Karakotoso — Hotel in Setouchi

Upon arriving at Karakotoso, I was immediately happily greeted by the staff and led inside. This location is very traditional and the perfect place for someone who wants to experience the Japanese culture first hand. After removing shoes, we were shown our room which had a beautiful view of the water surrounding Maejima Island. Dinner was at six and included a plentiful amount of fresh seafood focused Japanese dishes. The meal came with rice and hot tea as well. It was delicious! There is a wonderful public bath that I took advantage of as well. Everything was very clean. We slept on futons that were placed on the floor which are very different from western beds but still quite comfortable. Breakfast was traditional Japanese breakfast that focused on rice with many small sides to be eaten on top of the rice. Hot tea was again offered and very refreshing! Overall my stay was very enjoyable and a great way to experience Japan culture. The only thing I would warn guests about is that the language barrier can be difficult as the staff knows little English. It is good to go with a Japanese friend...

Upon arriving at Karakotoso, I was immediately happily greeted by the staff and led inside. This location is very traditional and the perfect place for someone who wants to experience the Japanese culture first hand. After removing shoes, we were shown our room which had a beautiful view of the water surrounding Maejima Island. Dinner was at six and included a plentiful amount of fresh seafood focused Japanese dishes. The meal came with rice and hot tea as well. It was delicious! There is a wonderful public bath that I took advantage of as well. Everything was very clean. We slept on futons that were placed on the floor which are very different from western beds but still quite comfortable. Breakfast was traditional Japanese breakfast that focused on rice with many small sides to be eaten on top of the rice. Hot tea was again offered and very refreshing! Overall my stay was very enjoyable and a great way to experience Japan culture. The only thing I would warn guests about is that the language barrier can be difficult as the staff knows little English. It is good to go with a Japanese friend...

Both the outside and inside of Karakotoso were beautiful, including the views from the rooms. The staff were very friendly and polite, and helped us with any problems we had. The first thing we did was have Japanese tea in our room, where we were told by one of the staff members that food would be prepared in 30 minutes. This gave us enough time to get settled, peek around our room and also admire the view. ||||The dinner was SUPERB. I cannot place into words how good it was. I knew before I stayed that ryokans were considered to be a 'part of the experience' of traveling (and not simply a place to rest your head for the night), and so I was expecting good dining - but Karakotoso's dinner was above my expectations. Every time I felt like food was over, more delicious food was brought out - definitely an experience to have, and completely worth it. |||| Overall, I really enjoyed my stay and would recommend it to anyone visiting Maejima...