We asked HotelME, a hotel search app available in ChatGPT, to “find a place to stay in Yakushima on a weekday where I can use the Kyushu Fukko-Wari discount.” It confirmed that Arc yakushima (アーク屋久島), in Hirauchi on the south side of the island (Yakushima Town, Kumage District, Kagoshima Prefecture), was selling eligible plans on weekdays in November. HotelME is a service from MetroEngines Inc., the company that operates HotelBank. The dates and rates in this article are HotelME search results as of October 30, 2026, and do not guarantee availability or that the discount will apply.

The Kyushu Fukko-Wari (formally the Kyushu Fukko Ouenwari, 九州ふっこう応援割) is a lodging discount created to win back tourism demand after waves of hotel cancellations across Kyushu following the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake. Kagoshima Prefecture’s portion, called the Kagoshima Fukko Ouenwari (鹿児島ふっこう応援割), offers 60% off up to ¥20,000 per person per trip. For bookings made directly with a property, it covers stays through February 28, 2027 (checking out March 1). Stays from December 26, 2026 to January 3, 2027 are excluded, and the program ends in each prefecture when its budget runs out. This article answers “Can I still use it in Yakushima?” and “Which places qualify?” by focusing on one property. For the groundwork on how much the program saves overall and which properties and dates offer the best value, see our guide to the 60% discount in Kumamoto and Kagoshima.

How to Search with HotelME in ChatGPT

HotelME is a hotel search app that runs inside ChatGPT, so you can look for a place to stay in plain conversation. Our prompt was simply “find a place to stay in Yakushima on a weekday where I can use the Kyushu Fukko-Wari discount.” It returns the stay dates on which eligible plans were confirmed on sale, indicative rates for those dates (the pre-discount displayed rate and a post-discount figure calculated from the prefecture’s discount rules), and a link to the property’s official booking page.

HotelME presents information on eligible plans confirmed on properties’ official booking sites and does not route you through any particular booking channel. Results also show whether a prefecture is still accepting direct bookings. As of October 30, 2026, Kagoshima came back as “accepting” (the remaining budget is not guaranteed). Elsewhere in Kyushu, Nagasaki Prefecture’s discount coupons for direct bookings (STAYNAVI discount) reached their budget limits in both the first and second phases and cannot currently be obtained (they may reopen without notice, for example after cancellations).

HotelME does not check availability in real time, so treat its results as a starting point and confirm final availability and rates on the official booking page. For the search conditions (1–5 adults, one room, one night, up to 31 candidate check-in dates) and how to phrase your questions, see our guide to finding eligible plans on official hotel sites. For solo travelers, groups of 3–5 adults, and comparing several prefectures or a range of dates at once, see what HotelME’s expanded Kyushu Fukko-Wari search adds and how to check the discount procedure.

What Kind of Place Is Arc yakushima? (Facts Confirmed on the Official Site)

Arc yakushima (officially styled Årc yakushima, アーク屋久島) is a small, 12-room base for longer stays in the Hirauchi community, directly south on the island. Its official site calls itself “not an inn, but a Commons” and describes guests not as customers but as “Co-Residents.” Rather than selling hotel-style service, it is designed as “Co-Living you can use for a short stay,” where people temporarily share a living environment with a shared kitchen and communal decks. The wooden post-and-beam building consists of a shared-space wing and two bedroom wings. The Kagoshima Fukko Ouenwari list of participating properties classifies it as “other simple lodging (a facility under the Hotel Business Act).” All rooms are private, but showers and the kitchen are shared with other guests, and room cleaning and linen changes are optional extras. It is easiest to think of it as a stay-oriented property where you use the shared kitchen and showers and live a little like an islander.

• Rooms: All private, with TEMPUR® beds. There are five types: Forest View Single (sleeps 1, 2 rooms), Ocean View Single (sleeps 1, 4 rooms), Standard Single (sleeps 1, 3 rooms), Deluxe Single (sleeps 1–2, 1 room), and Twin (sleeps 1–2, 2 rooms; three guests are possible if one is a child aged 8 or under). Two guests need a Deluxe Single or a Twin. Forest View Singles are within earshot of a babbling river, and from Ocean View Singles you can reportedly sometimes see whales in winter.
• Shared spaces: A wide deck connected to the lounge, a river deck beside the stream running through the grounds, a balcony with an ocean view, a campfire area, and remote-work booths for online meetings. The shared kitchen has basic cookware and appliances, plus basic seasonings and small amounts of rice, pasta, and oats.
• Café and bar: Light-roast single-origin pour-over coffee, whisky aged on Yakushima, and craft beer from a Kagoshima microbrewery.
• Bathing: Three shared shower rooms on site (with high-pressure showers using Yakushima’s ultra-soft water). Onoaida Onsen and the Hirauchi Kaichu seaside hot spring are about a five-minute drive away, and onsen towels and bathing wear for Hirauchi Kaichu can be rented for a fee.
• Access: About 35 minutes by car or about one hour by local bus from Yakushima Airport (about a six-minute walk from the nearest bus stop, Koidomari). Buses also run from Miyanoura Port and Anbo Port. There is no shuttle, and a rental car is recommended for getting around the island. An e-bike share for guests only lets you reach supermarkets, hot springs, beaches, and waterfalls in the southern area.
• Check-in/out: Check-in is staffed from 16:00 to 19:00, and check-out is by 10:00 (self-service, so early morning is fine). There is no 24-hour front desk. The property is fully cashless, and parking must be reserved in advance.

