Minshuku Ikariya Machida — Hotel in Shiojiri

[TL;DR]: Comfortable, pleasant place, great meals. Stick STRICTLY to your reservation timings (see below if needed). NEWBIES TO JAPAN: Stairs and corridors very narrow by western standards. You have to carry your own bags- bring smaller bags, preferable wheelies, and pack light! You have been warned!! 😉 RESERVATIONS: Our booking was from 3p.m. We arrived at 9 a.m. and intended to ask them to hold our luggage till 3p.m. No one answered our calls or door knocking. Eventually left luggage at station for a fee. Moral: check with them in advance, or expect to get a foot in only AT YOUR RESERVED TIME. Actually this experience is really extremely rare in Japan - usually they are very accomodating. REVIEW: Stayed 3 nights, with different breakfast & dinner menus each day. Hostess cooks very imaginative meals. They were quick to solve a room double-booking cock-up. AMBIENCE: Cosy place. Huge inside 😱, belies the tiny shop front! I find the dining room a bit impersonal- no personal artifacts on the walls to look at! ☹. AMENITIES: The baths are intimate, with 2 showers and a single tub that can fit 2 at a pinch, but is luxurious for 1 person. Surprisingly, there was no problem with bath and toilet scheduling in spite of a full...

Ikariya is a wonderful inn nestled in a small town. The hosts were very friendly even though we spoke little Japanese. The sign outside does not have any written English or romanji so be prepared to look for the hiragana or ask a local for directions.||The building has an "old world" feel with narrow winding corridors and thin walls, but the rooms are spacious and comfortable. The futon was very comfortable and I was able to sleep soundly through the night with the help of earplugs. This was the most comfortable futon I used in Japan. Please be aware that the rail line runs next to the entire town, and sound within the building travels easily. Therefore I recommend bringing earplugs.||Dinner and breakfast were included with shabu shabu style meals accompanied by various appetizers. The food was delicious.||There are separate onsen style shared baths for men and women which I enjoyed using after a long hike to the town.||I highly recommend Ikariya to those staying...

Ikariya is a wonderful inn nestled in a small town. The hosts were very friendly even though we spoke little Japanese. The sign outside does not have any written English or romanji so be prepared to look for the hiragana or ask a local for directions.

The building has an "old world" feel with narrow winding corridors and thin walls, but the rooms are spacious and comfortable. The futon was very comfortable and I was able to sleep soundly through the night with the help of earplugs. This was the most comfortable futon I used in Japan. Please be aware that the rail line runs next to the entire town, and sound within the building travels easily. Therefore I recommend bringing earplugs.

Dinner and breakfast were included with shabu shabu style meals accompanied by various appetizers. The food was delicious.

There are separate onsen style shared baths for men and women which I enjoyed using after a long hike to the town.

I highly recommend Ikariya to those staying...