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 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 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.

My Fiance and I recently had the pleasure of staying at Guest House Chara and I must say that it was an unforgettable experience. From the moment we arrived, we were warmly greeted by the hosts who made us feel incredibly welcomed. In fact, we already miss them! The Japanese style room was absolutely stunning and exactly what we were after. It was tastefully decorated with traditional furnishings, and the tatami mats and futons were comfortable to sleep on. The attention to detail was impressive, and we appreciated how the hosts had thought of everything to make our stay comfortable. One of the highlights of our stay was the opportunity to chat with the hosts about the region's history. They were knowledgeable and engaging, and we learned so much from them. Plus, they would offer us free sake during our conversations, which was a lovely touch. To top it off, dinner and breakfast were all complimentary, and the food was outstanding. We were blown away by the quality of the dishes, which were prepared with fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. Overall, our experience at Guest House Chara was incredible, and we will definitely visit them again someday. The hosts were exceptional, the room was beautiful, and the food was delicious. They would even drive you to train stations depending on your itinerary for the day! If you're looking for a truly authentic Japanese experience, I highly recommend staying at Guest House Chara. It's a five-star experience in every way!

The owners are lovely and really really hospitable people (with a good sense of humour too). I loved the authentic Japanese experience and was kindly driven to the onsen 3 times!! Hirosaki itself is beautiful and the castle is about a 35 minute walk away, although I personally recommend the modern art museum.

A very small thing but there’s a lot of delicate ornaments around, please be careful if you have a large backpack!

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!

We stayed for just one night but we felt very welcome and we wanted to stay longer. Even if the location wasn’t so central we were kindly picked up and dropped off at the train station. They even helped us having an early breakfast to catch our early train. As vegetarians we put the hosts in a bit of a pickle, but they gave us a delicious breakfast nonetheless ;) We definitely would like to come back 😄