🕓 2024/8/19
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Miyagi Prefecture is known as a region where beautiful nature and rich culture thrive. Located along the Pacific coast of the Tohoku region, Miyagi offers seasonal landscapes that attract many tourists from both Japan and abroad. Notable attractions include Matsushima, one of Japan’s three most scenic spots, Akiu Onsen, and the historical site of Sendai Castle, all of which are popular tourist destinations.
Miyagi is also a region that preserves a strong sense of history and tradition. Cultural events such as the Sendai Tanabata Festival and Shiogama Minato Festival are among its many attractions. Additionally, Miyagi is famous as a "food treasure trove," known for delicacies like oysters, beef tongue, and sasa kamaboko. The area also offers an abundance of delicious food and hot springs. Local dishes made with the region's specialties are highly popular among visitors.
When visiting Miyagi, here are three select luxury hotels that offer a special stay experience.
Saryou Souen is a serene inn located in Akiu Onsen, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, where guests can fully experience the charm of a high-quality Japanese ryokan. The expansive grounds feature a beautiful Japanese garden, with the main building and detached cottages designed in the sukiya style scattered throughout. The inn's concept of "garden and house as one" harmonizes the garden and architecture, offering visitors a quiet and luxurious time.
1. Architecture and Design
Saryou Souen is characterized by its sukiya-style architecture, which emphasizes the traditional aesthetics of Japanese design. From each building, guests can enjoy views of the garden's seasonal landscapes, making them feel as if they are stepping into a picture scroll. The interior is designed with abundant use of wood, creating a calm space where guests can feel the warmth of nature.
2. Hot Spring Experience
Saryou Souen's hot springs are highly regarded for providing an immersive experience of Akiu Onsen’s renowned waters. The open-air bath, located along the banks of the Natori River, allows guests to bathe while enjoying the seasonal landscapes, with the natural sounds and scenery offering a soothing retreat. In autumn, the bath is surrounded by vibrant autumn leaves, and in winter, it transforms into a serene snowy landscape, providing visitors with a special moment.
The hot spring is known as a "beauty bath" with rich medicinal properties, renowned for its skin benefits, fatigue recovery, and relaxation effects. The spring water is an alkaline simple hot spring, known for its gentle texture on the skin.
3. Comfort of the Rooms
Saryou Souen offers 26 guest rooms, each with a unique ambiance that reflects the traditional beauty of Japanese design. The rooms are divided between the main building and the detached cottages, each with its own theme and view. The detached rooms emphasize privacy, allowing guests to enjoy a luxurious time in tranquility.
From each room, guests can view the expansive Japanese garden, with the scenery changing with the seasons, offering new charms with each visit.
4. Culinary Delights
The cuisine at Saryou Souen is a highlight, featuring kaiseki meals that showcase the rich natural bounty of Miyagi. The ingredients include fresh seafood from the Pacific Ocean and flavorful mountain delicacies.
Dinner features dishes that bring out the best of the season's flavors, beautifully presented to please the eye as well. The inn is also known for its breakfast, which includes the specialty "yudofu" (tofu hot pot).
5. Harmony with Akiu Onsen
Saryou Souen is located along the Natori River, in the heart of Akiu Onsen. Akiu Onsen is one of the "Three Famous Hot Springs of Japan," known for its long history and tradition. Saryou Souen’s design fully incorporates the charm of this historic onsen town, allowing guests to enjoy the ambiance of the area from within the inn.
At night, the Japanese garden is illuminated, offering visitors a peaceful and beautiful time, as if time itself has stopped, allowing them to feel a sense of calm and tranquility.
Shoan is a hidden retreat with only 11 rooms, located in Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, one of Japan's three most scenic spots. This inn is perched at the tip of a cape overlooking Matsushima Bay, offering guests the opportunity to enjoy breathtaking views that resemble a watercolor painting. The ever-changing scenery of Matsushima, which is said to have left the famous poet Matsuo Basho speechless, is one of Shoan’s most captivating features.
1. Architecture and Design
Shoan is set on a vast 3,000 tsubo (approximately 9,900 square meters) of land with just 11 rooms, providing a luxurious sense of privacy. Each room offers panoramic views of Matsushima Bay, allowing guests to enjoy the changing scenery throughout the day. The interior of the inn is designed in a pure Japanese style, adorned with famous paintings by artists such as Ikuo Hirayama and Shoen Uemura, providing an artistic experience during your stay. Additionally, the "Salon Kura" houses a library with about 2,000 books, where guests can relax and enjoy reading.
2. Culinary Delights
The cuisine at Shoan centers around kaiseki meals that feature fresh seafood from the Sanriku region and locally sourced ingredients from Miyagi. The head chef carefully selects seasonal ingredients and creates dishes that are not only delicious but also healthy. Both breakfast and dinner are beautifully presented and full of flavor, with the fresh seafood in particular receiving high praise from guests.
3. Rooms with Spectacular Views
Shoan’s guest rooms are limited to just 11, each offering a unique ambiance while reflecting the traditional beauty of Japanese design. The rooms provide views of the distant Matsushima coast, allowing guests to relax in a serene environment that harmonizes with nature. Some rooms also feature an indoor bath with the soothing scent of hinoki (Japanese cypress) and an open-air bath where guests can immerse themselves in the natural beauty of Matsushima, offering a luxurious and private experience.
4. Relaxing Hot Springs
The open-air baths, exclusive to guests, are designed to evoke the warmth of stone and wood, allowing for a peaceful experience as you feel the sea breeze. The open-air bath is especially notable for its spacious rock bath design, where guests can enjoy a sense of unity with nature, accompanied by the sounds of birds.
The men’s large communal bath includes an indoor bath with the gentle scent of hinoki and an open-air bath where guests can relax while enjoying the aroma of the sea. The women’s large communal bath features an octagonal bath with soft light filtering through stained glass and an outdoor hinoki bath, offering a space where guests can unwind and forget the passage of time as they enjoy the sea breeze.
Densho Sennen no Yado Sakan is a luxury ryokan with over 1,000 years of history, located in Akiu Onsen, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture. This inn is renowned as the "bathing palace" of Date Masamune, the lord of the Sendai Domain, and is a place rich in history and culture. Guests can enjoy a special time surrounded by tradition and elegance.
1. History and Culture
Sakan has long served as the guardian of Akiu Onsen, whose history dates back over 1,500 years. It is known as the bathing spot loved by Date Masamune, and the inn displays various items and documents related to him. Additionally, the main building houses a sacred flame brought back from Mount Koya that has been burning continuously for 400 years, providing a deeply moving experience for visitors.
2. Onsen Experience
Akiu Onsen, known as "Natori no Miyu," is one of Japan's three most famous hot springs. At Sakan, guests can enjoy a variety of baths featuring water directly from the source, particularly the luxurious open-air bath "Kawara no Yu," located along the stream where you can fully immerse yourself in nature. Guests can relax both body and mind while taking in the beautiful seasonal landscapes.
3. Facilities and Hospitality
The interior of Sakan is spacious, with a lobby that resembles an art gallery and a comfortable tea lounge. In 2016, the ryokan served as the venue for the G7 Sendai Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' Meeting, further elevating its prestige. Moreover, the attentive hospitality provided by the staff is highly regarded, offering guests a warm and memorable experience.
4. Comfortable Guest Rooms
Sakan features three distinct wings: Hitenkan, Sansuikan, and Kagetsukan, each offering rooms with unique atmospheres. Hitenkan, in particular, boasts suites with private gardens and cypress baths, providing a luxurious stay. Some rooms are also equipped with Serta beds, the No.1 brand in the U.S., ensuring a comfortable night's sleep.