Natane Island

The staff was REMARKABLE! They helped me with my heavy bags, offered an early breakfast, and were VERY friendly. Even though I don't speak Japanese, and they speak very little English, check in was easy.

This hotel is a bit strange. It's not a typical country inn or ryokan (you register using a QR code sent by email). I get a Western style bed on carpeted floor rather than futon on tatami. But nobody understands English. They have a restaurant, but couldn't understand that I wanted supper or explain why I couldn't have the supper they were serving to other guests. (I had to look for another place to eat.) For breakfast, I went into one serving room with tables and chairs neatly set out, and the staff waved frantically for me to go away. Finally one of them took me across the hall to where breakfast was set out and waiting for me. They seemed to think I was slightly deranged to mistake one dining room for another. The server politely brought me a cup of tea, but when I asked for coffee, she indicated that I had to go to the front desk of the hotel to get it, which I did. It didn't seem to occur to her that getting coffee for guests might be part of her job.