Overview

Stay at the quiet upper end of Shima Onsen, surrounded by the forests and mountain scenery of Joshinetsu Kogen National Park. Shima Onsen Kadozokinoyu Tsuruya stands in Hinatami, the area connected with the beginnings of this historic hot spring town. Here, birdsong, flowing water, and fresh mountain air set the pace for your stay.

With only ten rooms divided between the Main Building Tsuruya and the separate Mizukian wing, the ryokan feels private and personal. Nine rooms include their own free-flowing hot spring bath, while two additional baths are always used privately. You can spend your time soaking, enjoying seasonal kaiseki cuisine, reading in the bathhouse lounge, or walking to nearby temples, waterfalls, and Lake Okushima.

Accommodation

You can choose from ten individually designed rooms, with five in the Main Building Tsuruya and five in Mizukian. The rooms combine Japanese details with beds, sofas, dining areas, terraces, and natural materials. Nine rooms include a private bath supplied with free-flowing Shima Onsen water.

In the Main Building, the Fuji room provides a spacious Japanese-style setting with a sunken kotatsu and a private cypress open-air bath. Sumi opens toward its own garden, where you can soak in an outdoor bath and sit on the veranda while listening to birds and moving leaves.

Tsuru is the largest suite and includes a ten-tatami Japanese room, a living and dining area, an indoor bath, a free-flowing open-air bath, and a private balcony facing the mountains. Hana offers a wide Japanese-Western layout with a large sofa, wooden dining table, and a semi-open-air bath with carvings of cherry and maple leaves. Sakura combines a pink Ryukyu-tatami living area with a bedroom and a private rock bath carved from natural stone.

In Mizukian, Tsuki occupies the top floor and stands alone without neighbouring rooms. Its bedroom, living area, terrace, and view bath look across the sky and mountains. Ten includes a large circular cypress open-air bath and a wide terrace with panoramic views.

Kaze features contemporary artwork, a curved custom sofa, a broad terrace, and a marble indoor hot spring bath with a television. Mori sits on the first floor and includes a large granite open-air bath, a garden-facing terrace, and a desk. The bath has a handrail, and the room layout reduces floor-level changes.

Moe is the smallest room and the only category without an in-room bath. Its compact Japanese-Western design recalls the simple atmosphere of an old hot spring retreat. You can use the two private baths in the separate bathing wing whenever they are available.

Your room includes free Wi-Fi and seasonal loungewear, and every room is non-smoking. Several rooms sit on upper or lower floors reached only by stairs, so Mori, Fuji, Sumi, or Tsuru provide easier access when you prefer to avoid long stairways.

Dining

Dinner introduces you to the seasons of Gunma through Tsuruya’s kaiseki cuisine. Spring brings mountain vegetables, summer highlights ayu sweetfish, autumn brings mushrooms, and winter centres on warming hot-pot dishes. Local vegetables, freshwater fish, Jōshū beef, Jōshū pork, and regional chicken may appear as the menu changes through the year.

Handmade soba is an important part of the meal. The chef prepares the noodles by hand, continuing a tradition that began when the first owner served soba to travellers. You can enjoy the fragrance of the buckwheat, the texture of the noodles, and the depth of the dipping sauce as one course within dinner.

Selected dining plans add Akagi Wagyu sukiyaki or Akagi Wagyu steak to the seasonal kaiseki meal. These dishes combine Gunma-raised beef with local vegetables and give you a richer taste of the prefecture.

Breakfast is a traditional Japanese set meal with freshly cooked rice, hot miso soup, and carefully prepared side dishes. It gives you a warm and balanced start before another bath or a day exploring Shima Onsen.

When you stay in the Main Building, meals are normally served in your room, although larger parties may dine in a private dining room. When you stay in Mizukian, meals are normally served in a private dining room beside the lounge. In-room dining can also be arranged for selected stays.

Onsen and Wellness

All hot spring baths use a special blend of four Shima Onsen sources: Musou no Yu, the private Kadozoki no Yu source, Yu no Izumi, and Yamadori no Yu. The water flows continuously through the baths rather than being reused.

