We contacted the Izumikyo Rental Cottages office for a reservation via their website, and they assigned us to a cute, 4-person log cabin called Rosti (4 twin beds). When we made the reservation, they asked us to give them advance notice of when we were arriving a the train station so they could pick us up, but we failed to do this, so we contacted them when we arrived at the train station. The staff picked us up in just 20 minutes. They were very nice and helpful. There were only 2 of us, and so we only paid for 2 beds in our 4-person cabin. The cabin was adorable, and there was plenty of room for the 2 of us (4 would have been cramped, but Japanese hotels/lodgings are usually much smaller compared to American standards). There was a clothes washer in the cabin, but no dryer, so we hung our clothes on the 8 hangers that are provided in the cabin near the heater, so the clothes dried pretty quickly. Our cabin was located in Izumikyo II, and was close to the #26 bus stop, and was abou a 3-4 minute walk to the night shuttle. The first night, we took the night shuttle to the Kutchan train station so we could buy groceries for the rest of our stay at the large grocery store nearby. As you're exiting the Kutchan train station, go out to the street and turn left. Walk about 3 minutes, and you'll see the large grocery store. The Seico Mart in town is tiny with a small selection. Buying groceries allowed us to save money from eating out all the time, since the cabin has a kitchen. In Izumikyo, there are a few small cafes/restaurants, and it is a quiet place away from the hustle and bustle. There are several large cottages for larger groups of people. I would definately recommend staying here, especially since we had more space than if we had gotten a hotel, and it was cheaper than any hotels I could find.