Lodges in Takashima

It is an old style house, so as long as you aren't expecting Western/modern comforts, it's fantastic! My daughter called it the Totoro house. You will sleep on Japanese futons that you lay out on the tatami mats - if you've never slept on a futon it might feel uncomfortable/hard compared to Western beds. You will eat sitting on the tatami mats, but there are a couple of small Western chairs if sitting on the floor is difficut. The bathroom is Japanese style with the toilet in one section, the sink/vanity in a second section and the shower with separate furo (deep bathtub for soaking after washing in the shower) in the third section. It was not the most modern but all clean and more spacious than the Western hotel bathrooms we had other parts of Japan! There is a TV, wifi worked great and a bluetooth speaker to play music. There aren't a lot of "tourist" attractions nearby but it you want serenity this hits the spot - a few steps away has you walking among farming fields and the house is also close to the forest with a little stream running along side the road making for a peaceful but easy walk up the mountain. The gohan (rice) cooked in the old style stove was the best we ate our entire trip! Wish we had bought some of the local rice. It can get a little smoky when dinner is being cooked but my mild asthma was fine. The host, Hiro, is amazing, super accomodating and friendly, he introduced us to his shiba inu (dog) and his duck, and even though we didn't ask ahead, he prepped for us to make tofu - this experience was an extra fee but totally worth it! During the winter you can also request mochitsuki (pounding rice into mochi) and summer/fall you can make noodles (can't remember if he said soba, ramen or udon). Hiro's English is limited, but he's so engaging, we asked him to eat dinner with us and my daughter loved that...he has such good energy!