【Kakunodate, Akita, Japan】Luxury Ryokan at Countryside【WABIZAKURA】
Luxury Ryokan at Countryside Kakunodate Sanso WABIZAKURA, Kakunodate, Akita Hello!
Today, let’s go to wonderful luxury ryokan at Kakunodate, Akita, Japan. It is “Kakunodate Sanso Wabizakura.” The only way to get here from Kakunodate is by car. After about 10 minutes, we found a thatched-roof inn that looks like something out of a fairy tale! Wow! It’s like I’ve traveled back in time to the original scenery of Japan This place was once where the Tozawa clan built “Kadoya Castle” and made it their home Samurai family “Aoyagi” in Kakunodate was once an officer of the Tozawa clan Charming lanterns and Japanese umbrellas The hearth lounge. It’s like another world inside too! It’s an old house, but it’s clean and has a high-quality aura. How many tatami mats does it have? It’s a very spacious room. The interior is furnished with items inherited from the Aoyagi family, and is decorated with a connection to Kakunodate. There’s a dining room at the back. This is a shop. There were also some dishes and sweets that were in the rooms. This is also a retro relaxing space. We checked in while enjoying welcome sweets and tea. These sweets were subtly sweet and exquisitely delicious.
We could expect great food later! Now, let’s head to our room. There are 10 rooms. Room types are 3: Japanese-Western style, Western style, and Japanese-Western style with dining area. Each room has a name and different interior. Our room was a Japanese-Western style room called “Yakumo” (61 m2). Entrance. There’s a shoebox. The bathroom is at the back left. The Japanese-style room is on the right, and at the back is the terrace, living room and bedroom. The natural light is soft and it’s just the right amount of bright. It’s nice that there are no partitions, looks spacious. The TV and minibar are here The living room and bedroom are Western-style The floors in this room are made of chestnut wood There are also rooms with cherry and walnut wood. View from the bed The Japanese-style room has a raised floor The lamp are made of Akita’s traditional birch crafts. It’s beautiful Let’s go out to the terrace A tranquil landscape spreads before us. There are also some modest mountain cherry blossoms in bloom. View should also be beautiful in green season, autumn leaves, and winter snow. Let’s take a look at the minibar in the room. All drinks and snacks in the room are included in the price. Cups etc are stored in the drawers. Akita’s specialty “Morokoshi” in the fridge was delicious. It was more delicious than the one I bought in Kakunodate before. Two types of tea bags, drip coffee, and Morokoshi The case made of birch, a traditional product from Kakunodate, Akita, made using the bark of mountain cherry trees, is lovely The cherry blossom spoon and the kaishi paper are so cute! I bought the spoon as a souvenir. They are available at the Wabizakura shop and at “Satoku Garden” shop in Kakunodate. The glasses are nice, too. They are also available at the shop. The bedroom has a good-sized closet Inside is a Hotman bathrobe and original waffle-fabric pajamas Both are soft to the touch Yukata, socks, and a basket bag Warm haori Let’s take a look at the bathroom There’s a towel warmer Towels with original logo Soft towels All amenities are in a nice box ”Claritia” skin care set Going further in, there is a bath The hot spring water is from a spring that erupted on the premises in 2008. It is an alkaline simple spring that has skin-beautifying effects 100% spring water. The water was soft and very pleasant to the touch. The shampoo in the original packaging was also good quality. The large bathtub is made of cypress and has an unusual shape of a deformed pentagon. There are also rooms with stone and mosaic tile baths. The corner window can be opened and closed, and when opened, it becomes a semi-open-air bath. The scenery outside is tranquil. Restroom As we already saw lobby area when I checked in, so let’s take a look at the garden. “Moss garden” It’s spring, so the moss isn’t very noticeable. Around there are the guest rooms. The front garden is like something out of a fairy tale. There is a “Marriage shrine” . Its model was Izumo Taisha. You will feel relaxed in a different world with no modern buildings around. There is no large public bath, but there is a private open-air bath. It’s available for 30 minutes by reservation. The water is 100% natural, just like in the rooms. The hats you can wear when it rains are also very tasteful. Bath in the nature This may be the first time I’ve ever been in a bath in Japan that feels so open! I felt the quality of the spring water was really good. We had dinner at the dining room “Wabizakura”. The food was planned and produced by Hiromitsu Nozaki, head chef of the 2 star Michelin restaurant “Waketokuyama” in Minami-Azabu. We had a semi-private room. Outside the window you can see the white sand garden, lanterns and cherry blossoms. Dinner begins Early bracken, Toji salad, steamed sea urchin, fresh wasabi, diluted soy sauce Stewed red sea bream with jelly, petal lily root, Clams, Kujo leeks, angelica, mustard vinegar miso,
Boiled young sweetfish in Arima, Moriguchi radish, Firefly squid, sweet shrimp, scallops, lily root
