This classy, 300+ year-old landmark has continued to host and pamper visitors from all over. Its historical significance is beyond imagination, from the original architecture to photographic and block-printed records of the past. Now they are famous also because Miyao Hayazawa stayed at Sekizenkan and used it as an inspiration for creating the world of Spirited Away. The place has immaculate rooms, common areas, beautifully manicured natural garden, and of course natural spring baths (count 3 huge baths) each a breathtaking view of the environment and a unique style. I loved also that my room had a beautiful, private hot spring bath with a view. The spring water left my skin supple and smooth! For dinner, I had a delicious and mind-blowing a 12??-course kaiseki meal that took 2 hours from aperitif to desert, and every dish was a work of art. The staff was friendly and courteous. Oh and there is that red bridge in front -- a famous scene out of Spirited Away -- and it's just perfect. There is so much I love about the place.

I stayed in the new building but when I arrived at the main building (honkan) I was told to just walk over through the a passage from the original building. That meant puling my luggage up the steep wooden stairs, walk down dimly lit hallways to the elevator, then walk through a damp and scary tunnel to get to another elevator, which took me finally to the new building. I appreciate the history, but I did not find it enjoyable to pull my heavy luggage through the old building. Later I found out there is a beautiful entrance for the new building on the opposite side! I wish they had told me to walk around outside to get there.

Shima Onsen was a one-of-a-kind experience where past meets the present. The building is beautifully modernized from the Edo period while maintaining its old charm. First off, the check-in experience was an A+ as they give you detailed instructions on how to navigate the building and also a warm reception (with snacks too!). Then they lead you to your very tidy room and lay out all the ground rules for your stay. The staff were very accommodating. The inn itself is an interesting 8-floor layout split into 2 main sections - 1st to 4th floor, then 5th to 8th floor separated by the "spirit tunnel" elevator which is a literal scene out of Spirited Away. There are 2 main onsen in the inn with one with both an indoor and outdoor section and one that is only indoors. Both are very charming and relaxing as well as spacious. I would recommend anyone looking for a unique onsen experience to stay here at least one night. The quiet mountain atmosphere is awesome.

The sekizenkan meal may not be for everyone due to the very strong traditional Japanese flavors but it is both unique and authentic feeling. They serve both dinner and breakfast so be mindful of your manners and enjoy the meals as much as possible.

This place is nothing short of magical. I came for the Ghibli history, and there was only one of the fancier rooms with a bath on the balcony left to book. While it's a splurge (particularly for a solo traveller), what you get for your money is absolutely royal treatment in the most beautiful of surrounds. I visited when it was snowing and it is something I will never forget, sitting in the outdoor bath with snowflakes falling all.around. The kaiseki meals were an absolutely stunning experience in terms of both the food - which was beyond fresh, thoughtful, detailed and inventive - and the experience of eating in a private room with a view of the snow-blanketed garden out the window. The room was gorgeously appointed, with lush linens, and the balcony bath was out of this world. You would still have a great time staying in the other buildings, which have a more historical feel, and the roman-styled public bath is also well worth a visit or two (in addition to the outdoor public bath). But if you are considering splashing out on one of the rooms in the Kashotei building, you won't be sorry in the slightest that you did. It's the most luxurious experience I have ever had. Thank you Sekinzenkan Kashotei! Be sure to visit the little stall in town selling yakimanju for a daytime snack too, a hyper-local & delicious speciality :-)

No notes - everything was amazing. Highly highly recommend!

All of my expectations were blown away. This hotspring ryokan is absolutely beautiful, my room is clean, spacious and has great vibe of Japanese culture. The property has 3 different hotspring baths, including a private bath and an outdoor bath which allow you to enjoy the hot springs anyway you want. Both dinner and breakfast are included, the dinner is especially luxurious with a traditional Kaiseki course meal served with fresh seasonal ingredients. This place is also very convenient to access as it is close to the bus station. Overall, the experience was absolutely amazing, I highly recommend anyone to give it a try.

