Takahira Base

What stood out most was the welcome. The owners and staff were friendly and easy to talk with, like visiting a relative's home, while still giving you space when you wanted it. There are only rooms for two groups at Takadaira Base, where we stayed, so it felt easy to relax. We also met travelers from abroad and enjoyed chatting across groups. The views are remarkable. From the ocean deck, the horizon runs more than 180 degrees. If you stay overnight, the stars can be bright enough to make the Milky Way clear. Sunrise looks different from the cafe area and the end of the deck. Turn around and there's a stylish dome with the tall mountains beyond it. For me, this is the scenic spot that captures Yakushima's charm. Watercress is the specialty, and they showed me how much you can do with it. It works in hot pot and in both Japanese and Western dishes, tastes good, and is apparently very healthy. The owner and staff also played saxophone for us while we chatted with another group. They talked about hopes to add things like farming experiences and boat fishing, so I'd like to work this into a future trip. If we're lucky, they may also share some hidden spots that don't appear in the usual travel guides.

The smoothie was carefully made, and having it in such a fantastic setting made it even better. Definitely stop by if you're visiting Yakushima! There's also a lovely dome house to stay in. I'm local, but I'd like to spend a night there next time.

The owner took me to a nearby river and we had fun playing in it. In the evening I asked the owner and staff if they could have a session, and they did. It felt like visiting relatives, and on this, my third trip to Yakushima, I definitely want to come back. Thanks so much for taking such good care of my dog.

We had a lovely stay in this magnificent dome house, with its breathtaking view of the ocean :)