Shimobe Hotel Review: 12 Baths, a Legendary Buffet, and a Nightly Taiko Drum Show

This time I stayed at Shimobe Hotel, a place in Shimobe Onsen, Yamanashi Prefecture, famous for two separate hot spring sources feeding twelve different baths!

In this article, Shimobe Hotel I’ll share my honest impressions and review from actually staying there.

If “you’re curious what Shimobe Hotel is actually like” or “you’re looking for a place to stay around Shimobe Onsen in Yamanashi“, this is the article for you — please read all the way through!

Who Should Stay at Shimobe Hotel

Around Shimobe Hotel, there are about 8 ryokan and hotels in the Shimobe Onsen area.

Shimobe Onsen is said to have once been a “hidden bath” used by the famous warlord Takeda Shingen, and with a hardness of around 150 it’s a mineral-rich simple spring recognized as one of Japan’s “100 Famous Hot Springs.” Surrounded by beautiful nature, it draws all kinds of travelers looking for an onsen getaway or some outdoor time.

There aren’t a huge number of ryokan and hotels around Shimobe Onsen, but even so, picking just one to stay at can feel surprisingly hard to decide, right?

This time I chose this hotel for a Shimobe Onsen trip, and having actually stayed there, here’s who I’d say Shimobe Hotel is best suited for.

First is anyone who just wants to soak in Shimobe Onsen to their heart’s content.
At Shimobe Hotel you can take your time enjoying 12 different baths at varying temperatures — open-air baths, indoor baths, a cold mineral spring, and foot baths among them.

Second is anyone who wants to relax at the hotel after check-in.
Beyond soaking in the springs, the staff put on a Japanese taiko drum show and a mochi-pounding show every single night, and there’s even a free seasonal firefly viewing tour — there’s plenty to enjoy without ever leaving the hotel.

Shimobe Hotel Basics & Access (1 Minute Walk from the Station)

Shimobe Hotel is only a 1-minute walk from JR Shimobe Onsen Station, and 5 minutes from the Shimobe Onsen Hayakawa IC on the Chubu-Odan Expressway, so it’s easy to reach by train or by car.

It’s also easy to reach by highway bus from central Tokyo: take the “Shinjuku–Minobu Line” bus from Busta Shinjuku (south exit), get off at the “Iitomi” stop, and a free 5-minute shuttle bus takes you the rest of the way.

Hotel	Shimobe Hotel
Address	〒409-2947 山梨県南巨摩郡身延町上之平1900 (1900 Kaminodaira, Minobu, Minamikoma District, Yamanashi 409-2947, Japan)
Phone	0556-36-0311
Check-in	3:00 PM (last check-in: 7:00 PM)
Check-out	10:00 AM
Rooms	92
Access	1-minute walk from JR Minobu Line Shimobe Onsen Station 5 minutes from Shimobe Onsen Hayakawa IC (Chubu-Odan Expressway)
Shuttle service	None
Parking	100 spaces (free)
Wi-Fi	Free
Smoking	Allowed in designated areas only
Vending machines	Yes (including an ice cream vending machine)
Coin laundry	Yes
Credit cards	VISA, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, UC, DC, NICOS, Bank Card, UFJ Card, Master Card, Saison, debit cards
Baggage storage	Available both before check-in and after check-out
Other

Shimobe Hotel Overview

Now let me walk you through the details of Shimobe Hotel, where I stayed this time.

A hotel known for overflowing hospitality — I was really looking forward to this one!

Shimobe Hotel is actually one big building made up of three wings: the 6-story East Main Building, the 8-story West Main Building, and the 2-story Japanese-style Building.

Guest rooms start on the 3rd floor and up, while dining, the shop, and the large communal baths are on the 1st or 2nd floor — a nice, easy-to-understand floor layout.

[Stay Blog] Checking Into Shimobe Hotel — What the Interior Feels Like

As soon as you step inside, the front desk is right there on your right. Hanging above it is a piece of calligraphy by Nitobe Inazō.

The check-in staff were polite and genuinely kind throughout.

Shimobe Hotel’s gift shop is spacious with a huge selection, so even if you forget to pick up souvenirs earlier in your trip, you’ll be covered here.

Near the front desk you’ll find rental colored yukata. Rental costs 550 yen.

The Room

There’s only one elevator, but with fewer than 100 rooms in total, it never felt particularly crowded.

My room this time was a 10-tatami-mat Japanese-style room. The tatami looked like it had been recently replaced — fairly new.
The low table in the center was clean too.
A pale green yukata was laid out on top of it.

The welcome sweet was “Bijin no Hoppe” (Beauty’s Cheek), a Shimobe Onsen manju bun.
Packed with smooth red bean paste and delicious — you can also buy it at the gift shop.

The Japanese-style room has its own tokonoma alcove decorated with a hanging scroll and flowers, giving it a refined atmosphere.

The room has a generous engawa-style sitting nook with towel hooks in place.
Lush green trees fill the view from the window — a hotel truly set in nature.

The well-worn TV stand has a safe built in — not a keypad type, but one that locks with an actual physical key.
The TV itself isn’t huge, but it’s plenty for what you need.

Sink, Bathroom & Toilet

An old-school standalone sink where you turn the taps to mix hot and cold water yourself. There are paper towels, and a trash can is set up underneath as you’d expect.

