A wonderful temple stay with the delightful Terashima family. A calm place on a hill with views across the tree tops to Yoshino. Mrs Terashima is a brilliant cook and runs a cafe of great charm. Beautiful gluten free vegetarian meals were prepared for me. I recommend taking the opportunity to have dinner cooked by her. You may attend morning prayers. This opportunity I recommend taking. Sleeping with fresh air and quiet, after city crowds, I found this a restorative place and I wish I had stayed longer. .

The temple path is very steep. Check with the host and they can help you make other arrival arrangements.

Booked two nights at this temple lodging or Shukubo just outside the Sakura season, serenity and shades of green is the reward you get. Lady of the house, Yoshiko and her daughter cooked super delicious meals for me. Chief priest, Hozui and his son conducted morning ceremony that was very soothing and divine. Booked a taxi driver for 5 hours to visit other temples at Yoshino. Took tons of photos and got to know Yoshino a lot better, not just for Sakura. Requested a Goshuin or temple stamp and Hozui san has personally calligraphed it which was beautiful. The toilet was really clean and it is just next door to my room. Bathroom is downstairs with the dressing table beside it. There was another toilet at ground floor too.

None.

Our stay at the Houtouji temple was one of the highlights of our trip! The loving family made our stay very special. They went out of their way to pick us up from the train station, prepared delicious (vegetarian!) dinner and breakfast, and taught us more about buddhism. We could even attend the afternoon (16:00) and morning (6.00) ceremonies. There is a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains and they have several animals (donkey, goats, cat) making it a lovely stay. We want to thank you very much for our stay and would highly recommend to anyone planning to go to Yoshino!

This is a calm and happy place filled with great hospitality and spirituality. You are invited, but not obliged, to attend the buddhist morning prayer in the adjacent temple.

Not a real negative, as the owners are very helpful to provide transportation, but the accommodation is located rather isolated. On foot it is reachable via a 20-minutes steep uphill walk through a bamboo forrest directly from Yamato-Kamiichi-Station (which is not shown by googlemaps!).

Every family member at the temple is warm, friendly and full of smiles. The male boss who picked us up and gave us explanations was very kind. The two young girls serving in the restaurant were attentive and lovely. The chef is very good and willing to prepare vegetarian food for me. Thank you for your reception.

Breakfast was great and location in the beautiful mountains was really nice- easy access to yoshino area. Hosts were lovely and very accommodating, they helped me rent a bike which was a great way to see the lake and surroundings. The room was also perfectly set up and it felt quite authentic. The cultural experiences you can participate in were one of the highlights of my stay here!

nothing, loved my stay!

The family who runs the place is amazing. From dishes to explaining the local enviroment, you can feel the genuine friendliness. Also you can participate to the morning prayers which are done by the father and the son of the family. Highly recommend. I’m sure I will go again!

To travelers with heavy luggage, the location of the place is bit hard to reach at first, but can be easily fixed by letting the staff know so they can pick you up at the station. But those who are willing to walk. The walk is cross bamboo forest, where you feel like you are in old Japan!

It is a buddhist temple indeed, the priest and his family are the hosts. The (modern) temple is a separate building. Beautiful view over the landscape. Access is not easy but the host proposes to come and fetch you at the station. Dinner and breakfast are superb and worth it. There is a language barrier, it's probably more tailored for national tourists during cherry season. A gem.

Unfortunately the mountain top is shared with telecom antennae

I loved that the hosts treated you like family, and invited you for excellent meals and temple prayers. You get to experience being a part of their community. The place was extremely cozy, very clean and comfortable. It’s a great value for its affordable price. The location is accessible too, as it’s a short 10-min walk to the train station, yet private enough to not have any disturbances as it’s atop a hill.

One of the nicest Guest Houses I've stayed in while in Japan. The guest house is run by a lovely Japanese couple. Rooms are basic but super clean, traditional style with Tatamis, spacious, and there's a vintage style secretary desk in every room. Shared bathroom and toilet also spotlessly clean. They serve dinner and breakfast if you order ahead, food is really delicious and prepared with love right away for you. I think it's really better to stay here than in uphill Yoshino (which can easily be reached by train in 10 minutes). Owners speak only few words in English but don't worry: they will understand all your needs.

Just to mention: it's a narrow and somewhat steep foot path leading from the station to the Guest House crossing a jungle like bamboo grove (no problem for people with hiking experience). For those not able to take this way hosts will arrange to pick you up by car. From Kamiichi station it's 400m to a Lawson combini and mayb 700m to a super market.