THE HOTEL YAKUSHIMA ocean & forest

The dinner every night was exceptional. Each dish was followed by another amazing dish. The textures and flavours were unique allowing each to stand out. The breakfast buffet was good and had many tasty options. The Onsen and sauna were restful and needed after days of hiking. The staff was very attentive and remembered who you were and what room.

The location was good; if the weather was more cooperative, one was able to walk to restaurants and other services. The staff was friendly and helpful.

Apparently, there was a transition of the HVAC system. We were not able to use the cooling function in the room to our satisfaction. No one informed us about this situation prior to our arrival; I believe that this omission is unprofessional and unacceptable.

Amazed by the staff service that was absolutely on top of it. When my flight cancelled and I needed an early check out, they made the necessary changes in the reservation right away and coordinated with the airport on my new flight time so they can schedule a ride to the airport for me. When I needed to rent a car, the man at the front desk made a reservation for me at the car rental place that wasn't accessible online. And also when they noticed I wasn't eating any of their dinners, they correctly guessed it was probably because I didn't like traditional Japanese food and went out of their way to order something more palatable to my western tastes LOL.The traditional room was very nice and clean with a beautiful view of the mountainside. It was always clean and freshly made with new clothes. I can tell that this is an older hotel but it's extremely well maintained as I could not find even a speck of dust or caulking with mold inside the hotel room and bathroom. And the onsen was convenient too. When I sprained my ankle on my hikes, the cold baths helped alleviate the pain and swelling.I also usually hate buffets, but the breakfast buffet is really delicious with high quality food and ingredients.. and a beautiful view of the ocean every morning.The fact they have a gift shop, rental hiking equipment, and premade lunchboxes was convenient for planning your hikes as well.Overall, Yakushima is a place that requires meticulous planning and also improvisation due to it's unpredictable weather. So to stay at a place that has most of those conveniences at hand made this trip more manageable. I'm so glad I chose The Hotel Yakushima.

This is not at all a flaw on the hotel but only a couple people could speak English and they were on shift periodically. Learning a bit of Japanese to help communicate with the staff would be extremely helpful for both you and them!

The dinner was super delicious with Kaiseki style food and the breakfast was superb as well. The hotel was very helpful in guiding you through your trips in Yakushima and provided lots of useful advice. You can even rent gears such as hiking boots, rain cover, etc in the hotel store. The onsen was a must-try thing too.

The staff here are amazing, they are so accommodating. I had horrible luck in Yakushima - cancelled ferries, all the tours and hikes were cancelled. It was a day by day assessment and the staff were so helpful in trying to work with me to reschedule/rearrange my tours and adjust my hotel dates. It was a huge headache and the hotel dealt with it and did their best to fix things for me to the extent they could. Also, the food was absolutely amazing. Location is great, right next to the port.

The western room was little dated but the hotel itself is gorgeous.

Great views from the room with outdoor deck. Excellent breakfast. Helpful staff.

Dinners were good but not great. Sushi quality was fair.

The food at the restaurant was amazing. Location and staff were great.

We were in the older part of the hotel so the room was a little worn. Had to stack two futons to be comfortable.

The room was very comfortable, breakfast was excellent, and the onsen was decent. The location near the harbor and town was very convenient. The staff went above and beyond by preparing a lunch for us in place of breakfast when we had to leave early for a morning hike. They also offer a shuttle to popular trailheads and have gear rentals available on site, which made things even easier.

We had a beautiful beachfront view, but unfortunately there was quite a bit of trash (plastic, fishing nets, and other debris) washed up on the shore that stayed there throughout our stay. It would make a huge difference if cleanup happened at least weekly to really take advantage of the amazing location. The stay also felt a bit pricey compared to other options, so overall the value wasn’t the best. That said, the cost was clear upfront, so that part is on us.

Great location to get to UNESCO sites for hiking, beaches, and other points of interest. It was also only about 15-20 min from the airport. Our hotel room had a full glass wall that looked out onto the ocean, and the shower room also had a full glass wall that looked out onto the ocean. The buffet breakfast was also great. On the day we left, our flight was delayed by a few hours, which then caused us to miss trains to get to our next destination. One of the receptionists went out of her way to help us notify the hotel and car rental company to let them know why we wouldn't be showing up on time and to hold our reservations. She helped us with the trains we needed to take and translated everything we would need to tell people into Japanese and wrote it down for us.

Yakushima is a very distant island that have few accommodation options. I find Hotel Yakushima Ocean&Forest to be the perfect one among these limited options. First off, the location is just perfect. It is literally 5 minutes away walking from the dock if you choose to visit by the boat. If you arrive by a plane, worry not as they offer free shuttle bus services as long as you book early on their website. Speaking of their website, you can also book local tours on the website, it is so much cheaper compared to other sites but the guide would mostly speak Japanese. Going back to the location of the hotel, it is basically in the dead centre of the “city” centre of Yakushima. You can find souvenir shops, bike rental, tour agency, information centre and restaurants around the hotel all in walking distance. Speaking of restaurant, the hotel’s own restaurant is also amazing, I would recommend you to go and at least check it out for yourself. The public bath is clean but the view is not extraordinary, but it is just the best after a long day of hiking. They also have laundries, vending and washing machines if you need them. The room itself it exceptional, larger than average Japanese hotels and extremely clean. All the staffs were helpful but some of them cannot speak English well, but they always try their best to make you understand. With all of that, the hotel is not super expensive, for what you are getting on a remote island, I would say it is rather affordable. So, if you are looking for a standard hotel and not home stays or guesthouses, I would recommend Hotel Yakushima Ocean&Forest as a safe option for any fist time visitors.

