Ikariya Ryokan is a small inn in the middle of Shibu Onsen, Nagano, founded in the Meiji era and welcoming guests for more than 100 years, in its own words. It has nine Japanese-style rooms and a free-flowing hot-spring bath. Before you book, three things matter: no room has its own toilet or bath; the inn’s bath is open from 15:00 to 9:00 the next morning; and dinner plans are built around Shinshu pork and beef, with a set start time between 17:45 and 18:30.
Ikariya Ryokan at a glance
| Item | Official information |
|---|---|
| Address | 2197 Hirao, Yamanouchi-machi, Shimotakai-gun, Nagano |
| Phone | +81-269-33-3168 (10:00–17:00 Japan time) |
| Rooms | 9, all Japanese-style; toilet and bath shared |
| Check-in / out | From 15:00 / by 10:00 |
| Hot-spring bath | Indoor, free-flowing, 15:00–9:00 |
| Prices | From 9,900 yen per person (two sharing, room only) |
| Extra charges | Bathing tax 150 yen + Nagano lodging tax |
| Smoking / Wi-Fi | Non-smoking throughout / free Wi-Fi |
From the official site and booking page, read October 14, 2026.
Rooms at Ikariya Ryokan
What room types are there?
The booking page lists three types, all non-smoking tatami rooms: an 18-mat room facing the hot-spring street for 2 to 6 guests, an 8-mat room facing the street for 1 to 4 guests, and an 8-mat room described as “old-style” for 1 to 4 guests. The street-facing rooms look onto the people passing along the street. Each room has a TV, air conditioning, a fridge, an electric kettle and a safe, and the futons are laid out before you arrive.
Is there a private toilet or bath in the room?
No. Every room type is listed with a shared toilet and bath, and the booking page asks guests to use the inn’s hot-spring bath. Yukata, bath towels, towels and slippers are provided, and the bath has body soap, shampoo, conditioner and a hair dryer.
What happens on a multi-night stay?
Staff do not enter the room during your stay, so rooms are not cleaned between nights. Instead, towels and yukata for every night are placed in the room in advance.
Plans and prices at Ikariya Ryokan
| Plan (official booking page) | From, per person (two sharing) |
|---|---|
| Room only | 9,900 yen |
| Breakfast only | 11,550 yen |
| Basic plan: Shinshu pork shabu-shabu dinner | 15,400 yen |
| Shinshu beef and pork shabu-shabu dinner | 17,600 yen |
| Shinshu beef yakiniku course with steak | 19,800 yen |
Lowest prices shown on the booking page on October 14, 2026. The page does not say whether tax is included.
Every plan carries the line that booking on the inn’s own website is the lowest rate. On top of the room price, the booking page asks for a bathing tax of 150 yen, and the home page says the Nagano lodging tax is collected separately from June 2026. Yamanouchi Town charges the bathing tax to guests aged 12 and over, per night; Nagano sets the lodging tax at 200 yen per person per night for its first three years (300 yen after that), with no tax on stays under 6,000 yen (room only, before tax). See our onsen bathing tax guide.
The hot-spring bath at Ikariya Ryokan
When is the bath open?
The indoor bath runs from 15:00 to 9:00 the next morning, according to the booking page. The inn says the spring flows so freely that the bath is filled straight from the source, and lists the water as a gypsum and salt spring. The official pages do not say whether there are separate baths for men and women, a private bath or an outdoor bath, so ask if that matters to you.
Can I use the nine public bathhouses?
Yes. Shibu Onsen has nine public bathhouses, and the booking page says staying guests can use them free from check-in. In the town’s tradition, you stamp a prayer towel, bought separately, at each one and finish with a visit to Shibu Takayakushi, the temple above the town.
Can I bathe with a tattoo?
The official pages do not mention tattoos. Ask the inn before you book; the public bathhouses may have their own rules. Our tattoo and onsen guide explains what to ask.
Dinner and breakfast at Ikariya Ryokan
What is dinner like?
Dinner depends on the plan: a shabu-shabu hot pot of North Shinshu brand pork with local vegetables, the same pot with apple-fed Shinshu beef added, or a Shinshu beef yakiniku course with steak and stone-grilled garlic rice. Dinner starts between 17:45 and 18:30; the inn asks for your preferred time in 15-minute steps when you book. Meals are served in a dining room with table seating, renovated in April 2024.
What is breakfast like?
Breakfast is from 8:00: a tray of simple dishes with a small hot pot of Shinshu salmon, plus a mild beef-tendon curry the inn makes for breakfast only, with coffee. Room-only guests get free self-service coffee on the 1st floor in the morning.
Can the inn handle allergies or a special diet?
The inn says it decides the menu after talking with you, by phone or email, and invites guests who do not eat meat or cannot eat certain foods to ask. Vegetarian or halal meals are not mentioned, so write before you book.
Children, cancellation and payment at Ikariya Ryokan
What do children cost?
The booking page sets children aged 7 to 12 at 70 percent of the adult price, with the same meals as adults. Ages 3 to 6 are 50 percent with meals and bedding, 4,400 yen with meals only, or 2,200 yen with bedding only. Under-3s are 1,650 yen with no meals or bedding. Preschoolers get a children’s meal.
What is the cancellation policy?
The official site does not publish one. The booking engine shows the rule for your plan once you choose dates, so read it before you confirm. Our hotel cancellation guide covers what to check.
How do I pay?
The official pages do not list payment methods. Ask the inn whether cards are accepted at the front desk.
Getting to Ikariya Ryokan in Shibu Onsen
By train, change at Nagano Station to the Nagano Electric Railway and ride to Yudanaka Station. From there, take the Nagaden bus to the Shibu Onsen Wagobashi stop; the inn is a 2-minute walk. The official pages do not mention a pickup service. Drivers park at the Shibu Onsen car park for 1,000 yen per night, and the inn refunds half. Shibu Onsen is also a base for the Jigokudani snow monkeys; see our snow monkey park guide.
What foreign guests should know before staying at Ikariya Ryokan
- The website and booking page are in Japanese only; you can write to the inn at ikariya2197@gmail.com or use the form on its contact page.
- Rooms share the toilet and bath, and are not cleaned during a multi-night stay.
- Tell the inn if you will arrive after 18:00, and confirm the dinner cut-off if you booked dinner.
- Budget for the 150-yen bathing tax and the lodging tax on top of the room price, and ask how to pay.
- Phone hours are 10:00 to 17:00 Japan time.
Frequently asked questions
Do rooms at Ikariya Ryokan have a private bathroom?
What time is check-in at Ikariya Ryokan?
Can I use the bath at Ikariya Ryokan with a tattoo?
What is the cancellation policy at Ikariya Ryokan?
Can guests of Ikariya Ryokan use Shibu Onsen’s nine public baths?
Bottom line (2026): Ikariya Ryokan is a nine-room, Meiji-era inn in the middle of Shibu Onsen with a free-flowing hot-spring bath, shared toilets and baths, and dinners of Shinshu pork and beef. Book on its official page, and write first about tattoos, payment and the cancellation rule.
Sources
Every fact on this page is from Ikariya Ryokan’s official pages: home (Japanese), rooms and bath, meals, access and contact, and the official booking page; taxes are from Yamanouchi Town (bathing tax) and Nagano Prefecture (lodging tax). All were read on October 14, 2026. Prices and rules change; check the official site before you book.
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