fava beans, shiso wasabi jelly The sashimi is flounder, squid, yuba konnyaku, and fresh wasabi. This dish is only used for a few days each year when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom! The food is delicious from the start, and tableware is beautiful too. Akita beef grilled with seaweed salt and pepper The garnish is spring cabbage, fresh onions, fresh potatoes, wild garlic, kogoumi, snap peas, and radish. Served with fresh wasabi and miso mayonnaise. Delicious! I like it with a lot of vegetables. The concept is “food that is good for your body,”
and even though it’s a satisfying volume, delicious without feeling heavy. Early Spring Mountain and Sea Fragrance Hot Pot Inside are whitebait, red snapper, clams, bamboo shoots, raw young shoots, urui, White leek, Komachi ginger, kinome When the pot starts to bubble, it’s time to eat. The meal is steamed rice. It is topped with sakura shrimp, finely chopped ginger, and mitsuba. with red miso soup and pickles. Lots of sakura shrimp. Dessert was warabi mochi with uguisu powder and brown sugar syrup. It was a simple but delicious large warabi mochi. We were looking forward to the food, and it exceeded our expectations with its appearance and taste. They use seasonal ingredients from Akita and offer a monthly menu of 700 varieties. I want to come back in another season. Thank you for the meal. There is also a star-gazing platform at the back of the dining room. It was cloudy so I didn’t go, but if the weather was nice, stars should be beautiful. After looking around the building at night, we went back to our room. Let’s take a bath in hot spring and sleep. The garden was lit up by the window. Good night. Good morning! We got up early and went to Kakunodate Samurai Residences where the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. There weren’t many people in the morning. The samurai residences and weeping cherry blossoms of Little Kyoto in Michinoku are beautiful! The area around the Kakunodate Kabazaiku Museum is gorgeous with its deep pink cherry blossoms. Though cloudy weather doesn’t really show off color of cherry blossoms, The large, overhanging weeping cherry blossoms are impressive! The cherry blossom line along the banks of the Hinokinai River is lined with about 400 Somei-Yoshino cherry trees, stretching for about 2km. It is a nationally designated place of scenic beauty and one of Japan’s 100 best cherry blossom spots. We came back for breakfast. Same as dinner, we had breakfast in a semi-private room at the dining room “Wabizakura.” We had healthy breakfast Starting with 2 kinds of soy milk drinks.One with black vinegar, one with honey. I was surprised that soy milk could be such delicious! Gindara saikyoyaki This is fatty and fluffy, and incredibly delicious.
It was the first time I’d ever had such delicious cod. Tea congee. White rice is also available. The rolled egg was also delicious. The garden is also nicely viewed. A rich and satisfying Japanese breakfast. After the meal, tea and dessert are served.
It is a local Akita dish called “asazuke.” It is made with kneaded rice and fruit,
and at Wabizakura, they also add yogurt. Not only is it delicious, it also seems to have beauty benefits. The food was delicious and the service from the staff was outstanding. We had a great time in the peaceful countryside. This is a recommended place to stay in Akita! Samurai residence street and the rows of cherry trees we went in the morning is A must-see cherry blossom spot It’s also great for a trip to the cool Tohoku summer I’d like to see it in the fall or on a beautiful snowy day too Guests staying at Wabizakura can enter the Aoyagi family home for free. In addition, the gift shop “Satoku Garden” offers parking on check-in and check-out days, and luggage storage is also available. It’s convenient for sightseeing. Inside the shop, you can find the birch crafts, bento boxes,
and Naraoka ware that were on display at Wabizakura. Around mid- to late April, in the 20ha specialty Saimyoji chestnut grove, The flowers of dogtooth violet bloom, creating a purple carpet If possible, visit on a sunny day, when the flowers are opened well and beautiful Lake Tazawa, the deepest lake in Japan The beautiful water and the legendary Tatsuko statue create a mystical atmosphere. Gozaishi Shrine along the lake is a must-see spot. The snow scenery is even more fantastical and recommended. A famous spot for fresh greenery and autumn leaves, also known as the “Yabakei of Tohoku.” The color of the water is so beautiful that I want to call it the Plitvice (Croatia) of Japan. About 30 minutes into the valley, Mikaeri Falls is also a famous spot. One of the 3 major fireworks festivals in Japan: Omagari Fireworks. It’s not good to stay at Wabizakura on the day of the fireworks, but it would be a good trip to stay before or after the fireworks!
【Please turn on subtitle and choose your language】
Please enjoy tour of luxury ryokan at Kakunodate, Akita “Kakunodate Sanso WABIZAKURA
Food is planned and produced by 2-star Michelin restaurant “Waketokuyama” chef. It’s excellent.
This Video includes-
・Hotel Facility
・Room – Japanese-Western style room “Yakumo” (with open-air hot spring bath)
・Garden and Private open-air hot spring
・Dinner
・Breakfast
・Sightseeing info including famous cherry blossom spot Kakunodate
※Please check the price from web as it would be changing
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