Explore Japan on foot
Discover the rich culture of Japan
Bike around the country
Narai, Nakasendo Route
Welcome to Minshuku Shimada. This minshuku is located in a small traditional town on the Nakasendo trail. It is located close to the train station so you will be able to find it easily, and even if you can’t the locals are more that willing to help. The minshuku has a very traditional look and the whole town looks like it is still in the Edo period. It has 10 rooms none of which includes a private bathroom. Your stay comes with a delicious dinner and breakfast featuring fish from the river vegetables from the mountains that surround the town.
Best Ryokan experience
Our visit to the Minshuku Shimada was wonderful in all ways. When we arrived, the owner was not present. The helpful neighbour let us in so we could put our luggage inside and have a walk through the beautiful little city of Narai. Although Narai is small, it offers a great experience of a small authentic Japanese village. Upon our return to the ryokan, the owner had arrived and placed all our luggage in the room, turned on the heater (as it was chilly outside) and provided us with tea and cookies. We felt very welcomed. The owners speak a little English, nevertheless they really try their best to help you in any way they can. Google translate can otherwise help a lot! The evening and morning diner experience was amazing, albeit being at fixed times. I would recommend anyone to make use of the diner service as you will get a wide variety of Japanese dishes. We at some point even thought it was never ending, as the owner kept on bringing the nicest small dishes with superb fish and meat. If you have diet wishes, please mention them beforehand and they will keen those in mind! After diner, a walk and using the onsen, we returned to our room for the night. At first it might seem to be really cold, as we turned of the gas heater (due to CO). However the blankets are like thermal heaters themselves. We all woke up super hot and happy after a good night sleep to identify that the room temperature dropped to a staggering 8 degrees. I don’t know where they got those blankets, but I want one! After the breakfast the owners took some time to talk to us, which made our stay more personal. They helped us to plan our day and gave us flyers of Matsumoto castle and an explanation on how we could travel there. As we went hiking they even gave us a bell to scare away the bears. As we had to cut our stay short due to the corona crisis in our home country, the owner only charged us for the days we where actually there, and not the full stay, which was the only positive part of the otherwise sad story that we where forced to go home earlier. If I would ever come back to Japan, I will certainly go back to this Ryokan and I would recommend it to everyone!
By Evert
Welcoming and truly authentic
This was the most authentic ryokan of our 3 week visit. Others had all the same ingredients you come to expect but were modern and the interactions more ‘hotel-like’. The host was delightful and so helpful and though we hardly saw his wife her cooking was amazing. There was a local, family feel. It had recently snowed and the building was cold but the rooms we used were well heated and the bedding very warm. There were hardly any other westerners about at this time of year and we felt like we had stepped back in time. We saw no one during our walk over the snow covered Torii Pass which is definitely worth doing. There was a fabulous temple just over the ridge and it was an easy train ride back from the next town in plenty of time for dinner. Our host lent us his walking sticks and bear bell! (They were hibernating anyway). Highly recommend this adventure off the beaten track.
By Susan
Small but perfectly formed
If you are looking for something small, quiet, off the beaten track, fantastic food, lovingly cared for and more authentic than most then you have come to the right place. If you want something more commercial and primped then look elsewhere. Personally this place and service was spot on for us, the village of Narai is away from the commercialism of Tsumago etc, but it does have a couple of small stores and the locals are very friendly. Surrounded by the mountains it feels cool and a world away from the big cities. The minshuku itself is a beautifully kept (restored?) wooden building, the owners are friendly and the food is fabulous, lots of local and interesting ingredients. I loved Japan, its culture and history and this little spot was one of my favorites.
By Teresa