Staff were very friendly and accommodating. The food was excellent, the Japanese dinner was perfect and the Western style breakfast was filling. The hot baths were hot and very welcome after long days of walking/hiking.

Description on Booking.com says private bathroom and wine/champagne included. There was no private bathroom. The toilets were shared, shared hand basins in the open corridor area and the only showers were in the hot baths. Champagne and wine were available at a cost. The Booking.com description was NOT accurate and misleading.

My stay at shiunso was the highlight of my trip to Japan. This is a very special place. I am so grateful I got to spend some time here. The host is a remarkable, kind, and thoughtful person and made me feel so at home. She also speaks a great amlint of English which I am so grateful for as my Japanese is still very limited. I have some specific dietary restrictions (I’m a celiac and need to eat strictly gluten free food which is hard in Japan). She was able to accommodate them and made me really delicious food to boot. My host went above and beyond to help me plan some excellent hikes. My room was clean, comfortable, and I hope to come back someday.

Everything was great.

Service was spectacular at this ryokan. Dinner exceeded my expectations, included a variety of items and was quite filling. There was the option to eat in the room rather than in the first floor restaurant area and I chose the former. The room had tatami mats and a small table. The hostess - delightful, spoke good English - brought the food and tea. It was delicious. A mini fridge in the room held a few different beverages for purchase. I ate breakfast in the restaurant the following morning and enjoyed that as well. In fact, I have subsequently had Japanese breakfast at other places and it did not compare to the food at Shiunso. There are 3 hot spring baths at the property - one outdoor (my favorite) and 2 indoor - and at least one was available whenever I wanted to soak. Just hung up a pendant from my room on a hook to show that it was occupied. The only downside for me was the shared bathrooms but I actually never encountered another guest in the upstairs portion of the inn. There were three sinks in the hallway opposite the rooms on the way to the bathrooms. I was negligent and did not get the hostess' name. She was wonderful and even offered to take me a few blocks to the bus stop because it was raining (I walked). I would love to return to this property and spend time hiking in the surrounding area. As a bonus I was able to see a number of monkeys from the bus just below the town. This was my first ryokan experience and I am hooked. The property may be simple but the food and hospitality are worthy of a visit.

Lovely Ryokan with very nice private Onsens, both indoor and outdoor. The building is a bit old but the staff is very welcoming and accommodating and the food served is absolutely delicious! They were able to accommodate our 1 person not eating meat since we let them know in advance and prepared one of the best dinners we've had in Japan!

The ryokan is really well-maintained and the room is spacious! We tried both the outdoor and indoor onsen and we were surprised because we can use it for ourselves for 45 minutes. The Kaiseki are delicious- and you can ask for more servings of rice if you’re not full yet. As we’re checking out, it was raining outside and Tomoko-san offered to drive us to the bus station- which is so nice of her!

The host is very kind and helpful, the place is very clean and tidy, we felt right at home. All the meals were amazing, as were the complementary lunchboxes packed for our hike the next day. She also went above and beyond to provide us with a meal the next night when we found out our other hotel did not provide dinner ( most places do as there are no restaurants in town). The outdoor private onsen was delightful. Highly recommended!

It gets booked out on weekends, make sure you book early!

The external bath is excellent, and the food is flavourful. The sake sampler was also an excellent blend, as Nikko has access to great brewers.

I wish there could be more showers for the outdoor bath - it is difficult to have two people use it at the same time when there is only one shower head.

Amazing caring staff, and fresh and delicious traditional dinner. Remote location.

The kerosene heaters throughout the hotel feel risky, and more modern heating systems should be in use.

very authentic Japanese place with 3 public hot tubs, amazing Japanese food, and the hostess was very nice with good English. The location is very nice and close to all the nature attaraction

TV without English channels

Great hiking, lovely hosts, loved having the onsen baths to use. Right on the bus line but it is a long bus from Nikko.