Kirinosato Takahara

The hotel offers spacious, well-located rooms with comfortable amenities. The staff is exceptionally friendly and attentive, creating a welcoming atmosphere. However, no specific disadvantages were mentioned in the reviews.

Arrived on a trek of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route run by MT Sobek. It's a small eccentric country inn with exceptional food, run by a charming family and their staff, some of whom are young Americans studying Japanese language and culture. The decor is wacky -- a melange of Victorian Japanese bric-a-brac (the owner, Jian, got many items from his grandfather, he said.) Jian is a hilarious storyteller and sometimes serenades his guests by playing Spanish flamenco guitar (he's good.). The clean, comfortable rooms all overlook mountain valleys where the morning mists drift in like a scene from a Kurosawa movie. The onsen baths are small but it's only an eight-room hotel, and they have porches that overlook the valley. When it's cold, a fire burns on the patio. A pot of coffee is put out early for early risers. You can use the inn's washing machine for your clothes, but you must hang them to dry yourself. The food is delicious and infused with color and taste -- mostly Japanese but with fusion elements like pate mixed in. It's amazing how many little tapas-type dishes the tiny kitchen can turn out using seafood, meat and lots of local vegetables. The vegetarians and pescatarians in our group were as happy as the omnivores. We didn't test the kitchen's vegan or gluten-free talents but it was accommodating (given enough warning). And sitting around chatting in the big dining/viewing space, with the staff as part of the conversation is a delight.