second, and private baths on the first. You get around by stairs. There are three baths for the five rooms, and you can check availability or book from your room with a QR code. Nothing extra is needed.

The food is delicious, and the portions are just right. This is one of my favorite inns. It’s my second stay, four years after the first. There aren’t many rooms, so it stays quiet, and you can pick your own yukata. They have cute socks too. The private baths can be reserved, so you can use one when you like, and the water leaves your skin feeling smooth. They also provide Sekkisei cosmetics, Botanist shampoo, and hair ties, so the amenities are really well stocked.

All three baths can be booked for private use at no extra charge. I loved soaking while listening to the mountain stream, and ended up going in several times. They’d thought through the amenities too, from makeup remover to sunscreen, and there were plenty of towels. The food was delicious and used local ingredients, rather than being the usual ryokan-style kaiseki. Breakfast was great as well. I stayed alone on a weekday. It was clean and comfortable, just the right amount of everything, though there are only a limited number of rooms for solo guests, so that’s why I’m giving it four stars. I’d definitely recommend it.

The meals were tasty, with a real focus on ingredients from Gunma Prefecture. The private baths are fed straight from the source, and being able to check availability and book from your room made the whole thing easy and stress-free.