Great place for runaway from the city. Quite long way from Tokyo (+3h) but there is an express train from Ueno (book in advance) and bus adjusted to train timetable from Nakanojo Station (Shima Onsen line). Outdoor bath in the room was superb, just what you need at late autumn to relax. We also booked private bath room outside and it was good, but if you have bath in your room you can not bother booking private one (quite similar experience). Also loved spa Mori No Yu (just exciting) and Genroku No Yu (also great but different in impression). We had our kaiseki in separate room and we loved every step of it. It was our first time experience, so lots of learning and excitement. Also, before check-in we hiked to lake (water reservoir) nearby and that was quite picturesque walk in the autumn.

The staff was wonderful and made sure we were comfortable. The room we booked, Nami, was spacious and had it's own private open air in-room onsen. We did not use the public hot springs, but the one in our room was wonderful and it overlooked the trees and mountains. We did half board (6-8 course dinner and light breakfast in the morning), the food was delicious and you can tell it was made with a lot of care. It is a little out of the way, but if you are able to, I would recommend making it to this onsen.

The beds were a little hard but having stayed at a couple of different places before here, that seems to be the theme. It is a little out of the way but that is nothing the hotel can do about that. But we did take a train to get there and there is a local bus that will take you to the hot spring but we ended up taking a cab which can be between 8000-9000yen (2024).

The food we had during our stay was beyond my expectations. I can be picky sometimes so I thought there would be a couple things I wouldn't eat but I devoured it all. Every single dish was so delicious and I still think about my meals there. We stayed in the kashotei and our room was clean and spacious. We were also given a yukata and a set of pajamas, along with baskets and towels for the onsen. I was glad to have different options. Since we stayed in the kashotei, we were allowed access to a lounge in the sanso. We definitely took advantage of the free ice cream but they also had coffee, tea, and cookies stocked up. Staff were extremely helpful and friendly. The waters were healing and I loved being able to soak in the outdoor onsen in the rain. It was magical.

Sometimes it was hard to find our way around but it wasn't too bad since we were given a map.

The osens here were great! I booked private onsen, for additional charge but, their open air onsen is great as well. I did both. Their dinner was long multi course. Very flavorful. Enjoyed the dinner very much.

It’s not much I dislike about this property .. but if I had to pick something, it would be the low door entrances. I hit my head over five times because I was careless. I’m 6’ tall. It just took a bit of training for me to get used to checking the door ways and it was no longer an issue. Not really a problem honestly.

Everything. This area is a general onsen area with hotspring hotels everywhere. This onsen is one of the oldest with historical stamps all over. It's a great onsen to book on its own, but you kinda have to know a little about Miyazaki movies, and you'll appreciate a lot more. It's like a dream come true that we walked through THE red bridge that inspired the animation film Spirited Away. Very magical. The outdoor tubs are amazing. The rooms are huge. We booked with dinner and breakfast included, which was a bonus to experience traditional Japanese cuisines. My daughter was not thrilled to eat fish in the morning, but it was so delicious, and the presentation just made you want to eat them. Overall, this experience was a dream come true for us. The little town you can easily walk around and experience the country side if you are tired o shopping all day in Tokyo. It's just 3hrs away.

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The whole place is both stunningly beautiful and also wonderfully strange, as it is three buildings of different ages cobbled together. It's quite a maze to figure out. The room itself (Japanese style suite with private bath) was beyond our expectations and perfect for our needs. We also loved the little private lounge on our floor. Glad we stayed for two days. It is a really magical place. The food was excellent and beautifully presented. They accommodated my vegan daughter's needs very well. In fact if I were to return, I would opt for vegan myself, as the standard fare is more fish-based than I like. My wife (who is a chef) loved all of the meals. There are good options in the town for lunch.

We were horrified on the first night to be served a shark fin salad. Shark fin is a cruel and unsustainable ingredient, acquired by slicing the fin off a live shark and just throwing them back into the ocean to die. They should stop serving this immediately. I'd have to say that for myself the Japanese breakfast was difficult. Lots of complex flavors and fish first thing is not my favorite. Consider this before you opt to include breakfasts.