Miyanoura Youth Hostel, Yakushima Island Japan Review

Overall 5.00 of 5 (by 1 user)

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Writer

Rainmaker
Marietta, GA

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Clean, Comfortable, Convenient

practical, Always up for an adventure, travel for hot-air ballooning

Pros

Same port view as more expensive places, Clean, Friendly, Confortable

MAR

2008

There were two youth hostels to choose from on Yakushima Island. The other was named simply, Yakushima Youth Hostel. It was located on the far side (south) of the island and it had the really wonderful "my favorite youth hostel anywhere" reviews. The island is relatively roundish and only about 25 miles across, it was tempting. However, the problem in staying there was in transportation and logistics. We had two overnights to devote to seeing things on the island and from looking at the Internet surf-able experiences of others visiting Yakushima, it seemed that we could easily spend a lot of time waiting for the right bus if we tried to work out a place to stay at the far end. We chose to rent a car, but they must be turned in fairly early the previous evening and we needed to be able to make the morning ferry off the island, so bus schedules still would have been an issue. It still looked like we needed to stay at Miyanoura Youth Hostel near the port where our ferry would dock.

We were resigned to the "less desirable" option, but this turned out to be a delightful place. Very small and easy to miss, the gray building is recent construction and the deck has a waterfront view. The rooms are clean and each has a laundry line outside a sliding glass door to air dry your wash. The baths are clean and there is a soaking tub and pleasant soaps. The common room is clean and has Internet access as well as small purchasable supplies like tea and noodles for the microwave. The laundry was convenient and the other guests were very nice. The woman who checked us in had pamphlets and detailed information on the sites. The bus stop was right outside the door, nice to know even though we chose to rent a car. The man who was checking in people on the following day recommend the restaurant that turned out to be one of my favorite of the whole trip, surprisingly, it was in the back of a gift shop! Not something I would have likely tried without the recommendation.

This was a very comfortable visit. We made contact with the world we left behind via email. We cleaned our clothes and we sipped tea on the deck while the sun rose. This was a pleasant surprise and a pleasant stay.

Last edited on Jun 22, 2008