Blue Sky Guesthouse — Hotel in Tanabe

I highly recommend this inn. The rooms are Japanese-style and very clean. There is a kettle, tea set, TV, and individual air conditioning. The bathroom and toilet are separate. There is shampoo, conditioner, and body shampoo in the bathroom. There is also one bath towel and one face towel. There are also cotton swabs and a hair dryer. As soon as you enter the room, there is a mat to put your backpack or heavy luggage that got wet in the rain. There are four trash cans, making it easy to separate garbage. In order to prevent infectious diseases that were prevalent a while ago, one of the trash cans is for used tissues. I think this is a sign that they put the guests first. The owner speaks very good English and is very kind and polite. Great hospitality. It is a small inn with a total of four rooms, but it has everything you need. The washing machine in the hallway is free, and only the dryer is charged. The kitchen is fully equipped, although it cannot be used during breakfast time because the owner prepares the breakfast that the guests have reserved. There is also a shared refrigerator. When using the refrigerator, you write your name on the contents. Other than that, most things are written in the notebook in the room. Wi-Fi usage instructions are also written on the cover of this notebook. This inn is about a 7-minute walk from Kumano Hongu Taisha Shrine. It is a very quiet environment. There is a small supermarket, a ramen shop, and a sweets shop within walking distance. If you ask the owner, he will tell you about the...

Stayed there for a night in September 2024 after hiking Kumano for two days. The rooms are clean and spotless. However, the rules are strict. We arrived at 2:30PM tired and had to wait outside until a 3:30PM or 4PM to check in. They did not seem to want to let anyone in regardless of whether a room was available or not. At 4PM it was a slow process to check in everyone that was waiting at the same time, further adding to the delay. We were already unhappy with that, but there was more to come. For the morning, we could only have breakfast at 8AM, but apparently we can’t also leave the guesthouse for a sunrise walk and a visit to the Hongu Taisha before 8AM for “your own security”. So essentially it’s a prison from nightfall until after breakfast. We insisted that we get out at 6:30AM for a walk and a visit to the temple and the host begrudgingly agreed to open the door at 6:30AM.

Definitely the only poor stay experience in all of the three weeks we stayed in Japan. There are other more welcoming places in the...

One of my favorite places to stay on all of Kumano Kodo. "Guesthouse" is most definitely not the correct word to describe this place. Although the lodging cost is inexpensive, every detail has been considered, obsessed over: The sliding doors all have inlaid leather pads to keep them from slamming against the wood. Washing machines are free to use. (One specifically for just for women.) The tatami are clean, the wood floors beautiful. Great coffee and excellent selection of books on the trains in the lobby. And the western style breakfast with thick toast and jam is most welcome after days and days of Japanese style mornings.

The owner is exceedingly gracious — perhaps one of the most attentive and thoughtful hosts on the entire pilgrimage circuit. Bathrooms are well appointed. Toilets clean and modern. Easily one of the most effortlessly comfortable places to stay. Highly recommended. I ended up circling back twice on a previous two week hike around Kumano. Have stayed four or fives...