An absolute gem in north Japan. This is an excellent place if you want to experience living in a Japanese home. Run (very efficiently) by an elderly couple who try their best to communicate with you despite language barriers. The overall feeling was like coming home to visit long distance family. The home is warm and welcoming. Everything you need is provided and everything is really well thought out. We never needed to ask for anything extra because it was all there already - all the toiletries are supplied. Shower room was massive and was great for family use as I could use it together with my small children easily Everything is so clean and tidy in the house. Guest House Chara is also their home - you can see it is well loved and that they are very proud of their home. It’s also very nice of them to provide car service from home to Hirosaki station - or other local destination as required. This saved a lot of time and cost for us. Breakfast was very affordable and the meal was excellent and plentiful. We came at peak time for the Neputa matsuri, and paid peak prices but I still think it was the best choice for us. I wish we had more time in our itinerary to stay longer. Thank you so much for such a wonderful stay, and for your hard work in providing us a welcoming stay. We hope to be back one day!

I regret it was a short visit.

We spent three wonderful days in Hirosaki, a charming and authentic town that still feels untouched by mass tourism. It was refreshing to explore a place where the pace is slower and the culture feels so genuine. The absolute highlight of our stay was Guest House Chara, run by the kindest elderly couple, Fusao and Toshiko. Their warmth and hospitality made us feel completely at home—it wasn’t just a place to sleep, it truly felt like staying with family. Their house told a story, filled with warmth, history, and the little personal touches that made it feel lived-in and loved. From the amazing homemade breakfast to the delicious ramen dinners they prepared, every meal was made with care and love. The guest house is conveniently located, just a short walk from a supermarket and a laundromat, which made things really easy for us. This personal, welcoming experience truly made our trip special. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a meaningful, off-the-beaten-path experience in Japan. ありがとうございます

Nothing - we look forward to coming back soon!

I absolutely loved my stay here! The couple that run this guesthouse are the sweetest people 😊 they pick you up/drop you off to the train station and drop you off to Hirosaki Park for free, they provided a fantastic breakfast and ramen/happy hour in the evening every day for free. They give many suggestions of places to visit and how to get there. They make the stay really special! I loved speaking with them, they both have a great sense of humour and have led such interesting lives! Everywhere was immaculately clean. The shower was hot, the WiFi worked perfectly and they provided free water to refill. The room was lovely. It's close to restaurants, shops and a launderette.

The location is a little out of the way but I didn't mind this, as the couple try their best to make things as easy as possible for you. I fully recommend staying here and wish I could have stayed longer!

It was fantastic, definitely exceeded expectations, the staff are a lovely couple that have lived there for many years, they picked us up from the stations and dropped us off as well they were incredibly hospitable and caring. Although we stayed one night they really made an impression with their breakfast, dinner, and chara time 😍 highly, highly recommended. Plus it’s only a 30 mins walk from the castle as well!

Honestly nothing, everything was great!

Our stay at Guest House Chara in Hirosaki was perfect. The couple who run this clean, charming place are thoughtful and make every effort to enhance the comfort of guests. They love a friendly chat, can speak some English, and provide an excellent breakfast free of charge. I highly recommend it. It's also within driving distance of the castle and apple patk in Hirosaki and not too far for a day trip to Shirakami Sanchi National Park for walking in the beech forest.

Everything was perfect.

The hosts were very friendly and welcoming - there was also a breakfast included (which I didn't remember getting). The house was full of history and souvenirs which I'm sure the hosts are more than happy to talk to you about. There is also "sake nights" where the hosts offered us a chance to try different sakes. There is only one shower in the facility, so there is a booking system to reserve your shower slot.

The best part of our stay were the hosts. They made this stay wonderful and why we look fondly back. If you don't like contact with your host this will not be your thing. But they made us a wonderful breakfast (soup, eggs, toast and fresh local food), they host a happy hour where you can drink and snack for free and they will help you to arrange anything in the city (helped us with restaurant reservations and recommendations). They even dropped us of at our restaurant location. Tip: check their facebook page for a better feel of the place.

There is plenty of privacy, but you are staying in their house. So keep this in mind. They make use of a bathroom schedule with limited opportunities and showering time (15min). Which was fine for us, but might be a surprise for others.

The family guest house was very welcoming and went overboard in catering to us. They offered to wait till late at the train station for picking us up and gave us valuable tips on different places to get easy taxi, lockers etc. They provided us a ride back to even the Hirosaki park. The house itself was very clean and we were offered breakfast and even Ramen for dinner.

The owners are very nice and attentive. They offered us very tasty extra food and drinks and a shuttle service to the city centre. It really felt like living with the family and made our last days in Japan very special. The bathroom timetable was very convenient and worked well.

The guest house is quite far away from the city centre. Thanks to the shuttle service, this was not too bad, just not very convenient for coming back in the evening.

What more can be said that others already haven't? We stayed for 5 nights and we very well looked after by our gracious & helpful hosts. Very comfortable, very clean, very happy guests :) Great supermarket nearby in a lovely quiet neighbourhood. Thanks so much. We'll be back again for the Neputa!