Hoshizora-no-Yado Takahara — Local services in Tanabe

we returned to japan in oct. for quite possibly our last visit. had been to japan before a number of times with my husband's job and he wanted to come back as a tourist this time and see parts of the country we hadn't seen on our other trips. we signed up for the 5 day kumano kudo pilgrimage hike and this was our first stop. we were not as fit as we had hoped to be as we'd moved during the previous 2 months before we left for japan. so at the end of the first day's hike this was a welcome spot to arrive at. we walked past the inn sign to see what was beyond and had a great late afternoon view overlooking a valley and the mountains. there is no village per say. we saw a very small sawmill and a very small store that sold wooden objects and a rest/community centre with a parking lot. we arrived at the inn and knocked on the door, no answer, entered, greeted by our host, oops, needed to take our walking shoes off. then we put the wrong shoes on as we were to be seated outside on the deck for a snack of water and oranges. got that sorted out. awhile later our host took us inside, outdoor shoes off, indoor shoes on and shown to our room, only 1 that i saw. on the same floor as the entrance/sitting area, which has a long table and chairs and kitchen/cooking area and opposite the room where we ate. shoes off to enter our room. given kimonos to retire to the onsen, in a wonderful cedar bath. poppa san first. then me. toilet separate, shoes off! then directed to the room to eat, shoes off! wearing our kimonos. sat on the floor, low table and many dishes arrived for our meal. i asked for beer and wine and that was brought. didn't think we'd ever be able to eat it all but we did! broth on the table, add veggies and tofu. tempura, sashimi, greens, etc. all the dishes taken away by our host couple and they left at 7:30, to retire to a house nearby we were told. we all did our best to communicate. slept well, our first time on tatami mats, paper screen walls. very, very quiet! awake and ready and waiting in the main room for our host couple. all the cedar used is quite stunning. one can see into the kitchen area where all the amazing food is assembled. breakfast served in the same room as dinner, on the floor with the low table. we had asked for a packed lunch, as directed by the hike organizer, and were given rice balls and oranges and water. wonderful flowering shrubs on the grounds. we were sent off by our smiling host with a stay to...

My friend and I had an amazing stay at the end of our first day of Kumano Kodo. It’s an immaculately kept beautiful log wood house with a cedar wood hot bath overlooking (via the window) the mountain ranges. Be ready to take in the breathtaking view of floating white clouds draping dark mountains at dusk while you are relaxing in the tub. The aromatic scent of cedar will make you feel like you’re in the clouds yourself. The food was an incredible feast and the tatami room and futons are very comfortable. Our host was simply lovely even though he spoke only a few words of English. He communicated well with Google translate and gestures and we shared many laughs using our mixed methods of communication. We absolutely adored this house and its surroundings, with lots of space to relax. The location couldn’t be better because it’s right along the Kumano Kodo route. Highly recommend staying at this...

we stayed in hoshizora-no-yado on our first night of the kumano kodo trail. the owner, ichiro-san, was extremely hospitable, and despite the lack of english, we managed to get most communication done with google translate. the house is very unique and has beautiful wooden fixtures, all made by ichiro-san himself. the japanese style rooms were comfortable and very clean and neat. the supper was exquisite, better than restaurant food. we each got a bento box with sashimi, fried fish, fried chicken, tempura prawns and tempura vegetables, plus a little pot with boiling misu soup full of vegetables, tofu and other surprises. i wish we could speak japanese, i would have loved to get to know ichiro-san and his history. if you want a truly japanese experience,...