I chose MIyagi for the destination of this trip to visit Kitsune-mura (Fox Village) but I had no sense of directions and distance between each, the station, the hotel or Fox village. Anyway, I wanted to enjoy good food and onsen as well, I searched on Rakuten Travel on line and found this hotel. I made a reservation through the website. It takes around an hour by car to get there from Shiroishi-Zao Shinkansen Station.
You can ask the hotel to pick you up on the station if the season is not so busy. If you had a car, it would be a little fun drive to the hotel, which is a bit deep in the mountains. It's a resort area and you see a lot of villas near the hotel. I heard there used to be one owned by Sayuri Yoshinaga, the famous actress of Japan.
Beside the hotel runs a stream and it makes a beautiful view from every window of guest rooms. It would change from season to season. The best season is autumn with colorful leaves, they say. This time, I walked along the stream and the woods with lingering snow.
The owner kindly drove us to Fox Village on the second day. And we took a taxi to come back to the hotel. It costed 4.570 yen. It may sound expensive but as we don't have a car, living in Tokyo and don't need to pay car expenses, we were content with it. Yes, Fox Village is awesome and I want to visit there again and again! Of course, the hotel we will stay is Zao Mets for sure!
Now, I should talk more about the hotel itself. There are about 20 guest rooms, I assume. It is a just two-story house. As western and modern it looks, the hotel has a good aspect of Japanese onsen inns. Japanese Kimono styled wear (shirt and pants) with a hanten (vest). After taking a bath in the onsen, you wear them and it is OK even in the dining room. You can have dinner, feeling at home. Also, your baggage would be much lighter as you don't have to bring more clothes to change. The water of Onsen is pure and natural. They don't add any water or heat. It is totally from the spring source. At first, it feels a bit tepid. However, thanks to the temperature, you can bathe in it for a long time, relaxed. The water is smooth and mild. Especially, the outdoor spa is fabulous. You can't miss it.
Meals are wonderful. For breakfast, you can choose Japanese or Western food. It was new year's holidays and instead, we had Japanese traditional holidays' dishes, which is called "Osechi", along with freshly made Mochi( rice cake) and free wine and sake (Japanese rice wine). The dinner is authentic French cuisine, made of materials from Miyagi prefecture. Vegetables, fish and meat. Owner Chef Sasaki talks to his guests, coming to each table. He is a pleasing person. You'll miss him soon and want to see him again for sure.
This time, we didn't try it but the hotel offers a horse riding tour. Would you like to go ride a horse along the beautiful stream?
I definitely recommend this hotel. Mr. Sasaki said that he wants his guests to feel comfortable as if the hotel were their own second home. Yes, exactly, it is.
