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Join us as we check out more recommended inns in Japan this week. In Kyoto, guests of the “Machiya-style” inn, called Kingyoya, are offered many perks. Examples are a common room where hotel guests can chit-chat or read, free barley tea, free rental of bicycles, and free use of its country bath facilities. Guests will also be given free coupons which can be used at Funaoka Onsen, a famous bath house. A registered tangible cultural property which opened in 1923, the bath house is just a three-minute-walk from the inn. Later, have dinner at Kyoryori Kaji restaurant, known for serving delicious Kyoto cuisine. Enjoy a 10-dish Kyo-kaiseki meal, featuring dishes garnished with seasonal flowers. Costing 3,700 yen (S$57.30), the feast includes raw seafood, pike conger, stewed vegetables and white hen of the woods. Head back to your hotel and try out some free desserts before calling it a night. The next day, tuck into a hearty breakfast of freshly-grilled fish, self-cultivated vegetables and rice, at an extra cost of 700 yen (S$10.84).
Our next adventure takes place in Toyohashi, Aichi. Begin your trip by taking the Toyohashi Railroad to Atsumi Peninsula in the south of Aichi. During your journey, you can admire the beautiful view of the countryside and the fields. Get off at Mikawatahara Station, which is situated in the middle of peninsula. Atsumi Peninsula is embraced by the Pacific and Mikawa Bay. It is one of Japan’s leading agricultural regions, due to its temperate climate. A pick-up car will take you to your hotel from the station. Izutsuro opened on 1 August 2010 and features a theme of Taisho Romance. The building which houses the hotel has been around since 1820 and it was an inn right from the beginning. The structure has been revamped and now combines elements from the Edo period and the modern era. The normal rate for a night’s stay is 15,750 yen (S$244.87). But the inn now charges a special rate of 12,600 yen (S$195.82), including two meals. This rate applies to all of the inn’s rooms, including a two-chambered Japanese room.
Since the check-in time is 3pm, you may wish to do some sightseeing before that. A recommended tourist spot is Irago Point, located at the tip of Atsumi Peninsula. Travel by the inn’s car to the renowned fishing port. Then, take a one-hour cruise around the area. During your tour, look out for the rare finless porpoise - a small dolphin with a round and lovely face – and the bottlenose dolphin. After your cruise, drop by the Atsumi Fish Market at the port. Some of the items sold here include lobsters and purple Washington clams, a speciality of Atsumi Peninsula. If you want to try these delicacies, go to a restaurant next to the market, called Tairyoya. A recommended dish is grilled purple Washington clams seasoned with soy sauce. Return to your inn and check in.
After relaxing in your room for a while, visit an affiliated inn, Kakujoro, to try out its open-air bath or public bath for free. Alternatively, you can get a foot massage in a beauty salon here or try the foot bath in the courtyard at no extra charge. Later, for dinner, enjoy a meal comprising seasonal ingredients from Atsumi Peninsula. These include five types of raw local fish, deep fried skewers featuring Irago's seafood and vegetables, delicacies such as bagna cauda and a new dish called Irago-meshi. This particular dish comprises fresh seafood cooked with rice and local vegetables. In addition, guests can also choose between four kinds of dessert. The following morning, after a breakfast of Japanese dishes, end your adventure by going to a farm near the hotel to try out melon hunting. Remember to take some home as a souvenir of your trip.
Our next trip will be of particular interest to ladies. This time, we will be staying at a highland resort hotel in Fukushima under a “Cinderella plan”. Begin by travelling on the Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Koriyama Station in Fukushima. Then, hop on a local line to Nihonmatsu. Nihonmatsu-shi used to be a thriving castle town. Every October, the largest Kikuningyo Festival is held here, attracting 150,000 visitors. From the station, travel by bus to your inn. The journey lasts 25 minutes, during which the bus makes its way deep into the mountains and along highland paths. Located in Dake Onsen, the Sora no Niwa Resort opened on 8 June 2010. Dake Onsen – embraced by luxuriant nature - is situated in the Adatara Highland. It has a history of about 1,000 years and it is believed to have been discovered by Sakanoue no Tamuramaro of the Heian period.
Under the Sora no Niwa Resort’s “Cinderella plan”, women are offered a special rate of 10,000 yen (S$153.81), instead of the normal rate of 14,800 yen (S$228.35). The package includes beauty treatments and two meals. Those who want to exclude the beauty treatments need to pay only 6,800 yen (S$104.74). This inn was previously a national pension medical centre. It was turned it into a hotel by a local wedding consulting company. The inn is surrounded by Adatara Highland’s beautiful nature. After resting in your room, which features a mountain view, go out to explore the spa town.
Dake Onsen was previously known as the “Republic of Nikoniko”, which used to attract many visitors. It even had its own currency called Cosmos. Though the “Republic” was “closed” in 2006, visitors can still exchange their Japanese yen for Cosmos and use it in restaurants, hotels, convenience stores and souvenir shops here. 100 Cosmos is equivalent to 100 yen (S$1.54). Visit a tofu shop called Watanabe Tofu Ten. Here, you can purchase homemade tofu, soybean milk and miso oden for 350 yen (S$5.40). The shop still uses the signboard from the days of the “Republic”, and customers can use the Cosmos currency to pay for their purchases.
After your shopping, make your way back to your hotel and go the inn’s self-aesthetic room. If beauty treatments are included in your accommodation plan, you can try the exercise machines here for free. After working out, head to the hot spring, which originates from the mountains. Later, try out the hotel’s body and facial treatments, which are part of the “Cinderella plan”. You can get a 40-minute body massage and even pick your favourite aroma oil. After this, tuck into a buffet dinner comprising healthy fare. All the vegetables are freshly harvested from an organic farm. The hotel also serves kaiseki courses consisting of seafood, hot pot and egoma pork loin. The feast also includes delicious and healthy seasonal desserts. After dinner, indulge in some karaoke fun at no extra charge.
The next morning, the breakfast buffet includes many vegetables, various kinds of beans and yam. When checking out, if you use the Cosmos currency to pay your bill, you will get a 500 yen coupon in return. Before leaving the hotel, visit a shop within the hotel and pick up souvenirs such as spring onion chilli oil or sweets. |
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