Shima Yamaguchikan
Reference price as of September 13, 2026 (stay date 2026-10-10). Please check the booking site for actual rates.
Check rates & availability
Opens the booking site in a new tab.
This site uses affiliate links; we may earn a commission on bookings.
forumWhat families say
Rakuten Travel rating 4.41 out of 5 (2,055 reviews). Guests are often satisfied with the volume and cleanliness of the water across the three communal baths: the Odaimoku large open-air bath, Shimagawa no Yu and Yakushi no Yu. They also praise the meals for their many dishes, with Joshu beef among the highlights, and some mention going back for a second helping of rice at breakfast. On the other hand, some note that the washing areas get crowded even on weekdays, and that you may have to wait your turn.
Kids Facilities
Futons for infants and a stroller for use inside the building (available to borrow)
Futons for infants and a stroller for use inside the building (available to borrow)
Futons for infants and a stroller for use inside the building are available to borrow. Numbers are limited, so please ask at the front desk when you would like to use them.
- •You need to ask at the front desk when you would like to use them
- •Numbers are limited
Kids' meals and the dedicated children's kaiseki
Kids' meals and the dedicated children's kaiseki
Children under school age are served a kids' meal at both dinner and breakfast, a set that runs from Hamburg steak, fried shrimp, french fries and chicken rice all the way to dessert. Elementary school children are served a dedicated children's kaiseki dinner and the same breakfast as adults. If a child in the lower grades of elementary school cannot eat the same dishes as adults, you can request a change to the kids' meal when booking, at no change in price.
- •A change to the kids' meal must be requested when booking
Tani no Chaya, the semi-private dining space
Tani no Chaya, the semi-private dining space
A semi-private dining space partitioned table by table. Guests staying in a special room with a semi-open-air bath fed straight from the source are served both dinner and breakfast here. There is little sense of other guests looking on, so families with children can eat in peace. Guests staying in other rooms dine at Dining Shunrei or Hachinosuke Chaya, both with chairs and tables.
- •This is the dining venue for guests staying in a special room with a semi-open-air bath fed straight from the source
Special rooms with a semi-open-air bath fed straight from the source, and twin rooms with a panoramic open-air bath
Special rooms with a semi-open-air bath fed straight from the source, and twin rooms with a panoramic open-air bath
On the 7th floor, the Shima River side has Japanese-Western special rooms of 105.5 sq m sleeping up to 6 guests, with a 15-tatami Japanese-style tatami room and a twin room plus a semi-open-air bath of solid hinoki cypress fed straight from the source; the mountain side is 70.8 sq m and sleeps up to 4 guests. The top floor, the 8th, has twin rooms with a panoramic open-air bath and an indoor bath, sleeping up to 2 guests. These are the rooms families with children who are not yet out of diapers are directed to. Since the 8th floor sleeps only 2 guests, the 7th-floor special rooms, sleeping up to 6 and up to 4, may be the option depending on your party size.
Overview
Shima Yamaguchikan is an onsen ryokan on a mountain stream in Shima Onsen, Gunma, with water flowing straight from the source. The interior is known as Tawaramachi, and the entrance floor has shops along with Tawaramachi Hiroba, where the okami (the ryokan's hostess) performs kamishibai picture-card storytelling. Rooms include 10-tatami Japanese-style tatami rooms and 12-tatami corner rooms, as well as Japanese-Western special rooms that pair a tatami room with a twin room; the 7th-floor special rooms and the 8th-floor twin rooms have onsen water in the room. Because children who are not yet out of diapers cannot use the communal baths, families in that situation are directed to the rooms with onsen water. Futons for infants and a stroller for use inside the building are available to borrow, young children are served a kids' meal, and elementary school children are served a dedicated children's kaiseki dinner.
