This week, we will stay at inns which offer unique plans. These spa inns are economical and popular for their innovative services. The first inn is about 3.5 hours away by Special Express Azusa from Shinjuku. Shinano Omachi is a spa town located by the Japan Alps. Under Hotel Yumeno-yu’s “MMS plan”, guests will get a 40% discount, if they send an MMS of hidden spots or superb views to the inn, before checking in. Take this opportunity to discover hidden spots in Kurobe. While exploring the town, try a new local speciality called black pork dog. Don’t let the name scare you though. Made of Omachi’s black pork, this tasty snack is lightly seasoned and comes with lots of vegetables.
One spot worth visiting is “Woman Clear Water”, situated at the corner of the shopping mall near the station. The water originates from the mountains and is delicious. And yes, there’s a spot featuring “Man Water” too! It comes from a different source and does not taste as gentle as the “Woman Water”. From the station, take a 15-minute bus ride to Omachi spa town. The inn is just five minutes away from the bus stop. Located in the woods, Hotel Yumeno-yu offers accommodation at 7,000 yen (S$104) instead of 12,000 yen if you send an MMS from sightseeing spots. The price includes two meals. In addition, if you send three MMSes, you will get more discounts. For example, you will be served Shinshu wagyu beef for free during dinner. However, there is a condition – your MMS must include beautiful scenery and you have to be in the picture too. To make full use of this discount, you could take the Tateyama-Kurobe alpine route and visit a famous sightseeing spot – the Kurobe dam. Firstly head to Ogizawa by bus, and from there, travel by a trolley bus to the Kurobe dam station. Kurobe dam is a giant structure in Chubu Sangaku national park, and is said to be the highest in Japan. You can enjoy a superb view from the suspension bridge here. Remember to click an MMS of the scenery to enjoy free wagyu beef. After this, return to the inn to enjoy a hot spring bath. The hotel offers two kinds of hot springs – a colourless and transparent one and another one called “Beautiful Woman's Bath”, said to do wonders for your skin.
Dinner comprises 15 dishes, mainly made of local ingredients cooked in the Alps’ water. Savour items such as Japanese beef sukiyaki, and premium Shinshu wagyu beef of course, among other things. After dinner, be entertained by a concert performed by the owner of the inn, together with his band, which has been playing for 34 years. The owner started this concert as a hobby, as well as for profit. In addition, if you send five MMSes to the inn, you will get to sing with a song the live band.
The next morning, check out after a delicious breakfast of local rice of Azumino and miso soup in hot pot. You can ask the inn to recommend some spots worth visiting. The hotel posts MMSes sent by their guest on their website, and these serve as a useful guide to scenic attractions. One such place is Azumi-Kutsukake, 10 minutes away by train. The La Casta natural healing garden is an English-style garden that accepts only 100 guests a day. It boasts 350 kinds of flowers.
The next economical inn is 2 hours 15 minutes away from Tokyo by Odoriko express train. Visit an inn in Izu Atagawa spa, which offers its guests various good-luck tests. It is said that Dokan Ohta discovered the Atagawa spa during the Muromachi era. Explore Atagawa town and pour the hot spring water over the Benten goddess to make a wish and pray for a safe trip. For lunch, go to a newly-opened restaurant called Glutton Nishiki, which serves delicious Izu fish. It is popular among the locals. Try its squid sashimi set lunch, which costs 1,260 yen (S$19). Next, head to your inn for the night – Shiunkaku Ogura. A beckon cat welcomes you at the inn. If it raises its right paw, it brings money while the left paw attracts customers. You can start testing your luck from the time you check in at the hotel. Try your hand at the “lobster lotto”. If you pick "Big Luck", you will get a free local lobster, worth about 6,000 yen (S$90), for dinner. "Small Luck" still gives you lobster, but from overseas. You can rent a stylish yukata for 300 yen (S$4.50). However, in another test of your luck, if you pick a ball number which is less than 25, you can rent it for free. Under the lobster lotto plan, it costs 9,200 yen (S$137) per person to stay in a room which comes with a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean.
