Guesthouse Shimashima

Great location next to the station and a 7-eleven. The host is very friendly and attentive. I loved that there’s a hammock in the room.

The room had a bit of mold, but maybe because it rained a lot in Japan this season.

Nice rooms and shared facilities. The host was very friendly and suggested some nice places to visit and eat in the local area. Would definitely stay again.

Hiking the Tokugo Pass or Kamikochi from Shin-shimashima? Then this place is a great way to prepare or to end your trip. Close to it's train station, the guesthouse has many amenities close to the North Alps such as the bus station that go directly to Kamikochi. It also has a sizable convenience store close by that gives you whatever you need to start or end your hike. The guesthouse it self is properly equipped with a kitchen, a spacious lounge area and plenty of showers for guests to use. The personnel are knowledgeable about the area and terrain which helps a lot when given advice about your trail. The cozy and rustic vibe of the guesthouse makes for a pleasant stay.

When sleeping early for an early morning hike, the train could easily keep you awake. Though there are earplugs at the location, which are very welcome. Please keep this in mind for your stay. The final trains are expected to leave around 23:00/11:00pm This is important for those wanting to hike the Tokugo Classic Route. The distance between the guest house and the gate of the route is about 4km, due to overgrowth, please make sure to rest properly and leave, as the 4km walk could easily take more than 45 minutes to an hour on asphalt. That paired with that breakfast starts after you should have left for the area. convenience store food may not be enough to satiate your stamina for a route that has quite a brutal elevation at the end of 2km. Hiking experience is key and this route is not to be taken lightly, pack appropriately and maybe even consider camping halfway the trail.

Service was nice and room was clean

After a day of hiking in Kamikochi we wanted to have dinner and a sauna. Neither was possible in the guesthouse, so don’t be fooled by the description. Also the pictures were really different to how it looked at the end. It is far more rundown. Most of the nicer pictures are from the sauna area which is not accessible by the guests. Also there is a loud street next to it and the walls are quite thin so you hear other guests quite loudly. Definetly not a calm paradise. This was the most expensive place we stayed in Japan and it was also the worst. Better just get a hotel in Matsumoto.