Rooms
A range of room types is available, from Japanese-style tatami rooms and Western-style rooms to special rooms with an open-air bath. The standard is a 10-tatami Japanese-style tatami room facing the clear Shima River, in two versions: one with a broad window-side space and one with sunken-floor (horigotatsu) seating. The 12-tatami corner room is 52.7 sq m and sleeps up to 6 guests, with wide windows that take in the natural scenery of the Shima River, which suits a family that wants room to spread out. For guests who would rather sleep in a bed, there is also a Japanese-style room with beds: 52.7 sq m, sleeping up to 3 guests, on the Shima River side, with two single beds and sunken-floor (horigotatsu) seating. On the mountain side there are Western-style rooms: a twin room with two semi-double beds (18.8 sq m, sleeping up to 2 guests) and a double room with one double bed (17.9 sq m, sleeping up to 2 guests), neither of which has a view. What Rakuten Travel lists as a Japanese-Western room is the Japanese-Western special room on the 7th floor. On the Shima River side, Mebuki and Soyokaze are 105.5 sq m and sleep up to 6 guests, with a 15-tatami Japanese-style tatami room, a twin room, a semi-open-air bath of solid hinoki cypress fed straight from the source, and a broad window-side space with a large window. The mountain side is 70.8 sq m and sleeps up to 4 guests, with a Japanese-style tatami room, a living room and a twin room, plus an open-air bath and an indoor bath. On the top floor, the 8th, the twin rooms with a panoramic open-air bath are 58.6 sq m and 56.1 sq m and sleep up to 2 guests. Guest rooms are non-smoking, and outdoor shoes may not be worn inside them.
Dining
Dinner and breakfast are both served in a dining venue; in-room dining is not available. Meals are normally served at Dining Shunrei or Hachinosuke Chaya, both with chairs and tables, while guests staying in a special room with a semi-open-air bath fed straight from the source dine at Tani no Chaya, a semi-private dining space partitioned table by table. Children under school age are served a kids' meal at both dinner and breakfast, and elementary school children are served a dedicated children's kaiseki dinner, with the same breakfast as adults. If a child in the lower grades of elementary school cannot yet eat the same dishes as adults, you can request a change to the kids' meal when booking, at no change in price. Additional dishes include plain udon and pote-kara (fried chicken with french fries), which are easy for children to eat. As for allergies, new allergy accommodations (removing ingredients or providing substitute menu items) have been suspended for the time being, and requests regarding meals are declined. You may bring in allergen-free food and tableware, but food and drink cannot be served to guests with a history of anaphylaxis, guests who use an EpiPen, or guests for whom even trace contamination is unacceptable. If you are staying with a child who has allergies, please confirm in advance.
Baths and Onsen
There is the Odaimoku large open-air bath, the Shimagawa no Yu open-air bath by the mountain stream, and Yakushi no Yu, and the water is a sulfate onsen. The Odaimoku large open-air bath and Shimagawa no Yu alternate between men and women: the Odaimoku large open-air bath is for men from 7:30 p.m. to 9 a.m. the next morning and for women from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., while Shimagawa no Yu is for men from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. and for women from 7:30 p.m. to 9 a.m. the next morning. Yakushi no Yu has separate baths for men and women and is open from 3 p.m. to 10 a.m. the next morning. For a mother bathing with her child or a father bathing with his child, which bath is available changes with the time of day. To reach the Odaimoku large open-air bath, get off the panoramic elevator on the 2nd floor and then take the stairs down one more floor. Children who are not yet out of diapers cannot use the communal baths. In that case, families are directed to the 7th-floor special rooms and the twin rooms on the top floor, the 8th, which have onsen water in the room. The onsen lounge at Yakushi no Yu has a spot where you can drink the spring water, but because it contains a trace amount of arsenic, babies and young children are advised not to drink it.
Family-Friendly Features
Futons for infants and a stroller for use inside the building are available to borrow. Numbers are limited, so please ask at the front desk when you would like to use them. For children's rates, elementary school children pay 70% of the adult rate, and a young child co-sleeping with no meals and no futon bedding is normally 2,200 yen. In the ryokan's availability search, children are divided into elementary school children and young children in the categories "meals and futon bedding," "futon bedding only," "meals only" and "ages 0 to 2 co-sleeping." The bathing tax is 150 yen per adult staying. The 4th-floor tearoom Mayu no Hana is a lounge open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., where you can also use the microwave provided; the microwave can be used from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Ramen Corner Ginzo on the front desk and lobby floor is open from 8 p.m. to midnight and has counter seating only, so it does not suit an evening meal with young children. The okami's kamishibai storytelling takes place at Tawaramachi Hiroba on the entrance floor, but she is away about 5 days each month, and there is no storytelling on those days.
