Shima Onsen Shima Tamura
Reference price as of September 12, 2026 (stay date 2026-10-03). Please check the booking site for actual rates.
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forumWhat families say
Rakuten Travel rating 4.38 out of 5 (2,261 reviews). In reviews from family trips, guests praise being able to go from one bath to the next, the in-room onsen that lets you soak at length without getting chilled afterward, and rooms that feel spacious even with four people. On the other hand, guests note that the communal bath and the open-air bath are not connected, so moving between them means getting out of the bath once, and that with three lodging buildings, getting around the property can feel like a chore depending on your room.
Kids Facilities
Private-hire bath Crystal
Private-hire bath Crystal
A bath where you can enjoy Shima Tamura's prized onsen all to yourselves. The tub is large enough for a big group of family or friends, and there is a relaxing space to use after your bath. It is 2,200 yen including tax for 40 minutes, requires a reservation, and is available from 3:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- •2,200 yen including tax for 40 minutes
- •Reservation required
- •Available from 3:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Extra futon bedding (ages 2 and under)
Extra futon bedding (ages 2 and under)
If a child aged 2 or under needs futon bedding, it is provided for an additional 3,300 yen. Co-sleeping is accepted for up to 4 children: ages 0 to 1 are free of charge, age 2 pays a facility fee of 1,650 yen with no meals or futon bedding, and children aged 3 and over pay the young children's rate. There is no information about cribs or bed guards.
- •If a child aged 2 or under needs futon bedding, it is provided for an additional 3,300 yen.
- •Co-sleeping for up to 4 children
Humidifier and CD player available to borrow
Humidifier and CD player available to borrow
Humidifiers and CD players are available to borrow for your room. Guest rooms have toilets with a washing function, and some room types come with an air purifier, which makes it easier to stay with children during the drier months.
- •Humidifier (available to borrow)
The private ryotei Yamazakura and the semi-private dining area Sekikei
The private ryotei Yamazakura and the semi-private dining area Sekikei
Dinner is served either at the private ryotei Yamazakura or at the semi-private restaurant Sekikei, and depending on the size of your group it may be held in a private banquet room instead. The semi-private setting is a space of your own. Ingredients you cannot eat and any allergies must be reported in advance; requests made on the day may be declined.
- •Dinner is served at either the ryotei Yamazakura or the semi-private restaurant Sekikei.
- •Please let the ryokan know in advance about ingredients you cannot eat and any allergies.
Sakura Pool (outdoor heated pool)
Sakura Pool (outdoor heated pool)
- calendar_monthSeason:Summer only
- paymentsPrice:Free for guests
An outdoor pool that uses water warmed by a heat exchange from the high-temperature spring source. It is free for staying guests and opens in summer only, typically from mid-July to the end of August, closing every Tuesday for cleaning. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; for staying guests, it is from 12 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on the day you arrive and from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. the next morning. You need to bring your own swimwear, and the pool may close in bad weather. There is no children's pool.
- •Open in summer only (closed every Tuesday for cleaning)
- •Hours 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (for staying guests, 12 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on the arrival day and 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. the next morning)
- •You need to bring your own swimwear
- •No children's pool
Categories
Overview
Shima Onsen Shima Tamura is a long-established ryokan founded 500 years ago, standing along the valley in Shima Onsen. It has several baths fed straight from the source, open 24 hours a day (some at limited times). Guest rooms are spread across the Mokuyokan, Suiyokan and Kinyokan buildings, ranging from 8-tatami to 16-tatami Japanese-style tatami rooms to maisonette Japanese-Western rooms and rooms with a hinoki cypress bath, so you can choose by size and capacity to match your family. Co-sleeping is accepted for up to 4 children, and ages 0 to 1 stay free of charge. Dinner is served in a private dining room at the ryotei or in a semi-private dining area, and allergies must be reported in advance.
Rooms
Guest rooms are spread across three buildings: Mokuyokan, Suiyokan and Kinyokan. In Mokuyokan, the rooms overlooking the mountain stream (only 3 of them) have a hinoki cypress bath and are 12.5 tatami plus 4.5 tatami, sleeping up to 8; the Japanese-style tatami rooms with a hinoki cypress bath are 10 or 16 tatami and sleep up to 5 or 6; the Western-style room with a hinoki cypress bath is 16 tatami and sleeps up to 2; the maisonettes are 10 or 14 tatami plus a Western-style room with twin beds, sleeping up to 7; and the 16-tatami Japanese-style tatami room sleeps up to 6. In Suiyokan, the maisonette is 14 tatami plus a Western-style maisonette level and sleeps up to 8; the Japanese-style tatami room with a hinoki cypress bath is 15 tatami with a bath and toilet and sleeps up to 6; and the 15-tatami Japanese-style tatami room sleeps up to 6. In Kinyokan, the special room is 8 tatami plus 6 tatami with a veranda and sleeps up to 6; the room with a stone bath is 10 tatami and sleeps up to 5; and the standard Japanese-style tatami rooms are 8 to 10 tatami and sleep up to 4 or 5. Kinyokan rooms have no bath. Because the special room in Kinyokan is in a historic wooden building, the tatami may creak. Humidifiers are available to borrow for your room, and some room types come with an air purifier. The rooms with beds are the maisonette types, laid out with a Japanese-style tatami room on the first level and a twin bedroom on the second.
Dining
On the kaiseki plans, dinner is served either at the ryotei Yamazakura or at the semi-private restaurant Sekikei, and depending on the size of your group it may be held in a private banquet room instead. The semi-private setting is a space of your own, so you can eat without worrying too much about other guests. There is also a plan on which dinner becomes a buffet at Gran Tierra, the restaurant hall of the sister property Shima Grand Hotel, about a 3-minute walk away. It runs from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. (last order 8:30 p.m.) and offers more than 50 Japanese, Western and Chinese dishes to serve yourselves from, so families with a child at an age where a set kaiseki menu is difficult can choose this option. Breakfast is a set Japanese meal in the Yutopia Hall, which is not a private venue. Ingredients you cannot eat and any allergies must be reported in advance; requests made on the day may be declined. There is no in-room dining option. There is no information about a children's menu.
