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We had a wonderful stay in Tanabe. We wished we had booked a third night to do more of the Kumano Kodo. We will be back!

A very unique one night only experience. The property is immaculate. The dinner was a wonderful tasting of many things I had never tried, all very good and filling. Breakfast was not as good. The hotel staff was very accommodating and kind. The morning prayer was peaceful and beautiful. The only complaint is the sleeping mats are paper thin and extremely uncomfortable, even after placing one on top of the other with all the blankets it was nearly unbearable. Neith my wife nor I got more than two hours of sleep. It's too bad, because we have slept in other Ryokan style places that were traditional but not painful. For this reason I would advise asking in advance for something better to sleep on.

This property is a monastery and has traditional Japanese style rooms. The futons were quite comfortable. Our room had a toilet and sink, but no shower or bath. There is an Onsen, however we did not use it. The meals were very good. It was a great experience overall. They do have a 9pm curfew. Koya is very quiet at night. There is a Family Mart in town, close to the hotel.

Perfect 😍

A very different experience for a foreigner, and one that I cherished as a student of Buddhism. If you aren’t adventurous, I don’t recommend it, and if you go, please be curious, open, and full of respect. The non-sleeping rooms will be very cold in winter, the food served is the food served, without changes available, there are rules about which slippers to wear where and what can be photographed, etc. If you’re interested in deep travel (versus hedonism), you will be gifted and changed. Otherwise, please don’t go.

The best sleep we had for the whole trip