[MENTION=24603]freecia[/MENTION]:
Thanks a lot for the update and review. I didn't know about this place. I had a look at their website. Looks really nice. And very interesting that the shared bath is mixed-gender. It's literally two buildings down from Shinyu. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Shinyu is also entirely non-smoking (at least it was when I last stayed 1.5yrs ago). Meals look quite different than what they serve at Shinyu. Shinyu's dinner course is heavy on creative offerings (eg, yam potage with veggie croutons, lobster baked in a crust of sea salt, sashimi canapes), but it was really good and I would even say I was blown away.