Kinugawa Park Hotels is a luxurious hotel located near Kinugawa Onsen Station, a vacation area known for its Japanese hot springs and is about two hours away from Tokyo. It is an ideal place to visit if you need to take a small break from the hectic rhythm of the city. This popular onsen area developed around Kinugawa river into an impressive volcanic landscape, famous for the deepness of the ravine in which the river flows and the deep forests surrounding the city.
Kinugawa Park Hotels is more than a simple hot spring hotel. Along with its incredible collection of bathing facilities, which come in all shapes and styles, and the comfortable and luxurious rooms, they also offer you the unique opportunity to taste traditional food of the highest quality.
The service is outstanding. During your stay, breakfast and dinner will be included, but don't expect it to be the regular cheap pancakes, toast and cold buffet of an average all-inclusive hotel. Instead, get ready to taste outstanding meals prepared with the best ingredients, that will be served to you in style.
You'll also be surprised to see that quality doesn't exclude quantity. A typical morning course will be composed of delightful sashimi, then several little plates of diverse pieces of food - fish, meat, rice, prepared with delicious sauces and dressings - a bucket full of boiled vegetables, fruit and eggs. Everything is infused with with herbs and unique ingredients that give each piece a rich and subtle taste. You won't get to taste anything that you have ever tasted before. As for dinner, it is even more impressive. The dishes are even richer and you'll get to learn how to cook some pieces yourself in the big steamer they will bring to your table in order to get freshly boiled vegetables or perfectly fried pork meat. Your assistant will explain how to prepare and eat each meal, and which sauce to use with each piece. You'll get to boil your own Udon with the vegetables of your choice, dip the tempura into salt and pepper before eating it, eat some delicious "Ayu" fish with your fingers, have some more sashimi, enjoy miso soup and unlimited rice. Desert is a real delight: cherry cake, matcha jello... everything is seasonal and tastes like paradise. Your assistant will be of precious help explaining how to eat your food and you'll keep an amazing memory of such perfectly prepared meals.
There are three options for having your food served in Kinugawa Park Hotels. You can either eat in the regular dining hall, where tables are separated by a small screen. There is also a traditional japanese-style restaurant that welcomes you in more private booths, that all have a panoramic view on the garden and the swimming pool's waterfall. Finally, you have the option to have your food served in your own room on the low table. It's the traditional way of serving food in onsen ryokans and the service is very comforting when you come to Kinugawa to relax and recover from a stressful week.
I highly recommend this onsen for the incredible food they serve everyday. Dinner time was my favorite part of the day and I was really excited to find out what delicious dishes they came up with. They changed my menu everyday so you will have an amazing opportunity to taste Japanese food in a relaxing setting.