This week, we explore superb spas and indulge in some delicious delicacies at lovely inns. These inns and spas make you feel rejuvenated, relaxed and healthy, at a reasonable price. It is truly a treat and a healing experience for the mind and body. The warm and friendly service at the inns will also win you over.

Start your journey by taking a train to charming Kawana in Shizuoka prefecture. Take a 10-minute walk from Kawana Station to the port, where there is a fishing village. As you make your way there, you can choose to buy knick-knacks such as beach sandals and cup noodles from the shops in the area. For example, you can get a big straw hat for just 600 yen (S$9.48).

Go to Ama no koya (Hut of the Divers), Kaijotei, a famous restaurant by the seaside. Here you can savour fresh seafood while enjoying the sea breeze. Try sento-zushi, which includes 10 types of fresh seafood from Izu, such as golden eye bream and Japanese amberjack; or omakase don (house special), which is similar. Miso soup with whole gazami crab and sea lettuce miso soup are other popular dishes. Then there is a special dish comprising seven ingredients such as turban shell, splendid alfonsino and clam. The stock is made from bonito, mackerel and sardines. Shinshu’s special miso is also added in it. Costing, 10500 yen (S$165.9), this is a great dish for five to six people to share.

Next, travel by train to Resort 21 of Izu Kyuko at Ito, also in Shizuoka prefecture. It is a famous spa town with many long-established inns. Staff from the town’s different inns meet their guests outside Ito Station. The free pick-up bus will take you to Wellness no Mori Ito, which is 10 minutes away. The inn offers various privileges at cheap prices. Its Kirei Sengen Plan is popular, especially among women. This plan, which costs 18500 yen (S$287.2), provides guests with coupons which can be used for the hotel’s facilities. The 120-square-metre room is spacious and well-designed, and includes a bed, sofa, TV and even a massage chair. The room also has a kitchen with an oven for guests to make simple meals. In addition, champagne is offered free of charge!

Try the inn’s refreshing open-air bath, shiki no yu, which is surrounded by plants. Next, choose between a session of aromatherapy or thalassotherapy. Such aesthetic treatments are expensive in cities, but here it is included in the hotel package. Specially-blended aroma oils are used in aromatherapy. The scent of the vegetable aroma oils provides a healing and luxurious experience. Meanwhile, thalassotherapy treatment - using seaweed from France - detoxifies and beautifies the skin.

After your spa treatment, enjoy a sumptuous dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. Tuck into  seasonal seafood which is prepared in front of you, bimi dori (a chicken dish) seasoned with special miso from Izu, deep fried dried sticky rice, grilled shiitake from Naka-izu, turban shell hamayaki, Hiyashi oden, and shabu-shabu with vegetables and seafood.

If you feel hungry at night, fret not. The hotel coupon lets guests enjoy free Yonaki soba noodles from 11pm to 12pm. Suitable as a bedtime snack, the chicken noodle
with soy sauce broth is simple yet delicious.

For breakfast, enjoy the buffet, which features an array of dishes such as Japanese omelette, fried kurohanpen from Shizuoka and several rice-based items. The check-out time is 11am, and if you still have some time, make a trip to the pool house which guests can use freely. Once you have checked out, hotel staff will drive you to Ito Station. They provide warm service from the start to the end of your stay!

While you are in Ito, you may also want to make a trip to Jogasaki-kaigan, a popular tourist spot featuring a large suspension bridge with a panoramic view of the sea.

Another inn serving delicacies is in Hakone. Take the Hakone Tozan Railway and get off at Gora Station, which has cable cars and ropeways. Explore the Gora area and grab a bite before heading to your destination. One popular and famous restaurant serves tofu katsuni, which uses specially-made tofu by Gintofu, a long-established tofu shop in Hakone. The restaurant’s tofu katsuni set costs 1200 yen (S$18.7). Head back to Gora Station and take the cable car to Sounzan Station, from where you take the panoramic ropeway. Enjoy the amazing view of the mountains as you climb up.

You can choose to get off at Owakudani, which is formed from the explosion of mountain slopes. As you explore the area and its hot spring, try its famous freshly-cooked black eggs .The elements of the hot spring react with the egg shell to turn it black. These eggs are supposed to be good for a long life, with each egg claiming to extend your life by seven years! You can get a pack of six eggs for 500 yen (S$7.8).

Head back to Owakudani station and continue the cable car ride. You will reach Togendai terminal after 15 minutes. From here, make your way to the Auberge au Mirador inn, located by Lake Ashi. The trendy inn is owned by a chef, who is a master of French cuisine. The inn’s European-style rooms are impressive and even sport a fireplace. Freshly-made aromatic herbal tea is served in the guest room. The chef-owner studied in France and opened the inn 23 years ago. For dinner, he prepares innovative yet healthy meals with pesticide-free vegetables from Hirokawa farm in Mishima. The welcome dish comprises vegetable chips served on top of an upside down glass, and delicious soup packed with vegetables such as radish, turnips, cabbage and spinach. Another appetiser has herbs and gelatine being used to make a “mountain” of pasta, with vegetables stuffed inside, and topped with tomato and caviar. The main course is veal, which is accompanied by a sauce made from azuki beans. The entire meal is a visual and gastronomic treat.