[Miyagi] Traveling solo for self-care: 9 recommended ryokan in onsen and onsen

At work, school, local activities, hobbies, social media... Don't you feel like high communication skills are required everywhere in our daily lives these days? In order to make things go smoothly, we often unconsciously wear a mask, reading the mood of the situation and giving the answers that others want. If you continue to do this, you will become increasingly distressed and tend to lose sight of your true self.

When that happens, try going somewhere no one knows you. The two hot springs we'll be introducing this time, onsen Onsen and onsen in Miyagi, are not as big a tourist destination as Kusatsu or Atami, and are, so to speak, hidden hot springs that are unknown to the public. onsen, rich in nature, have a deep, welcoming quality that seems to accept everything. These two onsen, where time flows quietly and leisurely, are recommended for solo trips where you can take care of yourself. Find a lodging that suits your taste and be sure to visit.

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Togatta Onsen is a secluded onsen onsen resort that can be reached in just over an hour by direct bus from Sendai Station. Located on a plateau at an altitude of about 330m at the eastern foot of the Zao mountain range, it has long flourished as a hot spring resort and a base for religious climbers. It is also known for being close to the tourist spot of Zao's crater lake, Okama. The spring quality of onsen is sulfate spring, which is said to be effective for neuralgia and leg and back ailments. In fact, it is also famous as one of the production areas of "Japan's Three Great Kokeshi Dolls (※)".

*Japan's three major kokeshi dolls: Togatta style kokeshi (Miyagi), Naruko style kokeshi (Miyagi), and Tsuchiyu style kokeshi (Fukushima)

As you stroll through the onsen town, which has a retro atmosphere, the sight of onsen steam rising from the roadside will warm your heart. You can also go on a hot spring tour, visiting popular public baths with quaint wooden bathhouses such as "Kami no Yu" and "Kotobuki no Yu," and "Mahoroba no Yu," which has a rare bathtub carved into a huge rock. There are also plenty of unique cafes in the area, so it's a great idea to eat some ice cream to cool down your body after a hot spring tour.

Auberge Bettei Yamabuki is located about 40 minutes by bus from JR Shiroishi-Zao Station. This luxurious inn is based on the concept of "accommodation with two meals and one night stay" and focuses on the "pleasure of eating". Enjoy seasonal ingredients grown in Zao at your leisure. Another great point is that all drinks at dinner are free. When your cheeks start to get a little hot, why not cool off in the lounge where you can feel the warmth of wood?

There are several room types at Bettei Yamabuki. This is a Type C room, which is a Japanese-style room with a sunroom and an open-air bath. After relaxing in the bath with our own hot spring water, sit back in a chair and relax. You can spend your own relaxing time here.

Enjoy healthy kaiseki cuisine made with carefully selected local ingredients for each season at Lotus Dining, a sophisticated restaurant overlooking a pond. The colorful and cutely presented appetizers will delight your senses. You can enjoy the exquisite flavors with your eyes, ears, and tongue.

Of course, there are plenty of onsen too. The slightly milky, free-flowing hot onsen are popular because they make your skin smooth. You can enjoy as many of the elaborate baths as you like, such as the "Wind and Trees Bath" with benches so you can enjoy a half-body bath, and the "Moon and Wind Bath" designed for lying down. Relaxing in the hot onsen after eating a hearty meal is sure to make you feel happy.

Located about 50 minutes by bus from JR Shiroishi-Zao Station, this inn is a single-story ryokan where you can feel the warmth of wood everywhere. As this is a place with ties to the Sanada family, the building is decorated with armor and art by local artists, so you might find something interesting if you explore the building.

Relaxing in a Japanese-style room, all of which overlook the courtyard, will soothe your soul. The most distinctive feature of this inn is that it has rooms where you can stay with your dog. A onsen trip with your beloved dog, who usually soothes your soul, is the best. There is also a "Sanada Room" that is limited to one group per day. History buffs will be excited to see the room decorated with Sanada Yukimura's armor, jinbaori coat, and sliding door paintings.

The hot spring onsen, which flows directly from the source, is said to be gentle on the skin and has skin-beautifying effects. If you take a moderately long bath while enjoying the outside air, you will kill two birds with one stone by not only feeling the healing effect but also making your skin smooth. If you want to enjoy some time alone, we also recommend a private bath. Enjoy the skin-beautifying water until your heart melts.

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Dinner, where the menu for the day is decided based on the ingredients purchased, can be enjoyed in your room or a private room. The seasonal dishes are a masterpiece that reflects the attention to detail and warmth of handmade items. Enjoying highland vegetables and seafood from Sendai Bay will naturally put a smile on your face.

"Chikusenso Mt. Zao Onsen Resort & Spa" is a resort hotel where you can enjoy the tranquility of a 66,000m2 forest. The hotel is based on a "modern Japanese" concept, and the interior and art incorporating natural materials and traditional culture are scattered throughout. The large bell hanging in the library lounge is a masterpiece! It is about an hour by shuttle bus from JR Sendai Station.