In addition to the basic Standard Plan, the official site lists long-stay plans for 3+, 6+, 13+, and 28+ nights. No bus from the nearest stop connects with the hikers’ bus to Jomon Sugi, so the official site suggests either walking about 47 minutes to the Iwasaki Hotel bus stop or riding a guest e-bike to Samana Hotel Yakushima.

Kyushu Fukko-Wari Eligible Dates and Rates (HotelME, as of October 30, 2026)

HotelME confirmed eligible plans on sale for 28 dates between November 1 and December 25 (13 in November and 15 in December). All are Sunday-to-Thursday check-ins, excluding nights before public holidays. The table pairs dates and rates for weekdays in November. All rates are indicative totals for two adults, one room, one night, with consumption tax included (accommodation tax and bathing tax extra), and are not final prices.

Totals for two adults, one room, one night, with consumption tax included (accommodation tax and bathing tax extra); indicative rates. Pre-discount rates are the official booking page’s rates for two adults for one night: ¥19,800 is the Deluxe Single and ¥20,250 is the Twin (checked October 30, 2026 JST). Post-discount figures are calculated by applying Kagoshima Prefecture’s discount rules (60% off, capped at ¥20,000 per person per trip) to the pre-discount rate shown on the official site, and may be up to ¥99 higher because of the property’s rounding. Source: HotelME search results (MetroEngines Inc., as of October 30, 2026; our research).

Rates on the official booking page are pre-discount, and whether the discount applies is not settled at the time of booking. For plans displayed with the promotion code “KagoReco,” Arc yakushima’s official booking page states that the rate shown is before the discount, and that the property will advise whether the campaign applies after the booking request, by chat message in the guest-facing “Co-Resident’s Portal.” Treat the post-discount figures in Table 1 as estimates of what you would pay if the discount is applied.

The ¥20,000 cap is “per person per trip,” not “per night.” According to Kagoshima Prefecture’s guidance, one “trip” for a lodging-only booking runs from the first check-in to check-out, so the discount limit does not change for consecutive nights. Eligible plans and rooms can differ by date, so always read a rate together with its stay date rather than comparing across dates.

Against Yakushima Town as a whole, tabilog (a Japanese-language sister media site) puts the monthly median listed price at ¥12,000–¥15,000 per night for two (53–56 properties). Arc yakushima’s pre-discount rate of ¥19,800–¥20,250 is 1.3–1.7 times that. The median is an aggregate of listed prices and is not a like-for-like comparison of tax or meal terms, so treat it as a rough guide.

How to Book, and What to Watch For

1. Choose the stay date, number of guests, and eligible plan on the official booking page. The official booking page that HotelME links to opens with an example of a November 4 check-in for two adults, so confirm your dates and party size there and select a Kagoshima Fukko Ouenwari plan. On the official booking page, enter “KagoReco” in the “add code / promo code” field of the search box to show eligible plans (HotelME’s link opens with this code already entered). Rates shown are pre-discount, and the page asks you to select credit card as the payment method.
2. The property tells you whether the discount applies after your booking request. According to the official booking page, you are told whether the campaign applies by chat message in the “Co-Resident’s Portal” after the booking request, and it is not settled at the time of booking. If you want to cancel in case it does not apply, write 「適応不可の場合はキャンセル希望」 (“please cancel if the discount cannot be applied”) in the free-text field of the booking form (without this note, the normal cancellation policy applies).
3. The discount is handled at the property. HotelME’s results showed the discount as “applied at the property” and payment as “prepaid.” According to Kagoshima Prefecture’s guidance, direct bookings require identity verification of the group representative and completion of a subsidy application form at the property. The official booking page asks guests to upload identity documents through an advance online check-in form, available from the day before the stay.
4. Check the official booking page for the latest availability and rates. The dates in this article are those HotelME confirmed on sale as of October 30, 2026, and may have since sold out (when we reopened all 28 dates on the official booking page on October 30, 2026 JST, each one showed a Kagoshima Fukko Ouenwari plan for a room that sleeps two). Of the 12 rooms, only the one Deluxe Single and two Twins sleep two, so it helps to have several candidate dates in mind.

