Kagaya Bettei Matsunomidori

“Luxurious and Memorable”

This onsen is a five star facility that costs about $900 for an overnight stay that includes dinner and breakfast. We typically wouldn’t stay in a hotel like this, but we’re seniors and decided to splurge. The hotel is not much to look at from the outside. It’s a 5-story building on an ocean inlet… more

This onsen is a five star facility that costs about $900 for an overnight stay that includes dinner and breakfast. We typically wouldn’t stay in a hotel like this, but we’re seniors and decided to splurge. The hotel is not much to look at from the outside. It’s a 5-story building on an ocean inlet that looks more like a large lake than the ocean. There are no waves. The lobby is luxurious and there is a museum collection on display throughout. There are soft chairs and white leather couches facing the water and when you arrive, you’re served tea or coffee while you are told about the onsen. The view across the tended garden and ornamental trees to the water is breathtaking. We decided to experience a traditional tea ceremony in a small adjacent historic building that was moved to its current location. The ceremony was filled with interesting ritual, and fortunately a friend of ours translated and elaborated on the ancient practice which made it even more enjoyable. In our 12-tatami mat twin room, we were given 3 sets of traditional Japanese clothing that we could wear anyplace within the onsen. Our room was about 400 sq. feet with a large screen flat screen television, a modern massage chair, and a well-stocked refrigerator (all drinks in the room, bar, and served with meals were included in our all-inclusive package). The bathroom included a Toto toilet, a deep soaking tub, and a shower within the tub room. A narrow balcony ran along the front of the room facing the sea, not wide enough for a table or a chair, but a place to breathe very fresh air in the morning and to watch the sunrise. The onsen has separate hot baths for men and women, and each has both an inside an outside bathing area as well as a dry sauna. The baths are luxurious with dressing areas, lockers, and showering stations well equipped with soaps, lotions, towels, etc. Outside of the bath area, there are individual stations for grooming, shaving (razors are provided), etc. The two exquisitely presented meals were served to us in a separate private dining area. Dinner was about 9 courses consisting of many items in each course, and our server explained what each item was. Breakfast was equally involved, with about about 7 items and a large pot of rice. The Japanese food is excellent, varied, and served elegantly. We had a memorable experience and we’re glad we decided to have the experience. I only have one complaint – the staff we encountered was usually not fluent in English and we felt that we might have understood more about the culture had there been more English speakers available.

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“6 Star Onsen Hotel”

We drove to the hotel but was guided to another hotel by the GPS, but the staff was kind enough direct us to the correct hotel which is nearby. Upon arrival we were led to the lounge area and were served tea and snacks and check in was handled there. Very relaxing looking at the Sea Of Japan and a … more

We drove to the hotel but was guided to another hotel by the GPS, but the staff was kind enough direct us to the correct hotel which is nearby. Upon arrival we were led to the lounge area and were served tea and snacks and check in was handled there. Very relaxing looking at the Sea Of Japan and a traditional pine garden. I was the told that was the theme of the hotel where water meets the sky and the pine and they are all in one. So tranquil! Later the next day, we had a traditional tea ceremony at the old house in front of the sea. Simply beautiful. The rooms are clean, modern and have a massage chair. At our private dining room, it was set up with a mini Singapore and Japanese flag, such a nice touch. Food was very good with the local seafood. We found the same Japanese Singapore flag set up during our check out at the reception as well. Hilarious! For our two nights stay, we were taken care by Jotai San who spoke excellent English. We found out she lived in Malaysia for 3 years. She was wonderful and helpful. Her colleague Syagawa San also provided very good service though her English was not as good. The outdoor onsen facing the sea was very relaxing though you have to be careful before you walk out. I had to scramble back in to the door when a fishing boat went by as I was walking out. The hotel souvenir shop sells some beautiful and unique pottery dishes. We picked up some sauce plates and were very happy with the purchase. The room charge included all you can drink during dining and also at the bar.