All rooms are over 40㎡, so they are too spacious for one person to use. This is a "Deluxe Twin" room. The mattress is made by Simmons and is very comfortable to sleep on. It seems like it will help relieve any tiredness that has built up.

onsen, drawn from two private sources, can be enjoyed in the large public bath and in private baths (reservations required). The photo shows the women's large public bath, "Mizunara no Yu." Listening to the rustling of Mizunara oak leaves and the murmuring of the river... soaking in the open-air bath while listening to the orchestra of nature is the height of luxury.

Dinner will be at the Japanese restaurant "Kamajin." The kaiseki cuisine, which uses seasonal ingredients from Miyagi grown with the melting snow of Mt. Zao, as well as carefully selected ingredients from all over Japan, is a feast for the eyes. Everything you eat will impress, including the finest Sendai beef and "Hitomebore" beef sourced directly from local farmers. The dishes change with the seasons, so you can look forward to visiting in a different season.

Located in a vast natural forest, Hot Spring Accommodation Daikon-no-Hana is about 40 minutes away by shared taxi (fee required) from JR Shiroishi-Zao Station. This inn is cute and modern, yet has a Japanese feel everywhere, making it perfect for solo travelers who are tired from everyday life. In addition, they do not accept reservations from children under the age of 12, so you can enjoy the quiet and relaxing atmosphere.

There are 18 guest rooms in 12 buildings spread across five areas, allowing you to feel close to nature.
This is the "Beech" room. Sitting in a chair and looking out at the natural forest outside will put your mind at ease.

This is the "Mikazuki" room. It's nice that even solo travelers can stay in a room with an open-air bath. You can enjoy the hot spring onsen from the private hot spring whenever and as much as you like without worrying about being seen by others. If you want to stretch your limbs in a large bath, why not try bathing in one of the four free private baths or large public baths on the premises? The water is clear and colorless, and is gentle on the skin, so it is said to be "bath for beautiful skin," and it also has a relaxing effect.

Dinner will be served in the semi-private dining room restaurant "Dining K-no-ji." Vegetables from the restaurant's own farm and locally grown vegetables, fish and meat are lined up. The natural flavors of the vegetables are strong, so you'll be surprised at how different they are from the vegetables you usually eat. If you enjoy them with recommended wines and local sake, you'll be completely satisfied in both mind and stomach.

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Shunsai Yuyado Ryokan Daichu is located about an hour by highway bus from JR Sendai Station. It is a small inn with only nine rooms. The warm orange lights illuminate the stone pavement, evoking a nostalgic feeling.

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This is "TYPE A," a traditional Japanese-style room. As you lie down on the tatami mat, the refreshing scent of rush grass tickles your nostrils. The futon is fitted with an Italian mattress by Magniflex, designed to distribute body pressure evenly. Even those who can't sleep with different pillows will be able to get a good night's sleep.

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There are five baths for nine guest rooms, so you can relax and enjoy onsen without worrying about crowds. Light shines through the colored glass, which was made in the Taisho era, and colors the bathtub colorfully. There is also a "lying bath" where the hot spring water flows at about 70 degrees Celsius under the slatted floor, so be sure to try that too. The steam will gently warm your neck, back, hips, and legs, and it feels great.

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The sumptuous banquet cuisine is a feast for the eyes, carefully prepared one by one using ingredients such as Sendai beef. Not only that, but in the center of the dining area are traditional obanzai dishes such as nikujaga (meat and potatoes) and inaka-ni (country stew), which change monthly. Tasting the "nostalgic flavors of grandma's country cooking" will warm your heart.

onsen is located about 25 minutes by car from onsen Onsen. Located on the slopes of the Zao mountain range, it developed as onsen resort for successive lords of the Date clan. Its light, weakly alkaline simple spring water is said to be effective against neuralgia, rheumatism, and gastrointestinal disorders. The townscape retains a nostalgic, rustic feel and is still popular with fans of hidden hot springs.

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onsen, which first opened about 500 years ago, was named "onsen" after the hot water that gushes out from the roots of a tree called "Aonuki." Taking a bath while feeling this long history is a special experience. The "onsen Snow Lights" event, which takes place every winter, is also a must-see. The magical sight of flickering candles is captivatingly beautiful.

About an hour by free shuttle bus from JR Sendai Station, this inn, a renovated Taisho-era building, is located in a location overlooking the great outdoors. The happiness of having this blissful space all to yourself, where traditional Japanese beauty and modern functional beauty are perfectly matched, is worth the trip! You can enjoy the ultimate moment without being disturbed by anyone.

The inn is a whopping 170m² and has both a bed room and a Japanese-style room, so you might have a hard time deciding which one to sleep in. If you wake up a little earlier than usual and go out to the balcony, you can see the morning sun head on. Getting the power of the sun in the morning will make you feel energized!