The remaining prefectural budget and application of the discount are not guaranteed. Kagoshima Prefecture says “the campaign ends when the budget limit is reached” and also notes that booking and sales periods and discount periods may differ by property or booking channel. For measurements of how inventory moved across the prefecture on October 14, when Kagoshima’s program opened, and how many rooms remained for November, see Kagoshima’s 7.0x launch-day inventory drop, the status of seven prefectures, and November availability. Under the property’s basic cancellation policy, fees are 20% from 60 to 31 days before check-in, 50% from 30 to 15 days before, and 100% from 14 days before. The plan’s cancellation terms also apply if flights or ferries are canceled (travel insurance covering cancellations is recommended). Jomon Sugi can be hiked in winter too, but the official site’s FAQ notes that buses to the Arakawa Trailhead run only once a day from December to February, so settle any itinerary that includes the hike early.

Frequently Asked Questions

When can I use the Kyushu Fukko-Wari at Arc yakushima?

A HotelME search as of October 30, 2026 confirmed eligible plans on sale for 28 dates between November 1 and December 25 (13 in November and 15 in December). All are weekday check-ins, excluding nights before public holidays. This will change as bookings come in, so check the official booking page for the latest.

How much does it cost after the discount?

For two adults, one room, one night, the November examples go from a pre-discount rate of ¥19,800–¥20,250 to ¥7,920–¥8,100 after the discount (calculated at 60% off and approximate; consumption tax included, accommodation tax and bathing tax extra). The property’s rounding may add up to ¥99. Rates on the official booking page are pre-discount, and the property tells you whether the discount applies after your booking request.

Is the ¥20,000 cap per night?

No. It is ¥20,000 per person per trip, not per night. For how the discount amount and cap work on consecutive nights, check with the booking channel and the prefecture’s guidance.

How do I get the discount?

Book a Kagoshima Fukko Ouenwari plan on the official booking page. Whether the discount applies is not settled at the time of booking, and the property will message you after your booking request. HotelME’s results showed the discount as handled at the property and payment as prepaid. According to Kagoshima Prefecture’s guidance, identity verification of the group representative and completion of a subsidy application form are required at the property.

Are there rooms for two people?

Of the 12 rooms, only three can be used by two guests: the Deluxe Single (1 room) and the Twins (2 rooms). All other rooms sleep one, so couples and pairs will find it easier with several candidate dates. All rooms are private, but showers and the kitchen are shared.

Can I reach Jomon Sugi from Arc yakushima?

No bus from the nearest stop connects with the hikers’ bus to Jomon Sugi, so the official site suggests either walking about 47 minutes to the Iwasaki Hotel bus stop or riding a guest e-bike to Samana Hotel Yakushima. Buses to the Arakawa Trailhead run only once a day from December to February.

Methodology and Sources

■ Data sources

Eligible dates and pre-discount rates are HotelME search results as of October 30, 2026 (two adults, one room, one night, check-in November 1 to December 25, 2026; eligible plan information confirmed on the property’s official booking site). Rooms, facilities, access, and cancellation terms are from the Årc yakushima official site; pre-discount rates by room and the discount procedure are from its official booking page; and the property classification, discount rate, cap, and eligible period are from Kagoshima Prefecture’s dedicated site (all checked October 30, 2026). The Yakushima Town median price is from an aggregation by our sister media site tabilog (listed prices at 53–56 properties).

■ Calculation assumptions

Post-discount amounts are figures calculated by HotelME (estimates that apply the prefecture’s discount rules, meaning its rate and cap, to the pre-discount rate shown on the official site) and may be up to ¥99 higher because of the property’s rounding.

■ Limitations

Rates are indicative and are not a real-time availability check. Rates shown on the official booking page are before the discount, and the property advises whether the discount applies after the booking request. The property’s rounding may add up to ¥99, and the discount ends when the prefecture’s budget is reached. The comparison with the median is a rough guide against an aggregate of listed prices and does not align tax or meal terms. HotelME is a service of MetroEngines Inc., which operates HotelBank.

■ References

• HotelME search results (MetroEngines Inc., as of October 30, 2026; our research). Eligible dates and indicative rates are eligible plan information HotelME confirmed on official booking sites and are not a real-time availability check
• HotelME announcement: HotelME Finds Kyushu Fukko Ouenwari Plans on Hotel Sites via ChatGPT
• How to use HotelME: Kyushu Fukko-Wari Closed Online? 84 of 222 Still on Hotel Sites
• Japan Tourism Agency, “Kyushu Fukko Ouenwari” (Japanese): https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/page13_00002.html
• Kyushu Tourism Organization, “Kyushu Fukko Ouenwari” (Japanese): https://fightkyushu.welcomekyushu.jp/
• Kagoshima Prefecture, “Kagoshima Fukko Ouenwari” dedicated site (discount rate, cap, eligible period, procedure at the property, list of participating properties; Japanese): https://fukko-ouenwari.pref.kagoshima.jp/ (checked October 30, 2026)
• Årc yakushima official site (Top, Stay, and FAQ pages: rooms, shared spaces, access, check-in times, cancellation policy): https://www.arc-yakushima.com/ (checked October 30, 2026)
• Årc yakushima official booking page (how to book the Kagoshima Fukko Ouenwari, how eligibility is communicated, rates by room): official booking page (checked October 30, 2026 JST)