Onsen Tattoo-Friendly Onsens: Will the Day Come When These Become the Norm in Japan?
Introduction Since our Shima Onsen Kashiwaya Ryokan is a tattoo-friendly onsen ryokan, people with tattoos can bathe in ...
Tips and FAQ
Onsen 
highlights and activities The “Shima Onsen Guide” WEB was launched !
We were launched the "Shima Onsen Guide" WEB in September 2019. Goal of this WEB is to have the Shima Onsen become know...
Shima Onsen Let’s go to Shima Onsen by a rental car! You’ll have more fun!
Overview If you're good at driving a car, how about renting a car to go to an onsen resort near Tokyo? There are often m...
Ryokan Yukata: the Traditional way of Relaxing at a Japanese Ryokan
When I think about staying at a Japanese Ryokan, the first thing that comes to mind is relaxing in a yukata. A yukata is...
Tips and FAQ The Slopes Near Shima Onsen: A Skiers Paradise, a Snowboarder’s Dream!
Japan is world-renowned for its abundance of ski resorts and top-notch powder snow. Niseko in Hokkaido and Hakuba in Nag...
Tips and FAQ Japan Expressway Pass: Exclusive Expressway Discount Pass for International Visitors
Previously, we wrote an article about how traveling by rental car gives you significantly more options on how to enjoy y...
Tips and FAQ Fascinating less traveled countryside and rural areas in Japan
Lately, tourists from foreign countries seem to like to go to the countryside, or rural areas more than sticking to the ...
Tips and FAQ Let’s travel to Shima Onsen with a money-saving Japan Rail Pass
Shima Onsen is in a rural Onsen resort area near Tokyo ( about 150 km north of Tokyo). There are several ways to get fro...
Shima Onsen Drive trip in a car. Watch out road closures during winter.
In my previous blog, I wrote an article to recommend using a rental car for traveling areas close to airports and major ...
Tips and FAQ Japan Romantic Road: Would you like to travel countryside In Japan by a car?
Mount Asama, Shima Onsen to Karuizawa Overview If you have been visited Japan several times and are thinking to drive in...