Things to Do in Shima Onsen
1 Japanese roundup
Where Japanese travelers eat and stay in Shima Onsen, and what they tell visitors to skip, from their own comments, translated.
Where to stay1
Rules that apply anywhere in Japan39
These apply everywhere in Japan, not just here.
- Can You Share Food at a Japanese Restaurant? Ramen Answer
Usually yes, once everyone has ordered their own bowl. Top reply on a ramen-sharing row (8,048 likes): ask the staff on the spot. The shop decides.
8,048 likes
- Are Kids Allowed in Restaurants in Japan? Japanese Answer
Yes, at most places. The top Japanese reply (7,400 likes): no one is angry at crying kids, only at parents who leave them to it. Some shops post rules.
7,400 likes
- Is It Rude to Do Makeup on a Train in Japan?
Past lipstick, mostly yes. A leading Japanese answer (40,807 likes) says stop at lips; powder and brushes that hit the next rider are the problem.
41,495 likes
- Japanese people splitIs the Seishun 18 Ticket Still Worth It? What Japanese Say
Only if you ride far on back-to-back days. Japanese riders say the 3- and 5-day version suits rail fans, not workers or day-trippers (802 likes).
2,181 likes
- Can You Wear Earphones While Cycling in Japan?
Yes, if one ear stays open: one earbud or open-ear headphones are legal while you can hear traffic. Both ears sealed risks a ¥5,000 ticket (314 likes).
759 likes
Questions these roundups answer4
Every place Japanese commenters named8
All the spots mentioned in the comments across these roundups. Tap a name to open Google Maps; tap the Japanese to copy it for taxis and map apps; tap the star to build your own list. Hours and prices change — details are as of the source comments.
- Sekizenkan HonkanShima Onsen, Nakanojo, GunmaThe wooden inn on the red bridge that nearly every commenter names, and the one people photograph. Its own site dates the main building to 1691 and calls it the oldest surviving wooden hot spring inn building in Japan, designated an Important Cultural Property by Gunma Prefecture. One visitor who stayed several nights says the water is gentle where Kusatsu's is harsh.MapWhy it's here
- Shima TamuraShima Onsen, Nakanojo, GunmaOne of the three inns a repeat visitor lists by name, along with Sekizenkan and Yamaguchikan, with the note that the water here is so good you can overdo it and tire yourself out (34 likes).MapWhy it's hereCheck rates and availability on Agoda
- Shima YamaguchikanShima Onsen, Nakanojo, GunmaNamed in the same list, and used as a landmark by a commenter who says the wooden former Third Elementary School is up the slope behind it and is at its best in autumn.MapWhy it's hereCheck rates and availability on Agoda
- Kashiwaya RyokanShima Onsen, Nakanojo, GunmaThe inn a solo traveler in the thread used to book regularly, for taking single guests, three private open-air baths and a small indoor one, and quiet despite sitting on the river (1 like).MapWhy it's hereCheck rates and availability on Agoda
- Kawara-no-yu (public bath)Shima Onsen, Nakanojo, GunmaFree public bath in stone, down at the meeting of the Shima and Shinyu rivers, open 9:00 to 15:00 all year. This is the kind of bath the commenter means who remembers wandering between free and near-free baths and being asked by a local where he had come from.MapWhy it's here
- Shima Seiryu-no-yuShima Onsen, Nakanojo, GunmaThe town-run day bath a local says the family had just been to. Open 10:00 to 20:00, closed the fourth Wednesday.MapWhy it's here
- Oku-Shima LakeUpstream of Shima Onsen, Nakanojo, GunmaThe dam lake a couple of commenters send you to for the turquoise called Shima Blue, one of them noting you really want a car to get up there.MapWhy it's here
- Yanagiya Yugijo (smart ball parlor)Shima Onsen, Nakanojo, GunmaThe retro amusement parlor two commenters tell you not to skip, one saying the woman who runs it is still going. Smart ball is ¥500 for 45 balls, and a shooting gallery was added in 2022 at ¥500 for eight shots; open 10:00 to 22:00.MapWhy it's here
Some links on this page are affiliate links — if you book through one, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Which places appear here is decided by the source comments only.
The loudest voice on Shima Onsen
“I love Shima Onsen. The water differs a little depending on which source it comes from, so there's the pleasure of hunting for the one that suits you. It's lovely. Part of me wants the place to thrive, and part of me loves how pleasantly faded it is. My own selfish wish is that people support it modestly and it stays a calm little place.”
四万温泉だいすきです。 源泉の場所で微妙に泉質が違うのて、自分に合う湯を探す楽しみもあり、素敵なんです。 栄えて欲しい反面、程よくひなびた雰囲気も好きなんですよ。 個人的に勝手な意見としては、慎ましく応援していただき穏やかな地域であり続けてほしいです。
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FAQ
- Where do these come from?
- From the comment sections of Japanese YouTube videos — food crawls, hidden-gem tours, honest reviews. We quote real comments only, show the actual like counts at the time of collection, and link back to the source video.
- How accurate are the translations?
- Each quote keeps the original Japanese alongside the English. We adapt slang so it reads naturally, but we never change the meaning or invent comments.