The bathroom, which has its own washing area, is also a separate standalone room. The water temperature takes a bit of fiddling here too, but with such a proper onsen downstairs, you probably won’t end up using the in-room bath anyway.

The washlet-equipped toilet is also its own separate space, with plenty of room.

It’s hard to know how spacious a hotel’s toilet actually is before you arrive, but plenty of guests care a lot about that detail when choosing where to stay.

[Two Hot Spring Sources] The Large Bath & Open-Air Baths with 12 Tubs to Enjoy

Shimobe Hotel’s onsen is recognized as one of Japan’s 100 Famous Hot Springs, boasting two hot spring sources and 12 different tubs.
There are three types of baths on offer: Bamboo Dragonfly Bath, Pine Cone Bath, and Firefly Bath.
Let’s go take a look.

There’s also a massage corner right next to the men’s bath.

Here’s what the entrance to the women’s bath looks like.

Firefly Bath

The Firefly Bath lets you relax in an open-air tub surrounded by nature, listening to the sound of a small waterfall while taking in the garden scenery.
The open-air area is huge, with a connecting walkway you can stroll along and enjoy soaking in different spots as you go.

The Firefly Bath has four separate open-air tubs, so you can soak while taking in nature from a range of different angles.

Pine Cone Bath

The Pine Cone Bath stands out for its stone-built open-air tub, where sunlight reflects beautifully off the water for a wonderfully relaxing space.
There’s a low-temperature and a high-temperature simple alkaline bath, so alternating between them is said to boost the warming effect.

Bamboo Dragonfly Bath

The Bamboo Dragonfly Bath is a private reservable bath that can fit up to about 30 people, complete with a waterfall shower.
Despite being a private bath, the changing room is spacious, and the bathing area has a ramp along with a dedicated wheelchair on hand.
It’s been renovated and is now fully accessible.

After soaking, there’s a post-bath ice cream service. Chateraise, headquartered right there in Yamanashi, makes fantastic ice cream!!

You can eat your ice cream in the lounge, and if you step out to the garden near the lounge, there’s a foot bath waiting for you.

You can order drinks and cocktails at the lounge, so I’d recommend sipping something while gazing at the bamboo grove and the koi in the pond as you soak your feet.

Once night falls, bamboo lanterns light up. It’s a magical, soothing sight.
The foot bath is open until 10:00 PM.

Dinner Buffet Report — Fresh-Cooked Food from the Live Kitchen

Dinner is a buffet held at “Yama no Kamado” on the 2nd floor.

It’s a buffet built around Yamanashi’s seasonal ingredients, serving freshly prepared dishes like a whole grilled yamame trout and freshly fried seasonal tempura.

The hotel grounds even have a fishing pond, and any yamame trout you catch gets grilled over charcoal and served up.

There’s also a “cheese pasta” cart service, where pasta is tossed in a giant wheel of cheese melted by heat.

Slow-simmered pork offal stew — looks so good.

I piled my plate high with tempura, sashimi, and yamame trout. Just watch you don’t eat so much you can’t fit in another onsen soak afterward!

Shimobe Hotel’s Signature Event! The Nightly “Shingen Battle Drum Show”

Shimobe Hotel’s signature event is a Shingen battle-drum show performed by the staff. It runs every night at 8:30 PM (8:45 PM on Saturdays and holiday weekends), and of course watching it is completely free.

The drums themselves were restored through crowdfunding, and this traditional event has continued for over 30 years — you get to watch the staff’s genuinely impressive, well-trained performance.

You can watch from up close, so it’s got real impact!

Shimobe Hotel In-House Event: Firefly Viewing Tour

June only, but during that month the hotel runs a free viewing tour to see wild Genji fireflies — a sight that’s rare even by national standards.

Round-trip shuttle service is included: early June goes to Hotaru no Sato Isshiki, and late June to Yumachi Firefly Park.

Breakfast at Shimobe Hotel

Breakfast is also a buffet at “Yama no Kamado,” the same venue as dinner, with around 50 Japanese and Western dishes on offer.
I’d recommend a window-side table looking out over the garden!

Here’s a sample of what’s on the buffet: French toast, doughnuts filled with chunky red bean paste, sliced bread, and more.

There’s also a full lineup of croissant sandwiches — fruit sando, chunky red bean cream, egg salad, and vegetable salad, to name a few.

The yamame-trout croissant packs quite a punch! Whether it’s actually good is something you’ll have to try for yourself. (Laughs.)

Classic Japanese breakfast staples like simmered hijiki seaweed and dried daikon strips.

Plenty of pickled vegetables too, perfect alongside a bowl of rice — if you’re leaning Japanese-style, this buffet has you covered.

There’s also shumai dumplings, Yamanashi-grown natto, and 100% soybean tofu on the menu.

The Yatsugatake area is one of Japan’s premier highland regions and well suited to raising dairy cattle, which means genuinely delicious highland milk.

Dessert options include yogurt, pineapple, orange, and watermelon. The fruit comes pre-cut into easy-to-grab bite-size pieces.

I loaded my plate with mostly Japanese dishes plus an omelet and salad from the live-cooking station.
The freshly made omelet was wonderfully fluffy and delicious!