Lodge Yaedake Sanso

This was an amazing place to visit! Nestled in the woods, surrounded by the most butterflies I’ve seen in my life, it was the escape I had needed from the city life we’d been in Japan already. To set expectations, these are rural cabins, not five star hotel rooms, however, they had way better service than any of the fancy hotels we frequented in Osaka. Any issue we had was dealt with helpful staff. Food was great for dinner and a good spread for breakfast. I have a limited diet for medical reasons and I didn’t even need to tell them till half way through due to the variety they served. And once I did, they gave me specialized meals. They even thought we had forgotten something and found us at the port to give it back. I would love to stay again! Heads up for any foreigners coming in. 1. We didn’t have a car, and for us it was mostly fine, but mileage would vary per person. Bus stop was about a 10 minute walk. Luckily we had been walking non stop for two weeks and were used to the temperature and humidity so we barely even used it other than to go to the moss covered forest. And we did manage to get rides from the staff to and from the port. 2. The access point for kayaking was out due to a typhoon. It turned out to not be an issue, we just walked back out towards the bridge and bouldered there. Highly recommend. They were doing a ton of improvement work, so wouldn’t be surprised if it’s fixed soon. 3.There are guides about the island online and when you arrive. Make sure you read it. We realized the snake we saw was poisonous bc of it. Let alone the list of sea creatures that are poisonous. 4. Not all staff knows english. Not an issue at all with phone translators. I swear they tried harder because we did not speak much Japanese. Cannot oversell how well they treated us.

The drive into the lodge is magnificent, lined with towering young cedar trees, huge tree ferns & massive phildendrons. It's an easy five minutes drive from Miyanoura Port. Be sure to hire a car to visit the island as there is SO much to enjoy. You are also likely to need a longer stay than you expect. The pace is gentle and the island scenery amazing. We only stayed three days but a week would not have been too long. We started our first night with a self-cooked BBQ in a hut beside the perfectly-clear river with mountains on the other side. It was a feast! The staff are very helpful. The hot spa rooms are very relaxing at the end of a day of adventuring. Beds were supremely comfortable. We opted for one of the cottages with a private bathroom. Outside, the stream giggling it's way over the stones lulled us to sleep. Breakfasts are traditional Japanese & delicious. We hope for a return visit to Lodge Yaedake Sanso.

A great location for exploring Yakushima. Stayed 3 nights in one of the older chalets - NB these do not have showers, so you use the onsen. Chalets are clean and with their own toliet and sink, and ours had a pergola! Twin beds were comfortable and the chalet has generous proportions. There are basic kitchen facilities and a dining bench in the room. There are also coin-operated washing machines and dryers in a separate building. Ate breakfast and dinner in the large dining room - all the food was excellent, and permanent free tea and coffee. The setting is magnificent, next to a river ( lovely for a swim if it hasn't rained - which it does a lot!), secluded but close enough to town if you need a supermarket. It's a 10 minute drive through magnificent scenery to the Shiratani Unsui Gorge - but we explored in other directions too - lovely swimming and beaches west along the coast

Our family of four (2 adults, 2 teens) had a lovely visit to Yaedake Sanso. The staff were very friendly and helpful, and we took advantage of the free transportation into town often. Highly recommend