Tama Hotel

Mino was the best host! He went above and beyond to make our stay comfortable. You can tell he loves what he does and is friends with everyone he meets.

There were some stains in the towels.

This was by far the most hospitable hotel I stayed at during my trip to Japan. Not only were the cats cute and fun to interact with, but the hosts made the experience unforgettable. From the tour of the hotel to the drive to the train station, they continuously went over the top to provide a wonderful experience. I don't want to give away all of the special surprises, but I felt really taken care of the entire time. The amenities were also amazing. I was traveling solo with my 5 year old son, which can be stressful at times, but this hotel was so welcoming. My son is still talking about Tama the cat manager. I really appreciate our time there and hope to go back again in the future. I have already recommended this hotel to multiple friends. If you are considering going to cat island or just exploring Ishinomaki I would absolutely recommend staying here.

I didn't eat breakfast at the hotel, but there was a Starbucks and a couple restaurants within a third of a mile or so. The staff was wonderful, very friendly and helpful. My room was fairly spacious by Japanese standards, too.

The gem of this hotel is certainly its very hospitable owner! The hotel itself was probably about what you would expect for the area and it's within walking distance to the train station. The hotel itself has a cat cafe where I was able to visit the cats in the morning as well as for their dinner time. The owner was also kind enough to drive me to and from the port to go to Cat Island and even helped me get a ticket for the ferry. If you're planning to go to Cat Island, I would highly recommend staying here!

This is a lovely location in a small quiet port town. The reason I chose this location was because this is the port town to access Tashirojima (Cat Island) via ferry. Anyone who plans to visit the island, this is the perfect hotel to stay on the mainland. The hotel has all the basic amenities that one would expect at a hotel (pajamas, shampoo, hair dryer, etc.) but with an extra bonus. In one wing of the hotel, there are 12 lovely cats that the owners take care of and you can visit them. The owners even let me help feed them dinner, which was a fun time. The hosts even went above and beyond and asked if I would like a ride to the ferry port for Tashirojima, which I gladly accepted as it is a 40 minute walk from the hotel to Ajishima Chuo Port. I would definitely come back here again next time especially with my family who loves cats.

I found no issues with this hotel as I was aware of the location, but prospective guests should be aware of the following: this is a small town, so certain places that one would expect in Tokyo will require some extra walking. For example, the nearest convenience store and clusters of full service restaurants will require about a 10 minute walk. Furthermore, accessing Chuo Ishinomaki (downtown) will require a one-stop ride via train or a 30 minute walk.

The hotel manager was amazing. He went above and beyond to help us have a good trip. When there was a problem with the trains being cancelled, he offered to drive us to our next stop. The hotel was great, and it had cats that were super friendly. Overall, the best experience with a hotel that I have ever had. Highly recommend Tama Hotel!

The best part about this place wasn’t the area you are in. It’s the host of the hotel. He was without a doubt the best experience of my stay. His hospitality is unmatched and is the sole reason why I would love to come back. This man will do whatever it takes to make sure you and your friends have a good time. He will personally drive you to tashirojima island and make sure you make it to your train on time.

Everything was perfect nothing was wrong

I found this hotel through a reddit post talking about visiting cat island. The owner of the hotel will drop you off/pick you up for the ferry to the island, as well as drop you off when you leave for your next destination. Ishinomaki is a smaller town and the hotel is not near convenience stores or too many restaurants, so it's nice that the owner can drive you places or drop you off for dinner. It's a quirky experience - you get a tour of the hotel, which includes carrying one of the owners outdoor cats on your shoulder. I stayed two nights but in hindsight probably only needed to do one night, cat island the next day (last ferry leaves at 2pm, so you're back around 3) then straight to train station for next destination. I felt there wasn't much to do in the area after I came back from cat island from 3pm onwards.

I have to be honest that the decor was a bit odd - it kind of felt like a love hotel theme, but I should have expected that from the photos. The room (single room) was also kind of cluttered because there were many furniture items, like a foot water massager, a coat rack, etc that made it feel cramped.

The owner was very accommodating and communicative. I enjoyed the area where we could hang out with the cats and all the amenities that were offered, including free laundry, wine, mangas to read in the cafe, robes, etc. The owner also drove us to our next destination and took the time to figure out plans with us. The hospitality was excellent and I wish we could have shown our appreciation more.

