Araya Totoan, Yamashiro Onsen

Araya Totoan is a small Japanese-style inn (ryokan) that is more than 800 years old. We invite you to enjoy our high-quality hot spring baths, delicious food and hospitality. The hot spring water of Yamashiro is a rare and precious natural resource and the superior quality of our spring water is well established and has won international acclaim. Many of our rooms have an open-air bath with free-flowing hot water straight from the hot spring source into the room’s Japanese cypress bath which is made of Yoshino hinoki.

The layout of our rooms is spaciously designed, with the main room connected to the bedroom featuring an open-air terrace, design chairs and contemporary works of art. Blessed with an abundance of food, we try to bring out the best taste of each dish without adding too much, while keeping the presentation rather subdued. The dishes used to serve the food are selected by the proprietor and include Kutani ware, Yamanaka lacquer ware made by local artisans and antiques handed down from generation to generation.

Asadaya Ryokan, Kanazawa

Asadaya Ryokan is more than 140 years old and the most famous ryokan, or traditional Japanese inn in Kanazawa. It has only 5 elaborate rooms for guests in order to provide perfect services in accordance with the “sukiya” style of simplicity. It is an unforgettable dining experience combining traditional local cuisine, seasonal fish and produce with refined dinner-ware. Dinner is carefully prepared with regard to customer’s likes and dislikes.

We treat each guest as if every meeting will be our last and so make your visit a memorable experience. We strive to make sure that each individual’s needs are filled so as to provide even better service on their next visit. Asadaya Ryokan is similar to a history and art museum. It has a breathtaking collection of sword guards from the Edo period. They were the status symbols of Samurai, or warrior, engraved with their family crests or Japanese flora and fauna.

Beniya Mukayu, Yamashiro Onsen

Founded in 1928, Beniya Mukayu has drawn its inspiration from Zen philosophy to provide a serene and minimalist experience for its guests. Here, the beauty is subtly suggested through the interplay of shade and light. Natural colors dance within a highly original architectural masterpiece, serenely merging into the natural setting. Each of the 16 rooms faces the authentic Japanese garden and has its own private open-air hot spring bath. The beautiful Kaga Style Kaiseki Cuisine – one of the most highly respected regional cuisines in all of Japan – is made with the finest local ingredients and served on locally crafted dishes at Beniya Mukayu’s Horin restaurant.

Inspired by the long and rich history of healing hot springs, Beniya Mukayu’s Spa Entei offers signature Yakushiyama (Healing Buddha’s Mountain) treatments, based on hot spring water and various medicinal herbs and plants. Being able to unravel in this way is nothing more than sheer bliss. A wide range of unique experiences and activities is available to the guests who are interested in delving deeper in Japanese culture. Among its awards, Beniya Mukayu received the “Relais & Châteaux Welcome Trophy 2013”. The ryokan is located approximately one hour by car outside of Kanazawa in Yamashiro Onsen.

Kayotei, Yamanaka Onsen

“Seat of Ennoblement,” Kayotei is notable for its intimate setting and exquisite cuisine. The inn’s 10 sukiya style suites are arranged in the traditional style of a tea ceremony pavilion. With the sukiya style at its most discreet and understated elegance, the Kayotei offers exquisite intimate spaces influenced by the West in a nature setting known for inspiring the pearls of a haiku poet.

The Kayotei inn is set at the beginning of a lovely walking trail following the perimeter of Kakusen Gorge, about a half-hour south of Kanazawa. Along the path is a thatched arbor dedicated to Haiku poet Basho Matsuo, who wrote of these trees and skies and waters in the 1600’s. Yamanaka Onsen is a hot spring town located far west of Tokyo and nearly on the Sea of Japan.

The staff at the Kayotei regard their mission as providing a “seat” for the very best of local art, culture and nature. Designed in the sukiya style of a tea cottage from the Muramachi Period (1333-1573), and graced with very subtle decorative touches, the Kayotei inn mixes antique tansu chests of drawers, low polished oak tables, hand-painted screens, traditional ceramic pieces and modern sculptural designs. There are two indoor communal baths sourced from natural hot springs. The baths are splendidly glassed in on three sides, providing guests with onsen views of natural forest scenery.

River Retreat Garaku, Toyama

“Seat of Ennoblement,” River Retreat Garaku is a luxury boutique hotel situated on the Jinzu (“Path of the Gods”) River in the forested foothills of the Northern Japan Alps. In this sublime setting outside central Toyama City you are enveloped in the unique Japanese aesthetic of nature and art, all within a modern architectural masterpiece. Ever present views of the timeless hills and river are brought through dramatic windows into the lobby, restaurants and guest rooms, which are filled with stunning sight lines, quiet spaces, and exquisite art.

The spring-fed baths, cedar tubs, and colors of traditional Japan are paired with more than 300 pieces of contemporary Japanese art from the owner’s extraordinary collection. With only 25 very spacious rooms and suites, each with a different decor, large common spaces, multiple onsen (spa) and aromatherapy facilities, and two exceptional restaurants with traditional Japanese and French/Japanese fusion cuisines, Garaku emphasizes personal attention, relaxation, and privacy.

L’evo or Evolution is the new nouvelle cuisine French/Japanese fusion restaurant at Garaku where the world-class seafood of Toyama Bay and local mountain vegetables are brilliantly combined for a total culinary and aesthetic experience. At Garaku’s Japanese restaurant Rakumi (“Enjoy the Taste”) you can experience the best of washoku, the traditional Japanese cuisine UNESCO has designated a world cultural asset. Here the chef blends Kanto (Tokyo) and Kansai (Osaka) styles in delectable presentations of elegant simplicity where every ingredient can be savored.

Whether you are looking for a memorable experience away from the pressures of the city, want to avoid the rule-bound atmosphere of a traditional ryokan or want a romantic getaway, Garaku invites you to come, be pampered, and relax. Imagine visiting the amazing home of a serious art collector where your every wish is granted. This is Garaku.