Hotel 2-Star di Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan

This minshuku is located quite near Miyanoura port, the owners are super nice and they have a public bath that is perfect after a trekking day in Yakushima.

Very friendly and kind hosts! They drove us to the bus stop and made vegan cake for us. The onsen is also very beautiful and the rooms were perfect for our stay. If you come to Yakushima, you should definitely stay there! Supermarket is only 5 min away by foot.

Let’s start with good things. There is little kitchen you can use. There is free tea. There are two showers and one toilet room near the former entrance. Washing machine is free. The place is opened 24 hours. Wifi is fine. The mat and pillow are comfy. English-friendly. Now, some bad things. It seems that the place knew much better days. Now, as many others, it became a home for those who work, not travel. It means it is still noisy after 22:00 in the dorm room. Guys can turn on the lights and leave them on. Locker doors slamming, etc. A few tenants did not care about clearing shower after them, same with the toilet slippers that are mandatory but tenants use the ordinary ones. If you are sensitive for this, consider choosing another place or at least a private room.

What a surprisingly wonderful old ryokan! Operating for a century, its interior boasts a rich Showa-era charm. It definitely feels historic but is spotlessly clean. The true highlight was breakfast, which unexpectedly featured pork shabu-shabu. The broth was made with genuine, high-quality ingredients, and the yuzu kosho was locally sourced. Paired with the black pork, it was absolutely delicious! 😋

Easy to check in and nice staff. This place has hostel/airbnb/surf shack vibes. It was not super clean but it was not terrible. I booked for one person but trip.com/booking.com booked me for the maximum occupancy (4), so it was more expensive than it should have been. Also, I selected pay at site and used my credit card as a guarantee. This Hotel is cash only, which I paid; however, I haven’t been reimbursed my guarantee from the website. So, I’ve effectively paid eight times what should have as of now. These bookings sites are always trying to scam customers, so I’m sure I’ll have to submit a claim with my credit card. That’s no fault of the hotel though.

อยู่ใกล้ท่าเรือ ใกล้สถานีรถบัส เดิตเที่ยว นั่งบัสเที่ยวสะดวก ลงจากเรือแล้วเดินข้ามถนนมาโรงแรมได้เลย มานั่งรอเช็คอินนานกว่า 30 นาทีเพราะมีพนักงานผู้ชายอายุมากแล้วคนเดียวคุยกับลูกค้าอีกคน คุยเสร็จแล้วก็ไม่สนใจลูกค้าทึ่นั่งรอเช็คอินต้องเข้าไปทักขอเช็คอิน พอทักก็บอกให้รอพนักงานกะต่อไปเช็คอินให้ คนจีนพักเยอะ คือเหมือนไปง้อพักเหลือเกิน โรงแรมมีให้เลือกเยอะอยู่นะ แต่ห้องพักดีอยู่ กลางคืนก็เงียบ นอนสบาย

This place is incredible, ran by a small operation up in the mountains of Kagoshima. The onsen is something out of this world. Rich with iron and minerals from the mountain, it looks like something akin to a studio Ghibli movie from the outside. The staff are kind and very helpful and breakfast is a real treat for those who like a traditional Japanese breakfast. 10/10 would highly recommend and stay again. Also to note as a foreigner with tattoos the staff don’t seem to mind so much and my entrance to the baths was permissible. That may be helpful to know.

I finally got to stay in a deluxe double-bedroom apartment in Japan! Compared to other hotels, it was more like an apartment, with kitchenware and separate toilet and washroom areas. The owner even gave me a bottle of mineral water, something other hotels don't offer. I arrived at Kagoshima Airport around 9 PM, long after public transportation had stopped. I had asked the hotel beforehand if there were still taxis at the airport at that time; a taxi ride to the hotel would cost about 2500-2600 yen. This area is only suitable for transit; it's quite remote. It seems the only direct bus to the airport is in the morning, but I couldn't get up early enough. Other buses take one or two hours, or even only run every two or three hours, and I didn't quite figure it out. There were no taxis on the streets; to find one, you had to ask the shopkeeper to book one for you or call a taxi company. The only nearby attraction was Kagoshima Shrine, but I took the bus to the entrance only to find I was running late for the airport shuttle, so I had to give up. The airport shuttle only accepts old yen if you don't have exact change. In short, transportation was difficult, but thankfully there was a convenience store nearby. If the boss sees this review, please fix the shed on the first floor. It's too noisy when it rains at night, and the raindrops hitting the shed are making it hard to sleep.

Great place. There is a nice cafe on the second floor. The sand springs are nearby. The room is tiny but cozy. There is a bathtub. It’s a classical Japanese styled room. There is water in the fridge. Also, if you need to buy something, there is a drug store nearby. If you decide whether to stay there or not hope it helps. The only disadvantage is that you need to walk around 20 min from the station.