The room was large and clean, Japanese style, with mats, a low table and a sleeping area on the floor. The view from the window was simply breathtaking. Breakfast was quite tasty and varied. The staff tried to be helpful and polite. It was especially nice to receive detailed instructions regarding the hotel rules in English (which, for some unknown reason, many hotels in Japan ignore). The overall impression of this Japanese style hotel is quite good.

The only significant drawback of this hotel is that it is located on a rather steep hill at a considerable distance from the coast. They say the hotel used to offer a shuttle, but it doesn't anymore, and if you don't have a car, be prepared for some challenging walking. I can't say anything about the onsen. I hate strict gender-segregated bathing, but that's Japanese tradition everywhere. I just don't go to public onsens for this reason.

Comfortable futon, large room, quiet. Public bath was in good condition. Breakfast Friday and breakfast buffet on Saturday were tasty and generous. Staff was exceptionally courteous. Hotel shuttle available for both train stations.

Thermostat was stuck at 23°F. We ended up turning it off, which made for cold mornings.

The view from our room in the morning was lovely! The hotel feels quite old-school, but we loved that atmosphere! Our room was spacious and full of light. The breakfasts were ample and delicious. The staff were unfailingly helpful and polite. I would definitely stay there again if I had the chance.

Friendly staff. Overall happy stay

Shintomitei could have done better to improve the hotel in many of its facilities including the room. Instead it offers just enough for an average stay and it’s guests are not wowed! Nevertheless it’s a generally happy stay. Staff were friendly and helpful. Check in was smooth. Internet extremely poor. Not worth the price of the stay compared to other similar accommodation elsewhere.

Most of all I loved how the staff treated us, they responded to all of our requests. Especially grateful to the dinner and breakfast manager. I appreciate them preparing vegan meals and taking into account all of our food restrictions. Location is great, within walking distance to all the main attractions. The Hotel has an open roof where you can enjoy a beautiful sunrise/sunset view in Matsushima.

Disappointed that a hotel of this level had only 1 option of shampoo/conditioner and body soap - with horse oil. This is a no-no to vegans and vegetarians. We couldn't take a bath because of that. If you could provide other options of beauty amenities that are cruelty-free and do not have animal-derived products, I would recommend this place to the vegan/vegetarian community. Otherwise, vegans should bring their own shampoo etc.

The property was nice. My room was nice to the Hot Springs. The area was nice. On my way to my room. There’s a huge staying on the rug and it just put me off every time I saw it because I need to fix it. Also, the elevators had a really dingy old dirty rug needs to be changed.

The big stain on the rug carpet on the way to my room, and the two elevator rugs were so dirty

Very friendly and helpful staff. Clean, large room with private bathroom and toilet. Great view onto the bay. Accessible rooftop with 360° view. Multiple shared baths (onsen) including outdoor bath. The first morning there was a buffet style breakfast as advertised, the second morning a rich traditional Japanese style breakfast. The free shuttle service from / to the train station is convenient if you have a lot of luggage.

The private bathroom and toilet could be maintained better.

The staff Amazing Kaiseki-ryori dinner and buffet breakfast. Rooftop access gives a good view of the town, but limited view of the bay. The 2 communal onsens are good with the 2 baths rotating between male and female access for the morning and evening.

Will be nice to have a menu detailing what the dinner serves since the ingredients use for the meals are seasonal. The rooms and furnishings are on the older side.

The staff were very friendly and helpful. They welcomed us like we are an important guest when we checked in. The breakfast was superb. At first, I thought it was a buffet but it was actually a Japanese set meal served in a private room, much better than expected.

Although the room was clean, it showed its age.

The Japanese style breakfast was excellent and large, more than I could eat. Situated on a slight rise, there was a good view from our window on the third floor.

Though the room was large, the sleeping area was a bit cramped and the bed was a bit hard for my taste, but I know this the Japanese style. The hotel has probably seen better days, renovation overdue in some areas