The owner is very kindHe took us in a tour for the property where he and his wife the take care of cats, indoor and outdoorThe rooms have cat theme he gave us cat pins at the end of the tour and hand us our room keyshe also offer to drive us to the ferry port going to cat Island and back to the hotel, and he also treat us to bakery shop before going to the ferryshowed us to the ticket machine and wave goodbye until the ferry leftthe room have all the amenitiesvending machine available by the hotel doorif you put the sign don’t disturb, they will put basket of the towels and PJ’s and toothbrush and cupsthe hotel is walking distance from the station

We stayed a night in Ishinomaki in order to tour Cat Island on the following morning. We arrived by train at around 4 pm and it was a pretty easy walk to the hotel. The family room on the first floor was huge - the kids especially loved the massage chair! The manager is a wonderful host and he gave us a tour of the facilities and all the information about the cat island ferry the following morning, including the weather conditions. He also helped our cat-crazy kids hold and feed some of the hotel's feline residents. The hotel has a cat room for those who want to play with cats and/or join for cat dinner time. Best of all, our host drove us to the ferry, helped us pick up some delicious pastries on the way, and then picked us up (with our luggage!) after the ferry to take us directly to the train for our next stop - an AMAZING service. Without their help I don't think we would have caught our train! I absolutely recommend Tama Hotel for anyone who loves cats and/or wants to explore Cat Island and Ishinomaki.

The owner of the hotel, Mino, was off the charts helpful and warm. He picked us up and dropped us off from the train station and the ferry so there was no stress finding our way around a new city. He dropped us off and picked us up from a really fun, out of the way local restaurant/bar. My sons used the bikes provided to explore the city. He gave us cat buttons, chocolates and pastries. The rooms were comfortable but honestly Mino was the highlight of our stay at Tama. He’s all about the cats and clearly has a thing for Elvis lol He’s quite a character and seemed to really enjoy helping us make the most of our stay. And omg if you love cats you have to go to the cat island. It was a highlight of our Japan trip.

If you're staying on Tashirojima, staying at the Tama Hotel is a must. Going in reading the other reviews of Tama Hotel it seemed that the owner was hospitable; this is true, but understates things. He has a precise tour set up for your stay -- check in, meet the cats, tour the hotel, pick your favorite cat and get a pin, learn how to hold a cat. Wake up for breakfast (I regret to say that I didn't opt for it -- the only thing open early in the area is a Starbucks), get a ride to the ferry (with a stop along the bakery along the way that he paid for!), get picked up and driven back to the hotel. The price was extremely affordable, and was an amazing deal for the level of hospitality and cats provided!The hotel itself was comfortable -- the cats are confined to their own room and I stayed across the street in another building from them anyways so I think even if you're allergic it wouldn't be an issue. He also provided complementary wine and manga, as well as a massage chair. The room was spacious and standard amenities like toothbrushes were provided in the room.My only regret is that I showed up too late to feed the cats, and that I only stayed one night -- I feel like with the amount of heart and passion that the owner put it it deserved more time. I hope to make it back someday and meet my favorite cat (Noir-chan) again!

My only nitpick would be that the bed was very firm by Western standards -- that seems to be the norm for hotels in Japan, though, and I don't think I would have noticed if I had stayed here later in my trip after staying at other places in Japan.

The owner was so nice and showed me around when I first got there, even though I checked in super late at night he made sure I got to know where everything was. He also brought me to and from the port, where I could head to the cat island. Beside the hotel there was even a cat room where I was able to play with the cats in my downtime

Nothing!! It was amazing

Friendly owner and cats! The room is fine too.

See google review. We loved everything, especially the cats and the host. The massage chair was cool. The room was spacious. Great amenities. Perfect stay.

Hardly anything wrong. Maybe a bit of mild smell by bathtub. Otherwise perfect. No complaints.

The owner went above and beyond in making us feel welcome and facilitating our visit to Tashirojima Island. He gave us a ride to the ferry and even to Ishinomaki station when we were leaving. The breakfast was great and there is a free space where you can chill with some rescue cats.

Owner driving us to ferry and railway station and of course the cats

Everything about this location is great. The owner is very personable, the resident cats are very cute (even て—る), and the room and bed is way more spacious than I expected after a week in Tokyo. Within walking distance to family mart, within walking distance of Rikuzen-Yamashita station, and is a couple minute drive to the Tashiro Island ferry (Chuou port). The hotel owner drove us in his cat van, showed us how to go through the ferry sign-in, and even scheduled a pickup on the return ferry, dropping us off just before the train left Ishinomaki. I don't know if this was intended or just happened to line up, but it was magical.If you're going to Tashiro Island, stay at Tama Hotel. I've seen a lot of tourists absolutely wreck tourist locations; Tama Hotel is not the place to do that. It's an absolute treasure that should be respected and appreciated.

Super friendly owners. Cute cats. 100% worth staying here if you're visiting Ishinomaki/Tashirojima.