DESTINATIONS ASIA | JAPAN
TRIED & top tip TESTED
Chikusenso Mount Zaō Onsen Resort & Spa
Set in the mountains of Miyagi is the luxurious Chikusenso Mount Zaō Onsen Resort & Spa. With serene onsen, a spa, gym and other facilities, the resort is the ideal mountain retreat. As with other traditional
Japanese accommodation, shoes are left at the entrance, and guests walk around in slippers provided by the hotel. Every part of the resort is tranquil, making guests feel instantly relaxed – the lobby even has a 500kg temple bell (below). It also has both public and private onsen, and guests can book a free session in the latter, set outside in the natural surroundings. The restaurant’s exquisite
food ranges from colourful sashimi presented with flowers to sharing platters of fish and vegetables, so intricately decorated and presented that it was almost too beautiful to eat. Book it: Rooms start from £398 a night.
japanspecialist.co.uk
To learn more about these activities, watch our video ‘Five things you can do in the Tōhoku region’ at
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Chikusenso Mount Zaō Onsen Resort & Spa; Yamadera; Iwate prefecture
Rugby World Cup taking place in cities across the country this year, closely followed by the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. And with the recent launch of a British Airways flight to Osaka, tourism from the UK isn’t expected to slow down any time soon. The Japanese government has also introduced initiatives over the past few years to spur English language learning across the country, keen to encourage foreign visitors to go beyond the biggest cities – Miyagi alone has a goal of attracting 500,000 foreign tourists for overnight stays by 2020.
STAYING LOCAL It’s an unusual feeling to walk into your hotel room for the first time and realise it’s missing a bed and shower – two key components of western accommodation. But this is a ryokan, so the mattress is stored in the cupboard and rolled out each evening, and guests use communal bathrooms to shower. Family-run Ryokan Ohnuma sits deep in the Miyagi countryside in the remote town of Naruko. This particular ryokan also prides itself on having eight onsen, or hot springs, both public and private, where Japanese etiquette mandates you bathe naked – another cultural experience to tick off the list. Trying new and exciting cuisine is also part and
At onsen, or hot springs,
etiquette mandates that you bathe naked – another cultural experience to tick off the list
parcel of any trip to Japan, and it’s surprisingly easy here, particularly when every meal is prepared with fresh ingredients. One speciality is beef shabu-shabu, where diners pick up delicate slices of raw beef with chopsticks and dip them into a bubbling hotpot until they are cooked, the onomatopoeic name of the dish resembling the sound the beef makes as it cooks. The result? Some of the most delicious meat I’ve ever tasted. With Japanese cuisine comes sake, served hot or cold, sometimes in a square wooden box that catches any overflow from the glass. It’s even said that the more sake that spills into the box, the better the hospitality! Sake may be the traditional drink, with more than
1,600 sake breweries across the country, but Japan is also making a name for itself on the world whisky scene. Nikka Whisky Miyagikyo distillery, less than an hour from Sendai, is worth a visit. Founder Masataka Taketsuru learnt the art of whisky making in
64 23 MAY 2019
travelweekly.co.uk
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