Shaga no Sato Yume-ya

The view from the room’s large, open windows is breathtaking. You can even see the leaves just beginning to turn, and it’s a scene you could watch forever. Dinner was served by the window as well, and we enjoyed it at dusk with the chorus of autumn insects as background music. The dishes featured mainly local ingredients, and everything was delicious—you could really tell each item had been carefully prepared with time and care. The abalone at dinner and the octopus at breakfast were simmered to a perfect tenderness, and the seafood in particular—soft-shelled turtle soup, sweet shrimp, blackthroat seaperch (nodoguro), and more—was outstanding. The sake paired with the meal was an exceptional selection that you likely rarely come across, and it matched perfectly all the way through to the final dish of beef simmered with Japanese peppercorns; we thoroughly enjoyed that pairing as well. The hot spring was also wonderfully comfortable—at just the right temperature that you can stay in for ages. It rained unfortunately the next day, but while waiting for the shuttle bus we heard a chorus of frogs from somewhere (they really do sing in unison!), which was soothing too. We’ll be back again.

The approach to the parking lot was a bit hard to find, but this was one of the best places I’ve ever stayed. The staff were very courteous, the food was delicious, and the hot spring was excellent. The only downside was that I wanted to choose between Japanese and Western breakfast, but I was told Western breakfast could only be served after 8:45 a.m., so I had to give up on that option.