The water is classified as a sodium and calcium chloride-sulfate spring. It is associated with relief from fatigue, sensitivity to cold, nerve and muscle pain, joint discomfort, minor cuts, and some long-term skin conditions. Its mineral content also helps your body retain warmth after bathing.

Kadozoki no Yu is a large private open-air bath facing a forested animal trail. Japanese serow and other wildlife sometimes appear beyond the bath, while new leaves, autumn colour, and winter snow change the view with the seasons. You can use this bath from 2:00 PM to 11:00 PM and from 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM.

Kangetsu no Yu is a private indoor stone bath with a terrace overlooking the surrounding landscape. It opens from 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM and from 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM. Both baths are available without advance reservations. You take the key when the bath is free, lock the door from inside, and enjoy a private soak for around 40 minutes.

The wellness area also includes Yakuo Ganbanyoku, a private heated-stone room, and Tenka-bito Sauna, a private sauna with a shower, cold plunge, and open deck for cooling down outdoors. Both open from 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM and are available for around 40 minutes whenever the key is free. You must be of junior-high-school age or older to use the sauna or heated-stone room.

Guests with Tattoos

You can use the private open-air bath, private indoor bath, sauna, and heated-stone room if you have tattoos. Every facility is locked for your exclusive use, and there is no shared communal bathing area. You can also bathe freely in your room when you choose one of the nine rooms with a private hot spring bath.

Facilities

Tsuruya includes a front desk and lounge with a sake corner offering Japanese sake, wine, beer, alcohol-free drinks, and soft drinks. The separate bathing wing has a lounge with complimentary drinks and a small library where you can rest before or after bathing. You also have access to private dining rooms, a shop, drinks vending machines, free Wi-Fi, parking, and a designated smoking area outside the non-smoking rooms.

Art by Gunma painters Kei Horiguchi and Mitsuo Saiki appears in the gallery and around the lobby. Yakuoji Temple stands within the grounds and has long been connected with travellers visiting Shima for hot spring treatment. You can see its spring, draw an omikuji fortune, or choose an amulet or ema prayer plaque during your stay.

There is no elevator. You need to use stairs to reach several rooms and parts of the bathing wing, although selected first-floor rooms provide easier movement through the property. A wheelchair is available, and Mori and Fuji include helpful bathing features such as handrails.

Activities

Walk to Hinatami Yakushido, Yakuoji Temple, and Musou no Yu in around five minutes. Hinatami Yakushido stands beside the spring linked with the beginnings of Shima Onsen and preserves the atmosphere of the area’s long bathing history.

Lake Okushima is around a 20-minute walk away. Its clear blue water is often known as “Shima Blue,” with the colour changing according to the light, weather, and season. You can follow the lakeside viewpoints or continue toward the dam and surrounding forest roads.

Oizumi Falls is around ten minutes away on foot, while the longer path to Maya Falls takes you deeper into the mountains. You can also walk toward the main hot spring town, where old inns, cafés, public footbaths, small shops, and riverside views line the valley.

Back at the ryokan, you can spend time in the gallery, visit Yakuoji Temple, enjoy the library, or return to the hot spring whenever a private bath becomes available.

Additional Features

Check-in begins at 3:00 PM, and check-out is by 10:00 AM. A complimentary scheduled transfer connects the ryokan with the final Shima Onsen bus stop. The transfer must be arranged in advance, with afternoon collection times available on arrival day.

All rooms are non-smoking, and a designated smoking space is provided. Parking is available when you arrive by car. From late November until early March, you need winter tyres or suitable anti-slip equipment because snow and ice can affect the mountain roads.

The ryokan stands around 25 minutes on foot from the centre of the hot spring town, and there is no convenience store in Shima Onsen. The private baths, in-room hot springs, seasonal meals, wellness spaces, and forest setting make Tsuruya especially suited to a stay focused on quiet time and bathing.