Chuoukan Shimizuya Ryokan

The owners are so friendly, wonderful, accommodating. They were so kind to me. The room is a traditional Japanese room. The bathroom is shared (toilet, gendered), as is the Onsen where the shower and bath are. The sink to brush your teeth is also shared. The location is 10/10. I could walk everywhere - to wonderful shops, great affordable dinner (vegan and vegetarian soba nearby), and about a 17 minute walk to the train station. If you have luggage, take the bus for under 200¥ in 5 minutes. This location is also right next to a shopping street, a seven eleven, and multiple bus stops. The walk to the temple takes 5 minutes but the street itself is quiet. Go first thing in the morning for a quiet start to the day. The rooms are clean and each equipped with a mini split AC which kept the room cool in late June. I am already missing my stay at this ryokan. I cannot say enough good things. This would not be a great place for loud children as the walls are thin and they could disturb other guests. As a solo traveler, I felt safe and well cared for by the owners.

Very comfy futon bed and tatami mats. Beautiful place to stay. I found the small maze of stairs fun and unique but anyone with mobility issues might have a hard time getting to their rooms and the bathroom.

Great hospitality. Very welcoming elderly couple. Clean, simple and beautiful accommodation. The shared bathrooms were better than I expected. On my first morning, I was still affected by jet lag and around 10am the hostess came in and I wasn't expecting it. I think she wanted to make sure the room was clean but it would have been nice to have a do not disturb sign or something like that. Very minor and it only happened once.

A bit old but that's part of the charm too

There are no obvious redeeming features associated with this accommodation with the exception of the place being adjacent to a bus stop and there being a 20 minute walk to the Nagano Station. The accommodation is also close to a museum and a temple. I have travelled all over Japan and this joint qualifies as the least likely place that I would re-book. Any request for a bowl or a spoon was greased with a scowl and a display of inconvenience on the part of the owners. Initially, upon arrival, I was advised that the place did not offer meals. However, the place did offer breakfasts to selected guests. However, the perceived rift-raft were not permitted to use the dining area. There is no fridge as such; merely a device that is set at about 10-12C

Beautiful building with traditional rooms. The feel of the rooms are something you don’t find in any regular hotel. Super friendly staff made us feel welcome. Very peaceful and quiet.

beautiful space right across the bus station. convenient location, next to delicious cafes and food. enjoyed the peaceful space and how the room looked in the morning as well as at night with the lamp on. also has a small onsen, which im glad i got to try since i didn’t get the chance to go out of my way for onsens on this trip.

I loved the homey feel. It was so charming and had everything we needed. It was clean and comfortable. It was hard to communicate with the owners as my Japanese is limited and they only speak Japanese. They also didn’t respond to my messages on booking.com.

Very good location. The owners are an old friendly couple. Very helpful. House is special and unique, like a small castle of wood with half floors and staris all around. I guess the tatami mattress is not for me. It was too flat and thin, and my pelvis sides hurt after 3 nights of sleep. The very back room doesn't get the wifi signal. I asked to move to the front of the house, and there the signal was goos.

The sweet elderly couple who run this Ryokan take immaculate care of this gorgeous, unique, and historic property. This was my first visit to Japan and my language skills were limited, but they were very accommodating. The onsen was perfect for a relaxing soak, and the location was convenient to visit Zenkōji temple and a variety of shops and restaurants.

Location was excellent. For nearly 200 USD per night, this did not meet expectations. Stay instructions were not clear because the hosts, although gracious and kind, did not speak English and did not give any written instructions in English. Very loud neighbors one night were disruptive - walls are paper thin so we could not sleep. Strict showering times for the communal bath. not flexible about adding breakfast the morning of the stay, so be sure to order in advance if you are at all interested.

The baths in the ryokan are excellent after a long day of walking. The owners are generous and kind, and they keep impeccable care of this inn. Within tripping distance of Zenko-ji, great food, and Nagano station. If you’re looking for a place to stay with personality, history, and charm aplenty, this is it.

Old antiques. Staff are nice Location

Very authentic and homely traditional ryokan run by a lovely couple. Basic, yet authentic and clean rooms. I didn't use the private bathroom onsen, but my daughter did and said it was lovely and relaxing. Owners were very friendly and accommodating by storing our luggage before and after check in/out. A real time capsule in modern Japan. Recommended if you want an authentic ryokan experience. Breakfast would have been a good optional extra.

Great location. Friendly owners. Wifi didn't work.

Authentic building and facilities. Very accommodating and friendly owners.

Superb

Lovely traditional japanese Ryokan. Wonderful hosts. If you ever wanted to experience a night (or more) traditionally japanese, this is your place. Just a little heads up: many stairs, which is normal. But maybe not suited for people with disability.

It was a very authentic ryokan experience. The hosts were very friendly and helpful!

The location was close to the tourist areas and station. The ryokan had a nice Japanese feel and the staff were very lovely Not much