“Wonderful Social Guesthouse Stay”

Really friendly place, social dinner (by donation) every night and the food is amazing. The house itself is very cool.l, the main shared area downstairs is the nicest we have come across in the 30 places we stayed in Japan - social in the evening and quiet in the morning, overlooking a garden. If you stay please try the sake recommendations from the guys and gals running this place, they have a great collection! The cats are an obvious highlight, so cute

“Superb guesthouse”

Very good guesthouse, warm atmosphere, staff cooks dinner and are very hospitable. There is a cute cat. Close to Castle Park, walking distance (10-15 min) to train station. This is the place to stay in Yamagata if you'd like to meet people and enjoy the best of japanese hospitality.

“Good but stay near the station”

Too far from station, but it has good view of tracks

“Friendly local guesthouse”

Friendly, clean, welcoming guesthouse. The dinner was amazing and a fantastic place to spend our last night in Japan.

“Wonderful!”

Lovely staff, great location, fantastic food

You can make a contribution for delicious dinners. All the people are extremely friendly.

The owner is very hospitable and friendly. Highlights are his cats and his generous cooking.

The owner is really friendly

“Just a perfect cultural experience!”

Cosy home environment with delicious dinner and homemade drinks. Feels like home!

“Warm and cosy”

It was a warm and cozy house. I still vividly remember the scene—drinking hot coffee with a cute little cat by my side, soft music playing in the background, casually chatting with guests from another country, while the firewood crackled, the woods burned, and snow gently fell outside. I truly believe these memories will continue to heal me in the future. The food the hosts made was so delicious. Thank you so much for the wonderful food and heartfelt hospitality. This house truly gave me a feeling of home. I felt really sad on my way to the airport 🥲 I’ll definitely be back soon!!!

“If you searching for a place to stay and to connect with people, this is the place”

There’s a cat in the house and the staff also friendly.

“A great 2 nights in Yamagata”

The owner is very friendly. A very cosy guesthouse. I would thoroughly recommend it if staying in Yamagata. Great value for money and extremely welcoming. I would happily return. Most evenings you can join downstairs for dinner at 19:30, however sadly due to being tired from travelling during the day, I regretfully did not attend. All in all a great guesthouse to stay whilst in Yamagata.

I had a fantastic stay at Guesthouse Mintaro Hut. Whether it was host, staff, guest or friend, I felt welcomed here. Every night they host a donation based dinner which you can join and oh my god when I tell you this was the best food I've had, hands down in Japan and honestly, all my travels, you best believe me. These guys are amazing cooks! So hosipitable as well, this guesthouse has a real community feel. It was nice to get to be a part of.

“Cozy and well located.”

The location was great. There were some room and bed comfortable. If you like connecting with people this is the place to be. They cook meals every evening based on donation. It is optional of course if you wish to join. Tip: get off at Yamagata station not the one Google maps says. Yamagata station also has many shops, restaurants and supermarkets.

“We recommend to everyone who looks for a hostel and likes to meet other guests and the host.”

Extremely nice hostel experience. Very nice hosts and staff. Very good dinner, cooked in front of our eyes and breakfast self service. Thank you - enjoyed it very much!!

Staff were very welcoming and cooked a lovely dinner for us. Warm room and comfortable bed.

“Super cozy place to stay!”

Staff are very friendly, and the atmosphere are super good plus the bed sheet smells very good!! There is 2 very cute shy cute

“The overall experience is very positive. Hidé and his friendly staff-helpers are all top people. If you like a caring sh”

Property is very functional and well equipped. Amazing auto-bath, try it !!

Great team Excellent food Clean and organized Highly recommended

“Cozy stay with great food, friendly hosts, and a peaceful vibe!”

Our stay at this hostel was fantastic! The host was exceptionally kind and welcoming, making us feel right at home. The house itself is cozy, warm, and even has friendly cats, which added a nice, homely touch. A huge bonus is that they offer dinner, so I’d recommend not eating beforehand. The food was absolutely delicious, and there’s a small donation box where you can contribute for the meal. The location is really peaceful and the train station is 20 min away by walk.