Access
From Takasaki Station, travel to Nakanojo Station, then take the Kan-etsu Kotsu bus and get off at the Yamaguchi stop, right at the ryokan. By car it is about 60 minutes from the Tsukiyono IC or the Shibukawa-Ikaho IC on the Kan-etsu Expressway. There is free parking for 90 cars; you hand your car over on arrival and it is moved to the dedicated parking area. Check-in is from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., and checkout is at 11 a.m. Roads can freeze in winter, so drivers are advised to carry anti-skid equipment.
Access & Information
| location_onAddress | 3876-1 Shima, Nakanojo-machi, Agatsuma-gun, Gunma 377-0601 |
|---|---|
| directions_carAccess | From Takasaki Station, travel to Nakanojo Station, then take the Kan-etsu Kotsu bus and get off at the Yamaguchi stop, right at the ryokan. By car, about 60 minutes from the Tsukiyono IC or the Shibukawa-Ikaho IC on the Kan-etsu Expressway. |
| trainNearest station | Nakanojo Station |
| local_parkingParking | Free parking for 90 cars. Please come to the entrance of the ryokan first; your car keys will be held for you. |
| callPhone | +81-279-64-2011 |
| paymentsCards | VISA, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, UC, DC, Mastercard, JTB |
| languageOfficial site | https://yamaguchikan.co.jp/open_in_new |
Map
The map is provided by Google Maps. Loading it sends your IP address to Google, which may set cookies. It is loaded only when you choose to.
Reference price as of September 13, 2026 (stay date 2026-10-10). Please check the booking site for actual rates.
Check rates & availability
Opens the booking site in a new tab.
Frequently Asked Questions
What ages is Shima Yamaguchikan best suited to?
expand_more
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 Yamaguchikan?
expand_more
Parking: Free parking for 90 cars. Please come to the entrance of the ryokan first; your car keys will be held for you.
How do you get to Shima Yamaguchikan?
expand_more
From Takasaki Station, travel to Nakanojo Station, then take the Kan-etsu Kotsu bus and get off at the Yamaguchi stop, right at the ryokan. By car, about 60 minutes from the Tsukiyono IC or the Shibukawa-Ikaho IC on the Kan-etsu Expressway.
Can a child who is not yet out of diapers use the communal baths?
expand_more
The ryokan states that children who are not yet out of diapers are not permitted to use the communal baths.
What is the meal for young children like?
expand_more
Young children are served a kids' meal, a set that runs from Hamburg steak, fried shrimp, french fries and chicken rice all the way to dessert.
Is there a microwave for warming baby food?
expand_more
A microwave is provided in the 4th-floor tearoom Mayu no Hana. The tearoom is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and the microwave can be used from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
What are the check-in and checkout times?
expand_more
Check-in is from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., and checkout is at 11 a.m.
Related hotels
Family-friendly hotels in Shima Onsen
Hotels with Toddler Meal in Shima Onsen
Collections featuring this hotel
Autumn Cottages and Glamping
No one else to worry about, at your children's own pace. Areas with self-catering villas, cottages, and glamping, from north to south
Autumn Highland Play
In the season that is neither hot nor cold, find hotels where kids can run around outside. Highland areas with outdoor play areas and adventure courses, from north to south
Autumn Long Weekends With Kids
Skip the crowds and traffic with hotels where short travel and on-site or nearby fun are enough. Four ways to spend it: highlands, hot springs, the sea, or a large resort
Find other hotels
Find other hotels
Information on this page was compiled by directly consulting Official website, Rakuten Travel, Jalan (last verified: September 2026). Prices, availability and seasonal operations change. Please check each booking site for the latest information.
We take care to keep information accurate, but always confirm the latest details on the hotel's official site and booking sites before you book or visit.
For the people who run this property: corrections and updates go through For Hotels & Partners, and the "Listed on Kids Stay" badge for your website is on Listing badge. Both are free.