Baths and Onsen
The ryokan has 7 bathing areas, all of them natural onsen flowing straight from the source. Bathing is available 24 hours a day, though some hours are excluded. The communal baths are Iraka no Yu, Iwane no Yu and Gomuso no Yu, and the open-air baths are Mori no Kodama and Ouketsu no Yu; only Mori no Kodama has set hours, from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. The seventh is Ryugu, a mixed-bathing open-air bath on the riverbed of the Shinyu River; it can be unusable in bad weather or when the river runs high, and a notice has also been posted saying it is closed, so please check whether it is available when you book. Gomuso and Ouketsu alternate between men and women by time slot, with women from check-in until 9 p.m. and men from 9:30 p.m. until checkout, so you will want to plan when the family bathes. The private-hire bath Crystal is 2,200 yen including tax for 40 minutes, requires a reservation, and is available from 3:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Its tub is large enough for a big group of family or friends, which suits families who want to bathe together with a child at an age where they would rather avoid the communal bath. In rooms with a hinoki cypress bath, you can use the indoor bath, 100% onsen water flowing straight from the source, at any time. There is no information on whether children in diapers may enter the communal baths or the private-hire bath, so please confirm in advance.
Family-Friendly Features
Co-sleeping is accepted for up to 4 children. Children's rates are tiered: ages 0 to 1 are free of charge, age 2 pays a facility fee of 1,650 yen (no meals or futon bedding), and children aged 3 and over pay the young children's rate (with meals and futon bedding). Upper-grade and lower-grade elementary school children both pay 70% of the adult rate; infants and toddlers pay 50% of the adult rate whether or not meals and bedding are included, and 1,650 yen when they have neither meals nor bedding. If a child aged 2 or under needs futon bedding, it is provided for an additional 3,300 yen. There is no childcare service. The ryokan can be used by guests in wheelchairs, wheelchairs are available to borrow, and guest rooms have Western-style toilets. Barrier-free features differ from room to room, however, so confirming in advance is recommended. The Japanese-style tatami rooms in Kinyokan are the closest to the entrance, though there are still some steps and level changes.
Play Areas and Pool
The outdoor Sakura Pool uses water warmed by a heat exchange from the high-temperature spring source. It opens in summer only, typically from mid-July to the end of August, and closes every Tuesday for cleaning. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; for staying guests, it is from 12 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on the day you arrive and from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. the next morning. You need to bring your own swimwear, and the pool may close in bad weather. There is no children's pool. There is no information on whether swim diapers are permitted, so please confirm in advance.
Access
From Nakanojo Station on the JR Agatsuma Line, take the Kan-etsu Kotsu bus bound for Shima Onsen to the last stop, then walk 3 minutes; from the Shibukawa-Ikaho IC on the Kan-etsu Expressway it is about 39 km and 60 minutes. There are 120 free parking spaces, so families traveling mainly by car have plenty of room to park. Check-in is at 3 p.m. (latest 6 p.m.) and checkout is at 11 a.m. Booking directly through the ryokan's website also comes with a benefit that lets you extend checkout to 12 p.m.
Access & Information
| location_onAddress | 4180 Shima, Nakanojo-machi, Agatsuma-gun, Gunma 377-0601 |
|---|---|
| directions_carAccess | From Nakanojo Station on the JR Agatsuma Line, take the Kan-etsu Kotsu bus bound for Shima Onsen to the last stop, then walk 3 minutes. About 39 km and 60 minutes from the Shibukawa-Ikaho IC on the Kan-etsu Expressway via National Routes 17 and 353. |
| trainNearest station | Nakanojo Station |
| local_parkingParking | Parking for 120 cars, free of charge. |
| callPhone | +81-279-64-2111 |
| paymentsCards | VISA, JCB, Diners Club, UC, DC, NICOS, Mastercard, CF, ORICO |
| languageOfficial site | https://shima-tamura.co.jp/open_in_new |
Map
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Reference price as of September 12, 2026 (stay date 2026-10-03). Please check the booking site for actual rates.
Check rates & availability
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Frequently Asked Questions
What ages is Shima Onsen Shima Tamura best suited to?
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It has facilities that work especially well for babies and toddlers (ages 0 to 2) and children aged 3 and over. There is no age limit, and families with children of any age can stay.
Is there parking at Shima Onsen Shima Tamura?
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Parking: Parking for 120 cars, free of charge.
How do you get to Shima Onsen Shima Tamura?
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From Nakanojo Station on the JR Agatsuma Line, take the Kan-etsu Kotsu bus bound for Shima Onsen to the last stop, then walk 3 minutes. About 39 km and 60 minutes from the Shibukawa-Ikaho IC on the Kan-etsu Expressway via National Routes 17 and 353.
How are children's rates decided?
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The young children's rate is the same for a booking with meals only or bedding only as it is for one with both meals and bedding. The number of meals depends on the meal conditions of the plan you book.
What are the check-in and checkout times?
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Check-in is from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., and checkout is at 11 a.m.
What kinds of onsen facilities are there, such as communal baths and a private-hire bath?
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Along with open-air baths and communal baths fed straight from the source, there is a private-hire bath, a sauna and an outdoor pool.
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Information on this page was compiled by directly consulting Official website, Rakuten Travel, Ikyu.com (a Japanese booking site), Jalan (last verified: September 2026). Prices, availability and seasonal operations change. Please check each booking site for the latest information.
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