Forest Cottage

The owner is an architect who designed and built all these lovely houses. One villa can fit 12 people, with a large dining room, an outdoor balcony and a very beautiful view. The kitchenware supply is very abundant too. This village is impressive.

It’s a lovely place in a beautiful area, and we enjoyed unwinding here. The location worked well for going to the rugby in Oita and visiting the onsen in Kurokawa. We’d recommend it despite some frustrations. It didn’t feel set up with Western needs in mind: there were no knives or forks, and no furniture at all, even though the confirmation said futons would be in place. We had to sit on the floor or out on the deck. There was nowhere to put clothes, so we had to keep everything in our suitcase. That can work for many travelers, but we were staying three nights and moving around Japan, so it would’ve been nice to unpack a bit.

A really good place for a family. The host was warm and kind, and the cottage for five was very clean and had almost everything I needed. The bed mattress was a little uncomfortable, though. A good budget option for enjoying Kurogawa onsen.

The top bunk on the double-decker bed is really close to the ceiling. Some of the cooking utensils could use an upgrade.