Shima Onsen Kashiwaya Ryokan

Shima Onsen Kashiwaya Ryokan is a retro ryokan popular with women, featuring a nostalgic Showa-era vibe. With only 15 rooms, it’s a small inn, and the rooms have an old-fashioned, nostalgic layout, including details like a black rotary phone—showing careful attention throughout. One major attraction is its three private open-air baths. Although they are private, if they’re available you can use them for free as many times as you like. Together with the large public bath, you can enjoy the hot springs to your heart’s content. The entire inn is full of photogenic, retro “insta-worthy” spaces wherever you take pictures. Combined with the staff’s warm hospitality, it’s a very comfortable place. Meals use local Gunma ingredients in gentle, healthy preparations, letting you enjoy them slowly along with the hot springs. It’s also a good one-night trip distance from the Tokyo area, with convenient access by train, bus, or car. There are also buses from Tokyo toward Shima Onsen and direct bus-to-ryokan plans. Access: from Nakanojo Station on the Agatsuma Line, take the Kan-etsu Kotsu bus to Shima Onsen for about 30 minutes, then get off at the Seiryu no Yu Iriguchi bus stop—it’s right there.