Perched on the side of one of the mountains, this guesthouse overlooks the ocean, with fantastic night views. Run by two gorgeous cats (one of whom spent each and every night on my bed, you must be a cat lover to stay here!), it was the perfect place to unwind to of a night. Keiko is the perfect host, and speaks impeccable English, making it all that much easier for a non Japanese speaker! She also knows the best onsens in town!

The guesthouse is Keiko’s house, and you have access to her kitchen and her television area. Best of all, you have access to the balcony, which gives you beautiful views of the stars of a night. A car is needed to get around the island, but they are cheap to hire and Keiko will take you to the hire place (you will need an international license to hire a car in Japan). Driving on Hachijojima is slow and easy, with plenty of onsens and natural views to see. I cannot emphasise enough how much I LOVED my time here.

Set it a fantastic location, the hostel is easy to find from the airports and from downtown. There are a couple of eateries in the area (a great cheap tempura restaurant just down the road, near the station). The staff were friendly and helpful (I had lost my luggage and they were helpful in suggesting places to shop). There was a common room with a beer vending machine upstairs. Plenty of computers in the lobby to use the free internet available.

Rooms were a little hot, the air conditioning just couldn’t keep up (I was here in summer, it wasn’t unbearable by any means, just not as cool as it could have been). The beds were unusual – they imitated the capsule hotel style, so even though it was a dorm with loads of beds, the noise was limited, as the wooden “capsules” hid most of the noise (and light). The showers were fantastic (had to pay for hot water, but they were clean and had good pressure).