Hishiya Torazo is a small, old inn in Shibu Onsen, Nagano, the stone-paved hot spring town near the Jigokudani snow monkeys. The inn calls itself a pioneer of Shibu Onsen, run by the twelfth generation of the family, with 11 Japanese-style rooms in a three-story wooden building. Before you book, three things matter: the open-air bath is free to use privately with a sign; bookings go through a Japanese form, email or phone, with no instant online booking; and the official pages do not give check-in times, a cancellation rule or payment methods, so ask.
Hishiya Torazo at a glance
| Item | Official information |
|---|---|
| Address | Oyu, Shibu Onsen, Yamanouchi-machi, Shimotakai-gun, Nagano 381-0401 |
| Phone | +81-269-33-2105 (from abroad) |
| welcome@torazo.net | |
| Building | Three-story wooden inn next to Oyu, the town’s original bathhouse |
| Rooms | 11 Japanese-style rooms; some with a toilet, some without |
| Baths | Free private open-air bath; two indoor baths; three different hot-spring sources |
| Meals | Breakfast from about 8:00; dinner from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. |
| Public baths | Shibu Onsen’s nine bathhouses, free for guests with the pass |
| Parking | Town lot about 5 minutes’ walk; 800 yen per night for a regular car |
| Wi-Fi | Lobby and 2nd-floor lounge |
From the official site, read October 13, 2026.
Why is Hishiya Torazo linked to Sakuma Shozan?
The history page says the inn was the regular lodging of Sakuma Shozan (1811–1864), a samurai of the Matsushiro domain, military scholar and thinker, around 1843, when the eighth Torazo ran it. The story is that Shozan filled the garden pond with hot spring water and bathed in it, and that this was the beginning of the inn’s open-air bath. The inn was once known as Seihokan.
The name “Torazo” is passed down like a kabuki stage name: each head of the family takes it, and the current owner is the twelfth Torazo. Calligraphy by Shozan and the poet Bokusui hangs in the halls as part of the interior. The inn says it suits families and groups, and recommends it most for couples.
The baths at Hishiya Torazo
How does the private open-air bath work?
The open-air bath, named after Shozan, can be used privately for free. Hang the “reserved” sign at the entrance and take turns with other guests. Cherry blossoms, azaleas, maples and winter camellias grow around it, and the inn says a local sake in the bath is a treat.
What is special about the water?
The inn says its baths are 100 percent natural hot spring water, not heated and not diluted, poured straight in from the source, so the temperature changes with the season. It draws from three different sources. The two indoor baths, Wata-no-yu (also called Waraku-no-yu) and Enju-no-yu, have deep tubs. One, drawn from Jigokudani, is slightly colored; the other, from Netsu-no-yu across the Yokoyu River, is clear and soft on the skin, with a small open-air bath at the back. Men and women swap baths in the morning and evening so guests can try both.
When are the baths open, and can I bathe with a tattoo?
The official pages give no bath hours and do not mention tattoos. Ask the inn before you book. Our tattoo and onsen guide explains what to ask.
Can I use the nine public bathhouses?
Yes. The inn says guests can make the round of Shibu Onsen’s nine bathhouses for free with the bath pass. Each bathhouse has its own rules.
Meals at Hishiya Torazo
Where and when are meals served?
Meals are served either in a separate private room (the inn’s version of in-room dining) or in the dining room called Setsugekka, so your family or group eats on its own. Breakfast is from about 8:00, and dinner starts between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m.
What is on the menu?
The food page lists Shinshu dishes such as horse-meat sashimi, apples stewed in wine, sesame tofu, soba wrapped in yuba and nozawana pickles, and says the menu changes with the season.
Can the inn handle allergies or a special diet?
The official pages do not say. The reservation form has a free-text box for questions and requests, so write your needs there and wait for the inn’s reply before you travel.
Getting to Hishiya Torazo in Shibu Onsen
From Tokyo, the inn’s access page gives about 1 hour 20 minutes by Shinkansen to Nagano. From Nagano Station, take the Nagano Electric Railway limited express bound for Yudanaka, about 50 minutes, and get off at Yudanaka, the last stop. The inn notes the limited express runs once an hour. From Yudanaka, it is 5 minutes by taxi, or about 7 minutes on the bus bound for Kanbayashi to the Shibu Onsen Iriguchi or Shibu Onsen Wagobashi stop. No pickup service is mentioned.
By car, it is about 15 minutes from the Shinshu-Nakano interchange. Guests park in the large Shibu Onsen lot by the Shibuyu Bridge (look for the lantern), about 5 minutes’ walk away, and pay the fee themselves. The inn’s site describes the Jigokudani Monkey Park as 10 minutes by car up the Yokoyu River, plus 10 minutes on foot; see our snow monkey park guide for visiting the monkeys.
Prices and rules at Hishiya Torazo
How much does a stay cost?
The official site shows plans on two reservation forms: dinner-and-breakfast plans, plus room-only and single-meal plans. The two forms list different prices, so we do not quote them; ask the inn for the rate for your dates. A plan in the room where the TV show Tabizaru was filmed is limited to one room a day. The inn offers 1,000 yen off the total for guests who add its LINE account and book through its own form or email.
What do children and pets cost?
The reservation page lists children with two meals at 70 percent of the adult rate, and infants free, with a paid dinner for infants on request. It does not give the ages. A pet plan takes small, well-trained dogs or cats at no extra charge, in a limited number of rooms; pets must stay in a cage or be carried inside. See our guide to pet fees at Japanese hotels.
What is the cancellation policy, and how do I pay?
The official pages give neither a cancellation rule nor payment methods. Ask for both in writing before the inn confirms your booking.
What taxes are added?
Yamanouchi Town charges a bathing tax of 150 yen per guest aged 12 or over per night. Since June 1, 2026, Nagano Prefecture charges an accommodation tax of 200 yen per person per night for the first three years, when the room-only price is 6,000 yen or more before consumption tax. The inn’s pages do not say whether these are included. See our onsen bathing tax guide.
What foreign guests should know before staying at Hishiya Torazo
- The official site is in Japanese. Booking is by the Japanese reservation form, email (welcome@torazo.net) or phone; your booking stands only when the inn replies by email.
- If no reply arrives within 3 days, the inn asks you to call. For stays within 7 days, and over New Year, Golden Week and Obon, it takes bookings by phone only.
- Some rooms have no toilet; the reservation forms separate rooms with and without one, and ground-floor rooms cost more.
- Women can borrow a colored yukata free for a walk through the stone-paved streets.
- The building is old and wooden; the inn itself says so. Ask about stairs if that matters to you.
Frequently asked questions
Does Hishiya Torazo have a private bath?
What time is check-in at Hishiya Torazo?
Can I bathe with a tattoo at Hishiya Torazo?
How do I book Hishiya Torazo?
How do I get to Hishiya Torazo?
Bottom line (2026): Hishiya Torazo is an 11-room wooden inn in Shibu Onsen with a Sakuma Shozan story, a free private open-air bath and unheated, undiluted spring water from three sources. Booking is by Japanese form, email or phone, so ask for the rate, check-in time and cancellation rule in writing.
Sources
Every fact on this page is from Hishiya Torazo’s official pages: home (Japanese), welcome, inside the inn, baths, food, history, public baths, offers, access, reservation page and the reservation form, plus Yamanouchi Town (bathing tax) and Nagano Prefecture (accommodation tax). All were read on October 13, 2026. Prices and rules change; check with the inn before you book.
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