Hinanoyado Chitose

The hotel waiters are very nice and can speak simple English. The food quality is very good. Only the bar was not up to standard, with very few wine varieties, and the waiters didn’t know English, making it difficult to communicate!

I made an online reservation for the Echigo-Tsumari Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale. I didn't have any prior information, so I didn't expect much, but the hot springs and food were more than I imagined. The hot springs are a little hotter than anything else. You can directly feel the effect of beautiful skin and medicinal bath as your skin becomes crispy. Located in the mountains of Tokamachi, Matsunoyama Onsen is said to be one of Japan's three major medicated hot springs, along with Arima Onsen and Kusatsu Onsen. The dinner, called "Satoyama Gottsuo", did not use special expensive ingredients, but the taste and presentation were wonderful, and you could feel the chef's sense. I stayed in an average Japanese-style room, but it was clean and had just enough amenities. After a long time, I came across a hot spring that I wanted to visit again.

It was an absolutely wonderful stay. The hot springs were a bit hot, but the quality of the hot springs was excellent and the open-air baths were also quite nice. The ingredients, presentation, and seasoning of the dinner were perfect!　 Breakfast was also designed so that I could eat a lot of Niigata rice...I was full. The staff's response seemed to have been streamlined a bit due to the coronavirus pandemic at the hot springs, but the friendly and courteous response was amazing. My favorite accommodations have increased again.

I didn't rent a car on this trip, so I wasn't sure if I should stay at an inn near the station, but I'm glad I chose this inn because they also picked me up from the station. There are various dishes using local seasonal ingredients for rice, and alcohol has progressed. When I come back and look at the photos from the trip, I remember wanting to eat it again. I visited in autumn and had various mushroom dishes, but they were delicious, so I wanted to try the wild vegetable dishes in spring. The inn was very nice, the bath was good, and I was able to spend a very comfortable and relaxing time. I looked it up on the web before my trip, and it seems that several inns at Matsunoyama Onsen are working together to develop local cuisine, create an information website, invite famous chefs, and so on. I came back thinking that such an atmosphere is everywhere and creates a good feeling.