KUMANO TRAVEL

Minshuku Koide is a small guesthouse within walking distance of the Kii-Katsuura station.  The reception and bath are on the first floor, and the guestrooms are on the 2nd. 

The renovated guestrooms are a mixture of Japanese style with one larger room featuring a set of bunkbeds, perfect for larger groups or families on a budget.

This accommodation does not offer meals, but many restaurants are within walking distance.

Kumano Guest House is a small lodging near the Kii-Tanabe station (less than 5 minutes walk) run by a mother and son combination.  There are two facilities: the main one and a nearby annex. 

The main facilities features two Japanese style rooms on the second floor with tatami flooring and sliding doors. The first floor features a restaurant.  Guestrooms are non-smoking with air-conditioning, TV, and small communal refrigerator. There is a washing machine and balcony to hang clothes to dry. 

The annex is called 3F because it is an apartment on the 3rd floor.  There are two Japanese style guestrooms with shared kitchen, toilet and bath. Check-in is at the main building and the owners walk the guest to the apartment, which is about 100 meters away.

Friendly, convenient, reasonable.

Guest House Takao is a beautifully reformed two-story Japanese home in a quite residential area ~10 min walk north of the JR Kii-Tanabe train station. 

There are three guestrooms: Two Japanese style guestrooms on the second floor, and one room on the first floor with a western style bunk bed. 

There is a communal kitchen, attached deck (perfect for relaxing!), and two private shower rooms. 

Other services include rental cycle and luggage storage. 

Guest House Takao is owned by a small, local real-estate company to showcase the added value that renovating older homes can bring to the community.

Albergue Kodo is a family run guesthouse in a rural residential area near the JR Nachi train station.  The owner has lived here for over 15 years and is originally from Tokyo.  He runs a printing shop onsite.  Recently he restored an older home on his property (all by himself!), transforming it into a lovely guesthouse with three rooms.  His dream is to make friends from around the world and expose his children to international people.  It is a very quaint atmosphere with shared facilities focused on communication and exchange—a cross between homestay and hostel (the word Albergue is Spanish from the facilities on the Way of St.James pilgrimage route in Northern Spain).  Often the family eats with the guests in the communal kitchen area.  The house itself is two stories surrounded by a large yard and forested mountain side. 

Minpaku Hinokuma has evolved from the owner’s hobbies: building things, travelling, and walking.  He started by building a small wooden hut for a tea house where walkers on the Kumano Kodo section between Tanabe and Takijiri-oji could take a break.  Then over a period of 1.5 years he built a small bath house with homemade goemon cauldron bath and a simple cabin for sleeping.  Then on the same property he transformed a shipping container into to rooms.  The buildings are spread out over a large grassed area.  A simple breakfast is supplied but evening meals must be bought before arriving or eat at a rural Chinese restaurant nearby.  Shuttles are available from nearby train stations: Asso, Kii-Tanabe and Shirahama, plus Takijiri-oji and Takahara.  If you arrive early ask the owner to try blow darts, his other hobby!

Around 5 minutes walk south of Mirozu (the trailhead of the Nagai-zaka section of the Kumano Kodo Ohechi pilgrimage route) is Guesthouse Harumi, a two story homestay in a tiny fishing village.  It is a well-kept wooden building with small garden.  It is managed by the senior member of the family (—grandma!) who also makes the evening bento box. 

The family who owns it originally ran a sport fishing business, chartering guests to nearby reefs.  But now they are looking to re-use their empty home to host guests from around the world.  Note: Grandma's older brother sleeps on the second floor, but is out fishing during the day!