Minshuku Katsuya — Hotel in Shirahama

This is a minshuku, not any luxurious ryokan, so it's rather simple and homely, but considering the price, location and very friendly and helpful owners, it's a great place to stay. It's located close to the beach, but on a quiet street. You can take a bus from the train station and the owner will come to meet you on the bus stop so it's no problem to find it. ||||The house is nice and quite spacious, there is a pond and mini-garden in the middle. Everything is a bit old, but it's very clean and well-kept, and has real "Japanese home" feel. Futon beds were very comfortable, and they have their own onsen! We loved it. There are actually two baths, in principle one is for men and that's bigger, and the smaller pink-toned bath for ladies. We used the one for men since we were free to choose (it was mid-October, and there weren't other guests). On the first night of our stay the water was really hot - in the beginning it felt almost painful but when you got used to temperature it was very relaxing, and afterwards you felt great. The next evening the owner must have thought it's not suitable to boil guests, I guess, and to our surprise it was much cooler, sorry to say but we had preferred it hot. If you're foreigner and happen to like your bath Japanese hot, maybe it's good to mention about it.||||They don't offer any meals, but there's a good supermarket nearby, so you can buy food and have a meal, there's a kitchen/dining room for guest use. We were actually very happy about this since it can sometimes be a bit frustrating to be a vegetarian in Japan if you don't speak any Japanese...||||The owner and his mother were very friendly and helpful, really lovely people, always checking if we had everything needed in our room and in the kitchen, and even our laundry was done for us. We really felt welcome. The owner speaks English so communication was quite easy. We'd definitely...

I don't know why this place has such good reviews. Okay yes, the owner was very helpful despite the language barrier and momma (who smokes like a chimney fyi) even stuck her head out to say hello. My rating of two is ONLY for the service. There was a welcome sign, which was nice. But that's where what's nice ends. First off, my reservation with Hotels.com said I would be charged ¥6,700 (cash), but upon arrival I'm told ¥7,000 for "taxes". It seems very fishy to me.||The entire place reeks of cigarettes. It's disgusting!! You can book a "no smoking" room, but you can bet it has a nice ash tray paperweight decoration. The linens appeared clean, but the walls are badly yellowed with smoke, and there were several water stains on the walls in my room. The paper was warped in many places from what appeared to be water damage. I closed my door to the thick cigarette smoke wafting from the office downstairs, but it still gets in around the rice paper doors very badly. ||There was a "kitchen" available, but it only has a small fridge, toaster, and water kettle. This is the first guest house I've experienced to not have a stove, which being vegetarian in Japan is a big negative. ||There are two baths, and the tiles are sulfur worn as other reviewers mentioned. However, I also found the baths to be sub-par in terms of cleanliness. There are towels available, but if you do stay here and actually choose to bathe I would advise bringing your own. ||For me I was absolutely heartbroken the place is 100% smoking because this was supposed to be the highlight to end my time in Japan. Instead I spent my last day moving to a new hotel. I didn't even bother to ask for a refund because I was so finished with terrible hotels/hostels/guest...

Spent one night here before heading to Tanabe to begin the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage. Owner picked us up at the airport and then gave us a short orientation drive around the area including a scenic view. He pointed out the grocery store, bus station, beach area, etc.||||A minshuku is a homestay, essentially. Nice people, but heavy smokers. If you don't like cigarette smoke, this will be a problem. Once we were in our room (#3) we no longer smelled the smoke. The wifi works downstairs. There's a TV room and a dining room with fridge and water kettle for guest use. Japanese-style (squat) toilets on 2nd floor. Western toilet on first floor.||||Room was traditional tatami mat with futons. Very comfortable and quiet. I like the small koi pond in the courtyard with tanuki figure!||||Onsens (bath) are on the ground floor and segregated by sex. Tub is sized for one person and is hot mineral spring water. This isn't a hotel so some things that would be replaced or repaired quickly in a 5* hotel aren't addressed in a home. If you want a 5* hotel, there's a Marriott in town. If a traditional Japanese homestay is more your speed, you'll likely be comfortable here (smoke smell aside).||||Location is prime for visiting nearby beaches and also the Minakata Kumagusu Museum (highly recommended). Bus station about 5...