Try your luck again to see if you can reserve a scenic open-air bath for 50 minutes. If you roll a dice and come up with 1, it is free. It is half price if you roll other numbers. Meanwhile, the inn also has a large bath which is totally free. For dinner, besides lobster, you will be served Izu's famous alfonsino in sweet soy sauce, roasted Atagawa pork, Somen noodles with locally-caught sweetfish, and short-neck clam cooked in pot. After dinner, try your luck at a roulette wheel, for a chance to win cash coupons of the hotel worth 300 yen (S$4.50), 500 yen or 1,000 yen (S$15). That is not all. For 2,000 (S$30) yen, you can participate in a karaoke challenge. During the 90 minutes, you can have as many drinks as you want, while winning cash coupons of up to 5,000 yen (S$74), depending on your score for your singing.
The next day, after watching the sunrise, indulge in a reserved open-air bath. A buffet-style breakfast is served in a restaurant, featuring 25 kinds of dishes. While checking out, you will be asked to pick one envelop by a representative. You can win discount coupons redeemable at nearby facilities, such as Izu Bio Park. Last but not least, on your way out, picked up some free tea candies to munch on during your train journey home.
Our search for unique inns takes us to Shinshiro city in Aichi prefecture. Travel by the Tokaido Shinkansen. First, make a stopover at Nagashinojo, known for Nagashino's battle which made Nobunaga Oda famous during the Warring States period. If you’re hungry, grab a bite at a BBQ restaurant called Kontaku Nagashino. It is run by the local farmers union. Its premium brand wagyu beef, Hourai beef, is offered at a reasonable price. Then, travel by the regular route bus for 15 minutes to Mt. Houraiji, one of the best scenic spots in Okumikawa. It has been a sacred mountain for the practice of the ancient Japanese religion of Shugendo. It is now a national place of scenic beauty and a natural monument. Houraisan Toshogu is known as one of the three greatest Toshogu shrines. From the Nioh gate, the main gate of Hourai temple, climb up 1,425 steps to reach the superb view point overlooking Toyohashi city and Mikawa Bay.
Over the mountains is a beautiful spa town by a river, Yuya spa. It is a famous spa in Okumikawa with 1,300 years of history. It features a Western atmosphere in a Japanese building, with a great view of the Ure river. The sound of the river comforts guests as they sip their complimentary powder green tea. You will notice that the inn’s register has no room rate indicated. This is because guests themselves decide how much to pay when they check out. It is said that a person once paid 100 yen (S$ 1.5) for a night with meals, while another paid up to 80,000 yen (S$1189). The inn’s owner wanted to know what guests think about his inn, so he started this innovative plan 27 years ago.
One of the inn’s popular rooms is a double room with a river view. The interior is done in a folk craft style, thereby creating a relaxing and calm mood. Guests are even provided pickled vegetables for free in the room. Plus, as an added service, staff will clean your shoes for you, so that you can step out with clean shoes. For a refreshing bath, head to the hotel’s sister inn, Yunokaze Hazu, which is five minutes away. You can even have a yoga session here - for free - provided you make an advance booking. The hotel’s forest bath is full of minus ions. After your bath, you will be served detox tea and a Chinese herb medicine snack. The perks just never end!
For dinner, enjoy a meal of Kinuhime salmon sashimi, a local speciality; fig marinated in red wine and wrapped with smoked salmon; and candied Amago fish which has been cooked for five days. Okumikawa's seasonal dishes will leave you feeling satisfied and happy. After dinner, have a drink while enjoying the breeze from the river. The next day, wake up bright and early to indulge in a morning bath. Savour a Japanese-style breakfast, made of local ingredients. As you get ready to check out, be prepared to state the price you wish to pay for your stay.
