Suimeikan” brings healing to Gero

Gero Onsen, located in central Gifu Prefecture, was founded in the Heian period (794-1185) and was introduced by Hayashi Razan, a well-known Confucian scholar who served four shoguns, starting with Tokugawa Ieyasu, as one of the three best springs in Japan along with Arima and Kusatsu. The famous hot spring, which was visited by warlords such as Nobunaga Oda to heal battle wounds, became well known when it was introduced in Hayashi Razan’s book, and by the Edo period (1603-1867), it was visited by 30,000 hot-spring cures a year. With the opening of Gero Station on the JR Takayama Line in 1930, it became accessible from various directions by Shinkansen bullet trains to Nagoya or Toyama, and from there by limited express or local trains. The transportation infrastructure, including a direct bus service from Nagoya, has been improved, and the area has further developed as a hot spring resort. The slightly high alkaline simple hot spring is said to be colorless, clear, thick, and smooth on the skin, making it suitable for beauty and health promotion.

Suimeikan, which opened in Gero City, Gifu Prefecture, in 1932, is the representative ryokan of Gero Onsen. On its vast grounds of 10,000 square meters, the ryokan has three pavilions (Sansuikaku, Tobisenkaku, and Rinkawakaku), an indoor hot spring pool, and a gymnasium, and a total of 264 guest rooms. Each pavilion has three large baths : an open-air bath surrounded by greenery and huge rocks, a 24-hour bath overlooking the city, and a cypress-scented bath called “Shimodome-no-yu,” allowing guests to enjoy a variety of bathing experiences. Of course, private baths are also available for guests to relax and enjoy the famous hot spring water. The museum also has a large collection of works of high artistic value, including tile murals by living national treasure potter Takuo Kato and paintings by master artist Taikan Yokoyama, which are also highlights of the museum. A Noh stage supervised by the late Shoroku Sekine, a Noh performer of the Kanze school, one of the schools of Noh theater, is also located in the hotel, and visitors will be able to rediscover the charm of Japanese beauty through the elegance of this 90-year old ryokan.

Enjoy Japanese cuisine and architecture

Traditional Japanese cuisine based on the five tastes, five colors, and five directions can be enjoyed at the ryokan. The cuisine is based on the five tastes, five colors, and five ways of cooking. Chef Shingo Ikeda, who studied at Kyoto Cuisine Hanakagami, brings out the best of local seasonal ingredients such as fresh vegetables from farmers in partnership with the restaurant. Sommelier Takao Kani, who is also the head of the Gifu branch of the Japan Sommelier Association, selects wines to match the cuisine of the day, which will further enhance the flavors of both the food and the sake.

Seiranso,” a five-room detached house in the sukiya style, offers a peaceful and tranquil setting in which guests can look out over the well-kept Japanese garden and experience the changing of the seasons. The rooms are decorated with summer tatami mats and yoshizu, snow tatami mats and yukimi-shoji screens to match the changing of the seasons. The rooms on the first floor, Aoi no Ma and Yugao no Ma, are equipped with an open-air bath with natural hot spring water that allows you to enjoy the night sky all to yourself. In addition, the chef at “Seiranso” prepares special menus using ingredients carefully selected on the day. Here, too, the ultimate luxury awaits you, and this will be the moment when you will feel the greatest satisfaction in having chosen this inn.

The scale of the inn is said to be the largest in the Tokai region, and the hospitality that goes into every detail will surely add a page of satisfaction to your travel album.

The post Suimeikan, a long-established ryokan representing Gero Onsen, one of the three best springs in Japan / Gero City, Gifu Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Yatate Pass, which straddles the border between Odate City, Akita Prefecture and Hirakawa City, Aomori Prefecture, was once a major production area for natural Akita cedar. Unlike artificially planted Akita cedars, natural Akita cedars are not pruned or thinned and grow in their natural state. This results in slower growth and narrower annual rings. As a result, Akita cedar is strong, making it an excellent material for crafts and building materials. From National Route 7, which passes through the Yatate Pass, one enters a narrow path leading to the Nikkei Onsen Hot Springs, and from there, the forest continues to grow. Just as the narrowing and darkening road becomes a little disconcerting, a calm Japanese-style inn appears in front of us.

NIKKEI ONSEN” reborn again in Akita

Founded in 1893, “Hikage Onsen” has long been a favorite hot spring of the locals, called “the sacred spring of the three-day turnaround,” where a three-day stay in the hot spring will make even the worst of one’s problems better. Although not a magnificent facility, many Odate residents frequented the onsen because of its hot water. However, due to the effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the aging of the building, it closed its business in 2014. Many people regretted the closure of the famous hot spring, and it finally reopened in October 2017. While retaining the atmosphere of a former therapeutic bathhouse, the hotel has been reborn as an inn where guests can spend luxurious time while enjoying the quietness of the forest, with a total of 28 rooms, including Japanese and Western-style junior suites and special rooms with hot spring baths, not all of which are the same type. Of course, you can enjoy the food and hot spring baths not only overnight but also on a day trip.

Healing the body and soul with hot springs and local cuisine

The aroma of sulfur is already in the air when you enter the atrium lobby. The hot spring at Nikkei Onsen is a sulfur-containing carbon dioxide-sodium chloride hot spring. The hot water, which has long been believed to be effective against skin ailments, is rich in salt and strong. The space made of Akita cedar gives off a limpid atmosphere. Sitting on a chair in the lobby filled with the warmth of wood without excessive decoration, the place also feels like a forest of yatate. After checking in, it is customary at Nikkei Onsen to make reservations at one of the four private hot springs. Anbei Yukko “, ” Urukeruke Yukko “, and ” Takimino Yukko ” are all private open-air baths that overlook the beautiful surrounding trees. Each bathtub is overflowing with sulfur spring water containing carbonic acid spring water. The water is a bit hot, but so strong that it seems to reach every bone in your body. The feeling of openness after getting out of the baths is also a feeling that can only be experienced at a famous bathhouse. The private bath ” Menke Yukko” in the indoor bath is a sulfur spring with thick, nigori-tinged water. It is called “medicinal hot water for beautiful skin,” and the thick, smooth water is pleasant to the touch. The slightly warm temperature makes it the perfect hot spring for a long, leisurely soak. After getting out of the bath, it is also exceptionally pleasant to cool down with an ice cream and drink available only for guests in the lobby.

Dinner is not spectacular, but the local cuisine using organic, pesticide-free local vegetables will soothe both the palate and the soul. Hinai jidori chicken, grilled river fish, Akita beef, water spinach, and the famous Akita kiritanpo nabe soup. You will be reminded once again that Akita is a food kingdom with an abundance of mountain produce. As I drifted off to sleep, the darkness had melted away, and the sky was filled with stars. Surrounded by Akita cedars, Nikkei Onsen offers a bliss that cannot be experienced in the city.

The post Shirakami Yatate Yugen-go no Yunasato no Yado “Nikkei Onsen”, an inn surrounded by a beautiful forest of Akita cedar trees / Odate City, Akita Prefecture, Japan first appeared on NIHONMONO.