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Kuroshio Ryokan (黒潮旅館) ☆

Thirty minutes walk from Marina brings you here, Kuroshio, aJapanese style guesthouse locates in residential area. This two-story
house reminds me my dear old home. Well, let’s go in and check it!
This couple, greeting me warmly, isMr&MrsKumashiro, havebeen

running Kuroshio for more than 40years. They are very popular to sailors
who visit Wakayama for racing ortraining. Some Japanese National sailing team members
regularly stay here. Mr. & Mrs. Kumashiro went to Tsingtao tocheer them up last August at the Beijing 2008 Olympic games. They must be real friends ofsailors!
Going up stairs on the left side of the entrance, you will find 9 guestrooms. All rooms are tatami
flooring. There are 2 types of rooms, that is, 6-mat-tatami (M size) rooms and 4.5-mat-tatami (Ssize) rooms. We count the number of tatami mats to show the size of a room in Japan.
4.5-mat-tatami is about 8m2 and 6-mat-tatami is about 11m2. You may feel they are small but as
you see the photos below, futon mattresses can be folded then you can use the space widely. Whenyou sleep, you put futon bedclothes down on a tatami floor. This is the Japanese style. Each room
has a TV set, a small table, an air-conditioner and futon bedclothes.
This is a S size room.

In a S size room, 2 persons can sleep. In a M size room, up to 3 persons can stay together. If you
feel a bit cramped, one person may stay in a S size room and 2 persons may stay in a M size room.
The Kuroshio has four M size rooms and five S size rooms.

M size rooms.
2 or 3 persons
can stay here.

-1-There is no private bathroom and guests are requested to share a bathroom on the 1st floor andtoilets on both 1st and 2nd floor. Washing machines and drying tumblers set up are available inchanging rooms free of charge. A small fridge is provided for guests.
On the 1st floor, there are a dining and a kitchen. Both handmade
breakfast and dinner are prepared by Mrs. Kumashiro on
request. This is a typical Japanese breakfast. Rice, miso soup,dry lavers, pickles and Natto (fermented soybeans), why don’t
you try them? Japanese breakfast is very healthy and also gives
you strong energy for sailing. If you don’t like them, you canrequest something else like bread, eggs, and coffee, instead.
Look! They enjoy cooking like this! If you are interested in Japanese
taste of Mom’s cooking, it would be a good chance to try and enjoy it.
Mr&Mrs Kumashiro are good company and fun to
be with. When I stayed there, I felt like as if they
were a host family or even my own grandparents.
It may be a little difficult for them to communicate with you in English,
however I’m sure that their experience and smile will break through thebarrier. You’ll see that languages are not the only way for communication
and be close to them.
The rooms are not so large but it is good place to feel an atmosphere of a Japanese family.
For one of your best experience in Japan, won’t you stay with Kumashiros at Kuroshio?
Whole the rooms in Kuroshio are booked by the organizing committee and shared. The
accommodation fee will be ¥3,000 per person per night or less if all the rooms are filled.
＊In the vicinity of Kuroshio, there are some shops for food.

Top left: Lawson (a convenience store), right :Hampty Dumpty(patisserie),
Bottom left to right: Kusumoto-ya ( Ramen- Chinese Noodle- shop) , Sukiya (Beef-bowls shop),
Hot Foods (take out food),
McDonald is a 10- minute walk away.
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