We stayed at Kamenoi Shiobara which is a pet friendly hotel near Nikko. Kamenoi is a very pet friendly ryokan perfect for an escape from Tokyo. Only 2 hours it’s the perfect getaway. The hotel has a number of pet friendly rooms, both Western & Japanese style.
Right next to the hotel there is a river area with a suspension bridge which was really nice to take a walk along.
Pet Rules
Dogs are allowed everywhere within the hotel (other than the onsen). There are 3 different dog runs, including 1 indoor dog run. Dogs are also permitted in the restaurant, so it’s really perfect.
On arrival you need to sign the pet rules and you can choose from the dog menu if you want a dog meal for dinner and/or breakfast. We didn’t realise you had to order at check in which was a mistake as we couldn’t order during meal time. Thankfully humans had my own food.
The Room
We chose a traditional Japanese style room which had 8 tatami mats and futons. We booked just the day before and got a special offer with a 50% discount on pet fees. Usually the pet fee is ¥3,300 per night but we only paid ¥1,650. We aren’t usually a fan of paying pet fees but we did get plenty of pet amenities in the room and the hotel was totally pet friendly.
We love the Japanese tatami rooms. It’s so easy to relax and the futons are surprisingly super comfortable.
The original room we had booked was located above the machine room and there was a constant loud noise. When we mentioned to reception they informed us we had booked a special room and it was in the notes. Unfortunately our Japanese isn’t great so we missed this. Thankfully they understood and moved us to a different room, and generously didn’t charge us extra. This was super lucky and maybe as it was midweek so maybe we wouldn’t have been so lucky on a weekend.
Pretty much everyone staying there was with a dog. Most people had a stroller but if you didn’t they had spare ones at reception you could use.
Hotel Facilities
Within the reception area there are a number of vending machines providing snacks and drinks. There is a small bar area which had help yourself wine taps for the humans and water for doggos. All of which was free. Next to that there is a large shop which had a huge selection of dog snacks, dog clothes, dog toys and goodies. As well as a large selection of goodies for the humans too.
There were 3 dog runs available to use for doggos and an onsen for the humans which they took full advantage of.
Restaurant
Humans chose a room which included a premium kaiseki meal which had multiple courses. The restaurant itself was very casual, and had more of a cafe style vibe. However, that didn’t take anything away from the food. Every course was absolutely delicious. We were disappointed we hadn’t ordered the dog menu.
Usually at a ryokan, breakfast is also a set meal. However, here it was a buffet breakfast. We were also given a time for breakfast on check in which was set at 7am. This is a lot earlier than we usually get up, and whilst there was a reasonable choice but it was a bit disappointing not to have a set meal, having got up so early. I feel there could have been more leeway on this. So after breakfast we headed back to the room and had another couple of hours sleep!
Conclusion
Kamenoi Shiobara is a great pet friendly hotel near Nikko. The perfect getaway for a couple of days from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo city life. With pet friendly rooms, a shop, onsen for the humans, dog runs and pet friendly restaurant it’s somewhere I would definitely recommend.
For other pet friendly travel tips or recommendations in Tokyo or Japan don’t forget to check out my other pages. If you have any other options you’d like to share, please leave a message in the comments below.
Woof woof, Wylie x
If you would like to see any of my preferred products I use, you can check out my Amazon Store here (associate link which I may receive commission from if you buy anything). If any of my travel tips help, you can also leave a small donation which would be greatly appreciated 😊