The baths, with their chic black theme, are generously filled with natural hot onsen. From the open-air baths overlooking the Japanese garden, you can enjoy a view that can only be seen on that day, from the fresh greenery of summer to the snowy landscape of winter. Immerse your body in the warm onsen and spend a quiet and elegant time just for yourself. You can also take a tour of the public baths, so it's a good idea to go out to change your mood.

Dinner will be served at a nearby onsen ryokan. A car will be provided to take you there and back, so you can eat your fill of delicious Japanese kaiseki meals without worrying about anyone else in the private rooms. For breakfast, there are plans to have it catered to your room, and plans to have it prepared in the kitchen the day before. Please choose according to your preference.

Located about an hour from JR Sendai Station by free shuttle, Yamakage no Yado Ryusen is an inn where you can experience warm hospitality. If you visit when you are tired of everyday human relationships, the kindness of the people will warm your heart. Once you have relaxed your body and mind, you will naturally find yourself smiling.

There are two types of rooms: a nostalgic "regular guest room" and a "modern Japanese room." If you want to lift your spirits a little, we recommend the "modern Japanese room" with its beautiful colored paper screens. The rooms, furnished with antique chests and Ryukyu tatami mats, are a perfect blend of a relaxing Japanese space and a modern aesthetic. Your aesthetic sense will be stimulated and you'll be excited just by being in the room.

From the open-air bath with natural hot spring water, you can see the magnificent nature of Aone. The overwhelming sense of openness will make your worries seem small. There is a legend about an eel's head at onsen, and it is said to be effective against headaches and eye diseases. A leisurely soak in onsen may clear your troubled head.

Dinner at the inn's restaurant is made with carefully selected local ingredients according to the season, and each dish is carefully prepared. The homemade "Aone Udon" made with seasonal ingredients is an exquisite dish that you can't find anywhere else. You won't be able to stop eating this dish, which is filled with hospitality.

Ryusen Bettei Kanzan Chogetsu is located about 60 minutes away by free shuttle bus from JR Sendai Station. This inn is connected to Yamakage no Yado Ryusen by a corridor and is located in a special area that can only be accessed by guests with a card key. You can immerse yourself in a special feeling in the healing tranquility of the seven rooms. The open-air baths in each room have different themes and you can enjoy watching the moon.

The concept of the inn is "a place where adults can relax." There are seven guest rooms, each with a unique and modern interior. Just spending time in the room will make you feel happy. It's an exquisite space that will make you want to stay there all day.

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There is also a lounge exclusively for guests staying at the hotel, where the warmth of the tables and chairs will help you relax and unwind.

Dinner will be served in a private room at Aone Dining. The dishes are carefully prepared to give a seasonal feel not only in taste but also in appearance, and are made with plenty of local mountain produce and seafood from Miyagi. There is also a service where you can choose three dishes at check-in to suit your mood that day. Enjoying these specially prepared dishes with local sake is a great way to reward yourself for all your hard work.

Yumoto Fuboukaku is about a 50-minute bus ride from JR Shiroishi-Zao Station. This long-established onsen ryokan was frequented by successive lords of the Date clan, and is said to have been named "Fuboukaku" by Date Masamune so that he would not forget this place. If you stay at ryokan the building itself is designated as a tangible cultural property, you can experience the romance of history. Why not sit in a nostalgic chair and look back on the history you have walked through?

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This ryokan has six bathhouses, and the history of the baths is extraordinary. The stone bath at Oyu Kinsendo, restored using traditional techniques, has been in use since the time of Masamune, nearly 500 years ago. The bath is long and narrow, so if you like hotter water, we recommend getting in near the outlet, and if you prefer lukewarm water, we recommend getting in on the opposite side of the outlet. There are also other baths, such as a bath built inside a real storehouse and a semi-open-air stone bath full of wildness, so you can experience history for yourself by touring all the baths.

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Both dinner and breakfast are served in a private Japanese-style room. Not only is the variety and beauty of each dish amazing, but the dishes made with an abundance of local ingredients are sure to please the palate. The hotpot, known as "Masamune Nabe," is filled with seasonal vegetables and contains wild pheasant meat, making it a rare ingredient that is not often eaten. If you look closely at the bowls, you will see the Date family crest. It's fun to find little pieces of history.

History buffs should definitely visit the Momoyama-style building known as "Aone Goten." It is said that successive lords of the Date clan stayed here, and treasures related to the Date clan are on display here. A tour is held every morning after breakfast, so why not join one to round off your stay at the ryokan full of history and immerse yourself in the romance?

If your busy schedule continues, you will tend to lose sight of "yourself." If you feel like "it's getting hard...", go on a solo trip to maintain yourself. By feasting on delicious food and enjoying a quiet, hidden hot spring to your heart's content, you will be able to return to your original, charming self.