Minshuku Genjiro Shikinejima

Minshuku Genjiro Shikinejima, on the island of Shikinejima, is a homey minshuku (a family-run Japanese guesthouse) whose pride is home cooking made with island ingredients.

The food is the biggest draw. The kitchen works with fresh fish caught locally and vegetables grown in the family's own garden, cooking them in ways that bring out the flavor of the ingredients themselves. In summer, handmade tokoroten (jelly noodles) and desserts appear, made from tengusa seaweed harvested in the local sea. It is a chance for the whole family to taste flavors particular to the island, along with the warmth of home cooking. Island food that children find easy to eat becomes one of the memories of the trip.

The guest rooms are Japanese-style tatami rooms, so you can lay a small child down on the tatami or sleep side by side as a family with room to stretch out. Because the inn is run like a home, even a first island trip feels relaxed.

Shikinejima is a small island with the kind of nature that families appreciate. Tomari Beach, set in a round cove with shallow water and gentle waves, is ideal for a child's first swim in the sea, and Nakanoura Beach is good for snorkeling. Free seaside onsen you enter in a swimsuit are dotted around as well: Jinata Onsen, where the water temperature shifts with the tides; Matsugashita Miyabiyu, an open-air bath by the shore; and the shallow Ashitsuki Onsen. You can make the most of them alongside a day of playing in the sea.

Getting here takes about 5 minutes by car from Nobushi Port. If you let the inn know which sailing you are arriving on, they will pick you up at the port.

As this is a homey minshuku, please ask directly when you book about the equipment in the guest rooms and what can be arranged for babies.