Tsumikusa No Yado Komatsu Ryokan

We stayed at Tsumikasa no Yado for 2 nights in mid-August, arriving here after a beautiful drive and ferry crossing from Fukuoka via Shimabara - Kumamoto, particularly enjoying the last part of the drive past the famous green tea plantations. Tsumikasa is located at the heart of Kisihima Onsen village, a somewhat low-key, even a bit run-down looking village that clearly seems to have had a more glorious past - but that only adds to the Charme of the place. We truly enjoyed our time - we had one of the „semi-western style rooms with private open-air bath“, and love the open air bath, the large tatami room with a comfortable two old-style seating chairs and tea table in a „wintergarden-like“ part, as well as the comfortable beds and small kitchenette with drip-filter coffee maker, fridge etc. The provided coffee powder was excellent - and we received another pack of it as a good-bye gift. The natural mineral water is a bliss to enjoy in your own bath - both in the stone bathtub, and the outside tub cut from a giant tree, fun - though for a tall western man like me a bit small ;-) Service here was wonderfully friendly, unassuming yet always caring - our car was parked for us, we were provided with a choice of yukata, decided on meal times and both main staff were as helpful and friendly as was possible with limited English and Google Translate. The food here is FANTASTIC - we have travelled multiple times to Japan, and we ate some of the most tasty breakfasts and Kaiseki-style dinners here...the presentation might not have been the most fancy, but still very beautiful and the taste was just outstanding. Also catered well for my wife who has some dietary requirements. We also truly enjoyed the outside private onsen outside - it‘s a few stairs down, and you lock the access door behind you. Nice bath in the nature. Lots to see around - Kagoshima is a peaceful little town, and the surroundings of Krishima are beautiful, with lots of beautiful nature around. We also loved Cinnamon Cafe in Kirishima, a small bakery cafe run by a lovely woman, serving great bakery items in a very peaceful surrounding. Only one thing could be improved - the window towards the outside in the bedroom can not be darkened through curtains or blinds, so we had to improvise to keep the light out (and not wake up early morning...) - would be easy to fix. We loved our stay here, and highly recommend this Ryokan.