The on duty manager Hikaru Shiota was an absolute angel. He looked after our every need and was so kind, entertaining and informed about the hotel and the local area. He even personally drove us to the ferry terminal so we could catch the ferry to Okunoshima on a very rainy Monday and helped us translate the ferry scheduling with the ticketing personnel at the port. Above and beyond, thank you Hikaru-san! The hotel itself consists of 3 separate buildings, we stayed in a generously proportioned room with two king single beds (low but with western style mattresses and duvet) opposite the main reception building in what used to be an old bank. The room and all the facilities were spotlessly clean and the white walls looked like they had been recently painted. Traditional Japanese breakfast was delicious and absolutely edible for westerners - I travelled with my (unfussy) 13 year old daughter and she ate the lot. Dinner was even more impressive and enjoyable - again a traditional Japanese meal but not overwhelming amounts of food, beautiful and presented on an impressive array of lovely serving plates. The surrounding streets are all traditional Japanese buildings, about 100 years old and many local residents live there and have little shops and cafes. The main shrine is a short up hill walk and gives a lovely view of Takehara, a sleepy little costal town known for sake and salt production.

The room we stayed in has sliding opaque screens covering the outside windows which are lovely during the day but in the early morning mean the sun comes shining in so take an eye mask if you don't want to be awake at the crack of dawn!