Yuurin-an Guesthouse & Cafe — Restaurant in Kurashiki

Its nicely located in the midst of the old town, close to the canal and to the temples. To the station you walk about 10 min. The staff was very helpful, showing me on the map what to see and where to go while in Kurashiki. The other guests welcomed me into their round, it was easy to meet others and have a chat over a tea. ||The guest house is small and has a shared bathroom where you sign up for a slot in the morning or evening, it is for certain time periods only. You can decide between private and dormitory style traditional Japanese rooms with tatami mats and futon beds. ||It’s one of the 100 years old traditional guest houses in Japan with an inner courtyard that has a tree. If you want have that feeling I recommend staying in this guest house. If you stay multiple days, you will need to put together your belongings during the day as this is a nice cozy café during the daytime and a guesthouse at night. The only con in my eyes is that you hear everyone else in the house during the night as it is paper-thin walls (as in many traditional places in Japan).||||It’s a beautiful town. Be aware though at times it can be full with tourists as it is popular with Japanese and Chinese people, not so well known to tourists from...

Its nicely located in the midst of the old town, close to the canal and to the temples. To the station you walk about 10 min. The staff was very helpful, showing me on the map what to see and where to go while in Kurashiki. The other guests welcomed me into their round, it was easy to meet others and have a chat over a tea. ||The guest house is small and has a shared bathroom where you sign up for a slot in the morning or evening, it is for certain time periods only. You can decide between private and dormitory style traditional Japanese rooms with tatami mats and futon beds. ||It’s one of the 100 years old traditional guest houses in Japan with an inner courtyard that has a tree. If you want have that feeling I recommend staying in this guest house. If you stay multiple days, you will need to put together your belongings during the day as this is a nice cozy café during the daytime and a guesthouse at night. The only con in my eyes is that you hear everyone else in the house during the night as it is paper-thin walls (as in many traditional places in Japan).||||It’s a beautiful town. Be aware though at times it can be full with tourists as it is popular with Japanese and Chinese people, not so well known to tourists from...

U-Rin-An is a traditional lodging style, where you can experience sleeping on tatami mats in a traditional room. If you haven't read somewhere else, it functions as a guesthouse from 10-6:30, so you can't access the room before 6:30. However, you can always stay in the guest room before 6:390, so the review that says you have to wait outside in the cold before 6:30 is not true. Overall the best thing about U-Rin-An is the people; everyone was so welcoming and enthusiastic in getting to know you. Japanese people overall are extremely helpful and polite, but the staff here takes it to another level, even if you're only staying one night. If I have the chance I will definitely return here!||On another note, if you visit Kurashiki (which you definitely should, it's not only a cute old town but also great for buying reasonably priced souvenirs), don't miss out on Tsurugatayama Park (where Achi shrine is located). The path up there was absolutely heavenly with bamboo forest and winding path. It reminds me of Arashiyama in Kyoto, except the path is more scenic with way less people (I was actually by myself), so you can enjoy the wind blowing through the forest and birds chirping at your...