Guesthouse Mintaro Hut

I had the most magical time here. Hide-san took us in like family. He made home cooked meals and provided a safe space for us to rest and share our travel stories. He is also an avid walker, which is a great inspiration. I will always remember his hospitality in the beautiful Yamagata. Don’t hesitate to book your stay here. I will surely come back!

I had a fantastic stay at Guesthouse Mintaro Hut. Whether it was host, staff, guest or friend, I felt welcomed here. Every night they host a donation based dinner which you can join and oh my god when I tell you this was the best food I've had, hands down in Japan and honestly, all my travels, you best believe me. These guys are amazing cooks! So hospitable as well, this guesthouse has a real community feel. It was nice to get to be a part of.

I loooooved my stay here so much! The house is so cozy, the cat cute, everyone was so friendly, every evening we had dinner all together. It was homemade, fresh cooked, always different options & also every evening different dishes & it was soooo delicious. I even got plenty of vegetation options without even asking for it, thanks again! Would definitely love to come back. ✨🥰

Best guesthouse around ! The host is so nice, he speaks English, he cooks for the dinner (there is a box for money participation), you have breakfast also.... Everything is clean. I really recommend coming here 🙏

We had a very nice stay at Mintaros. They all made us feel very welcome and it created such a beautiful ambience where we could interact with people from everywhere. Thank you so much for the Japanese lessons, for the amazing meals and for the cat love!!!! PS: if you’re going to stay in this guesthouse please be advised they have dinner all together at 19:30h (you have to give a donation) and the food was delicious!!! Typical from the area and sooooooo flavorful. Thank you again!

Mintaro is a special guesthouse, you'll feel welcomed from the beginning and it will be like staying with a family. I highly recommend it to anyone who's looking for an authentic experience in Yamagata! ♥️

I visited back in September 2023, i booked the rooms through their website. although I arrived there at 10pm, they welcomed me with free dinner and offered me some sip of their homemade sake. there were other people staying there and we talked a lot to eachother. although my japanese my broken, they were really understanding and helpful towards me. I really felt like home, they even shared their stories while offering me more drinks, the check out time wasnt strict so I could rest a bit more in the morning. overall unforgettable experience and I would recommend for solo backpackers or even 2 person backpacking rest place. love from Indonesia.

Hide and his staff Tomone were very welcoming. They gave us a tour of the house and invited us to their family meal (donation based). This meal was by far the best meal we've had in Japan, home cooked, healthy and extremely homey and comforting. If home cooked meals aren't your thing then the house is also stocked with snacks and quick food you can heat/warm up for a reasonable price. We really enjoyed family meal, it gave us an opportunity to meet the other guests and chat with Hide about his recipes. Thank you for everything! We hope to be back again soon!