Blue Sky Guesthouse

Although booking a room was a bit challenging due to the website’s somewhat convoluted reservation process, I’m glad I persevered and eventually succeeded after a few tries. The house itself is exceptional, meticulously organized with great attention to detail. The host is incredibly knowledgeable about the trails and the local area, providing clear instructions in both Japanese and English. The property is a recent renovation that beautifully preserves the charm and style of a traditional Japanese house. The ensuite bathroom is a wonderful and rare addition, enhancing the overall experience.

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 regular holidays.

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 area, I’m sure.

This was, hands down, the best stay we have had in Japan. The host was incredibly kind and knowledgeable, the room was clean and comfortable, and the food was great. We pre-ordered dinner for our stay and also ate breakfast, both of which were delivered to our rooms at set times, making planning easy. My only regret is that we couldn't stay longer.

The B&B is a very comfortable place to stay. We spent three nights there. It has everything we need, washer, dryer, kitchen and dining room. Best of all, the location is great, near Kumano Hongu Taishia and Hongu Taishia Otorii. It's the best choice for visitors to Kumano Kodo.

First the pro’s Good location not far fr Kumano Kodo hiking trail Clean rooms Free laundry (dryer need to pay) Free coffee in lobby fr aftn till 9pm Owner speaks good English The con’s Very rigid & lots of rules with notes posted everywhere telling you what to do & what not to do Place locked before 6:30am & after 9pm, cannot get in or out outside these times Each room assigned a breakfast time slot on first come first serve breakfast We got a 7am slot! I said can you leave me the breakfast I eat later. No he said you cannot. I need all the plates etc back by 7:45am for use by other guests. You only hv one set of plates?!! I end up not eating breakfast Everything is DIY fr laying out futon to washing cups & plates used Check out at 9am. Of over 20yrs of travelling in Japan & ard the world I hv never come across such an early check out time. Not much dinner options nearby. You better bring your own food for dinner. Overall not a pleasant experience.

The guesthouse is located in a quiet part of the village but only a short walk away from the temple and the bus stop. The host is very friendly and speaks good English. The rooms are warm, specious and have a private toilet and shower. The room contains a very informative folder with everything you need to know about the area (both in Japanese and English). The dinner was really tasty but the breakfast was a bit disappointing as it was a plain American breakfast. Overall, it is a great place to stay that I would definitely recommend

Highly recommend this guesthouse. The owner was friendly and super helpful with travel advice to local (and not so local) places. It's a 5-10 minute walk away from the centre, but there's a bus stop just 2 minutes away as well as a nice cafe and other restaurants on the walk into the center. Breakfast was Western style with an Eastern twist, different each morning and delicious every time.