Nothing at all, just a tiny nitpick on no bike rentals (they do have car rental services), but they will gladly point you towards a location where you can rent a bike or electric bike, it is literally 5 minutes away from the hotel, I do hope they can add this service later though.

They have the most amazing breakfast!! Even for Japanese hotel standard, this one absolutely stands out with so many options of locally sourced fresh fruits, salad, bread/pastries, rice, fish, meat, soup you name it they have it. My family and I loved it so much so that we made sure that we were the first ones to arrive for it every morning. The hotel doesn't look much from the outside, but they've made really nice upgrades to the interior and gave it a very calming, nice atmosphere. They have a coffee shop by the lobby which was a nice spot to chill looking over the water. We chose dinner option, and did not regret it. They served a different set of meals every night we were there with fresh, locally sourced ingredients and everything was a delight from appetizers to desert. The hotel staff were extremely courteous and helpful. I would absolutely stay here again and cannot recommend the accommodation highly enough.

The hotel is a short walk from the harbor (uphill) and also close to town. I was in a traditional Japanese room due to some scheduling error, but I actually preferred it. It was beautiful and had a great view of the wooded hills nearby. The onsen was spacious and featured a cold bath (a feature I really appreciate after a hot bath). The breakfast buffet was excellent, featuring western and (mostly) Japanese foods made from local ingredients. For dinner we walked into the town where a bit of extra searching paid off; we found Panorama, a small, lively place with truly innovative food.

The food service was not quite there. The cafe near the entrance features excellent baked good from breakfast and is a great place to hang out, but it closes (along with its tables) at 6PM (1800). The only other place to sit in the lobby area is across from the elevators on some couches near the gift shop and some windows; not a bad space but not a welcoming place to hang out. For dinner the restaurant requires 24 hour reservations even if the restaurant is almost empty. After long hiking, a 15-20 minute walk into town may not be to everyone's taste. The staff went out of their way the day after they had refused us service to inform us that no more reservations were available that night and they would help us make a reservation for dinner in town. A nice gesture but an odd policy, as most restaurants want customers. If you want to eat dinner in the hotel, make up your mind a day ahead of time & tell them.

We have stayed at the Hotel Yakushima Ocean and Forest several times and it is always a relaxing and special stay. The staff is kind, helpful, and polite. The view is amazing. Our Japanese style room was clean, comfortable, quiet, and beautifully laid out, with a gorgeous view of the ocean and many amenities (fridge, tea, water kettle, toiletries, hair dryer, etc.) The food at the hotel is delicious and there a couple of vegan and vegetarian selections, which was important to us. You must make reservations if you want the full set meal, but we were also able to get ala carte items when we arrived without a reservation. There are also several izakaya within walking distance (10-20 minutes walking) or by car. The hotel is also convenient to the port and there is a shuttle service to the airport as well. This time, we also booked a hiking tour to the Jomon-sugi. This was an amazing experience! It was also simple to book, and the tour guide picked us up and dropped us off right at the hotel, which was very convenient.

Nothing. It was all perfect!

Hands down, one of the best hotels I have stayed in Japan so far. Everything about is is great: the location right next to the Miyanoura ferry landing, the decor, the gift store with a great selection of items, the restaurant (abundant breakfast options + amazing kaiseki dinners), the kind English speaking staff, the spacious elegant rooms with all necessary amenities… You can even get your tours around the island sorted out here!

The coffee shop could open earlier (9 am). Breakfast is extremely crowded and at times you need to wait for a table - it would be desirable to have more tables, and space out the food stations better so that the movement around them is swifter.

The location is good and next to Miyanoura port (not more than 5mins walk), It is convenient. The staff are friendly and take good care of the guest. They checked if I need to order lunch bento for hiking, the hiking venue, with tour and on my own. When I back to hotel, they cross checked if i am the guest that safely return and marked it down. The Dining Care Misola ladies are warm, and they passed me the bread take away that I accidentally left on the table when I had dinner (not reserved) . The best beef i ever had , definitely top 3.

No onsen

Would like to compliment front desk staff Miss Yoko for her excellent service. She takes initiative and went many extra miles to ensure our stay was the most enjoyable ever - helped call several car rental companies to get us a rental car during this peak season, offered to book bus tickets, dinner, etc. and gave very detailed suggestions when we shared where we wanted to visit. She remembered our itinerary and reminded us of various timings each morning when we walked past the front desk. Her service is better than 6 star hotel.

Great location and very helpful staff. The breakfast and dinner are wonderful.

Great breakfast

A bit run down on the outside and a bit expensive

Well decorated , great dinner and breakfast. The staff were excellent too.

Everything was nice except one impolite front officer.

The check out time was 10.00 am. and we were rushing then we came down at 10.10. One front man officer came to the room at 10.00 and ruddy rust us to get out then he sent us an invoice the overstayed. Actually if he came before the time and gentle told us to speed up then we could make it in time. That’s make this stay at this hotel was sadly at the end.