The place has a homely feel to it, very cozy. The owners were so nice and friendly on top of their great service - very responsive on booking.com. They also offer breakfast and dinner, the latter which you can reserve beforehand. I didn't try it because I came very late, and had to cancel, and they were very quick and accommodating. Only spent 1 night there,but I would not hesitate to book again if I come to Ibusuki again!

Pretty far out, not sure how long it would take to get here with public transport. I would recommend renting a car if you are coming from far away, like from Kagoshimachuo. If you're visiting Kyushu in general, it would be a good idea to rent a car. The pillow was also very hard.

My room was clean and bright, air conditioned with tatami mats and futon. It is nice to be able to have a cup of tea and relax after sightseeing in my room. It offered a very peaceful environment. The private hot spring (onsen) is a real bonus. You have a choice of two. You can soak in the tub that is filled with water from hot springs that run under Ibusuki. Once again, clean changing room. Bath gel, shampoo/conditioner are provided along with towels. The optional meal plan of breakfast and dinner is well worth the price. The meals are delicious and substantial. The host Hideaki Oyamasan will advise you on the dinner menu in advance. I got a Bento box breakfast when I was leaving because my bus was early and I wouldn't have time to eat at the ryokan. Thank you for a wonderful experience.

We loved our stay! It's a traditional Ryokan celebrating 50 years of providing a peaceful place for people to stay. We had a traditional breakfast each day which was delicious and well worth experiencing. It is very clean and set in a quiet location with views of the canal. But what makes this even more special is the owner and staff. They showed us such kindness and went out of their way to make our stay a memorable one. If you're looking for something 'fancy' don't stay here. But if you like a traditional experience look no further!

The service and hospitality was excellent. It was a bonus that Mr. Oyama picked us up at the train station. Our room overlooked the canal and was clean comfortable and very quiet. We thoroughly enjoyed our Kagoshima black beef dinner. The dinner came with nimono, tamago tofu, a sashimi platter, freshly fried fishcake balls, miso soup, assorted vegetable tempura. The Kagoshima beef was tender and beefy and reminded us of Hida and Matsuzaki beef and we cooked on our own little hibachi along with fresh local okra and onions. After an excursion to the Ibusuki Sunamushi Onsen and black sand spa, we finished our day at the ryokan’s in-house onsen, soaking our long travel day aches and pains away. Our breakfast was toast, salad, fried egg, miso soup and coffee. A great way to end our stay. Mr. Oyama returned us to JR Ibusuki Station for our 8-1/2 hour trip back to Tokyo. A short but wonderful stay in Ibusuki made special with our stay at the ryokan. Mr. Oyama keeps communicating with his customers to make sure your questions are answered before you arrive. 5* experience and a big mahalo to Mr. Oyama and his friendly and helpful assistant.

We were happy with our experience.

Large comfortable room, friendly and very helpful hosts (we were picked up/dropped off at railway station on arrival/departure), bit out of main area, but centre of town only about 15 mins walk away. Host knows the area really well and can make recommendations on sights, day-trips, restaurants etc. We had the optional meal at the ryokan one night which was superb.

Not much to dislike really, location was a bit out of town, but we knew that beforehand, and same with fact that although we had toilet and sink in the room, we'd have to use the shared bathrooms to shower (these lockable for private use of course).

The best host of my 3 weeks in Japan. Felt like visiting with an old friend, Hideaki made the stay so special. He had the best recommendations and we stayed up too late sharing stories and shochu in his family ryokan. Great food and private onsens and lovely staff. I won't forget my time here.

Nothing, If you're looking for 5 star luxury, try someplace else. If you want an authentic ryokan experience with a host who loves what he does, this is the place for you.

Wonderfully warm and welcoming was Mr Hideaki and the ryokan staff. From train station drop and pick up to a tailored to our interests day tour of Ibusuki (so very well worth it) to restaurant recommendations to good stories sum up our stay! The place was clean, calm, located in walking distance to the famous the sand baths as well as multiple restaurants. The Japanese traditional breakfast was very good. The common bath area was very clean and well maintain! Overall splendid time, we could not have asked for more! Thank you Mr Hideaki!!

This family ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) has a wonderfully warm and welcoming atmosphere. We arrived around 7 p.m. and had reserved dinner. The food was delicious. You eat traditionally (seated on cushions on the floor in a communal dining area) and the other guests were great company. We made many friends that night. The ryokan also offers two private onsen baths. If they are open, you can take a reservation sign and put it on the door to show that you are using it. The facilities were clean, the rooms were large and we could not have asked for a better stay. We did not have breakfast (none of us is breakfast people) but we have no doubt that it was as delicious as dinner! Definitely try the black pork that the area is known for!

There was nothing about this ryokan that I did not like. The staff (husband and wife) were excellent hosts, and the facilities, while well-used and not new, were of a good cleanliness standard and good quality. I would be happy to spend many more nights here in the future.

The Staff was very welcoming and helpful, starting with kindly greeting us at Ibusuki train station and generously providing a ride to the ryokan. Loved the traditional tatami room and wonderful hot springs (even with a private bath area). The owner was very responsive to communication via Booking message app and also has very strong English so all went smoothly. Breakfast on site was very good and convenient since restaurants are primarily near the station.

nothing in particular to note.

I had a great time staying at Family Ryokan Kawakyu. Oyama-san and his staff were very kind and accommodating. The rooms were clean and well-appointed. The hot bath was amazing after a long flight, and the breakfast in the morning was authentic and delicious. Oyama-san also helped me organise an electric bicycle for cycling around the Ibusuki area, and he pointed out some great local sights for me to see. This kind of generous, local hospitality is what makes staying at a Ryokan the best experience - you don’t get this in traditional hotels! Highly recommended!