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“Another fine stay at the top luxury ryokan in Wakura Onsen”

We had fond memories of our first stay at Kagaya Bettei Matsunomidori, so we decided last week to pay another visit to find out if we would be as charmed as we were last time, or if some of our recent stays at Japan's top ryokans will have bumped this ryokan down in the pecking order. I'm happy to … more

We had fond memories of our first stay at Kagaya Bettei Matsunomidori, so we decided last week to pay another visit to find out if we would be as charmed as we were last time, or if some of our recent stays at Japan's top ryokans will have bumped this ryokan down in the pecking order. I'm happy to say that our experience was excellent, although we were more acutely aware of few of the flaws that we overlooked during our initial sojourn to this ryokan. Kagaya Bettei Matsunomidori was established in 2015 as an annex to the famous and respected Kagaya. The Kagaya group owns and operates several massive properties in the Wakura Onsen area, including Kagaya, Aenokaze and Niji to Umi, all of which are massive, big box properties with a wide array of facilities and activities that is perfect for families and large tour groups. For more discerning travelers, however, the 31-room Matsunomidori stands apart as the luxury option among Kagaya group's portfolio, along with a price to match. We first stayed in 2016, so Matsunomidori was new, fresh and stylish, and we were enamored with the design, refined cuisine, polished service, the massive and interesting public areas and the enchanting view of the garden and ocean. Most of what we remember still hold true, although we were more acutely aware of some of the shortcomings that our younger selves probably overlooked the first time around. First off, 31 rooms for a luxury ryokan is on the large side. Many of the very top properties have less than 20 rooms, with several of them having rooms in the single digits. This resulted in a slightly less intimate and bespoke experience than we've recently become accustomed to. On the flip side, the public areas are comparatively massive, with incredible displays and exhibits of traditional and modern art. Most notably, there is a Wajima Nuri lacquerware (輪島塗) exhibit by famed craftsman Kado Isaburo, with his works prominently displayed througout every nook and cranny of the common areas. Also, the garden is photogenic, is fronted by a historic tea house called Tokuryoan (book early for the wonderful tea ceremony experience in Tokuryoan), and offers stupendous views of the ocean as well as Noto Island. In the lounge area, Matsunomidori offers coffee, tea and snacks throughout the day, free of charge, including a delicious Japanese sweet called Manju (among other offerings.) Overall, the scale and quality of the facilities (including the gift shop) is top notch. The quality further extends to the room as well, for the most part. We stayed in the highest category room - Special Room with Open-Air Bath, which is an expansive 140m² in size, has a living room, a Japanese tatami-matted room as well as a separate and massive bedroom, which also has its own sitting area. Aside from the tatami room, the Suite was unusual in being carpeted and in having Western-style furnishings (couch, table/chairs and beds rather than futons.) While everything was in tip top shape and it was a great place to pass the time, we did feel that the room felt a tad dated - since this is not a traditional ryokan, some of the design elements have not stood the test of time, including the tiles in the shower area. The biggest shortcoming, in my opinion, was the in-room Onsen experience. We were surprised to find the bath not being filled with hot springs, with no Onsen continually flowing into the tub - in order to fill the bath with Onsen, you need to push a button near the shower for the hot springs to be unleashed. There are problems with this approach: Because the temperature of the Onsen itself is not regulated and maintained at a predefined amount of warmth, as soon as the tub fills up you need to get in right away before the bath becomes to lukewarm to enjoy it. Once the temperature drops, you're best advised to drain the bath and start the process all over again. It's a real hassle, and something that we feel is unacceptable at a luxury Onsen ryokan that charges such high room rates. This issue can be circumvented by paying a visit to the communal bath, but if that's all you need, it sort of defeats the purpose of staying in a high-end ryokan. Keep in mind also that not all rooms have an Onsen bath in the room. On the plus side, everything in the minibar is available free of charge, and the bathroom amenities are of high quality (although not unique.) Travel sized containers of lotion, shampoo, conditioner, body soap, moisturizer and other necessities are supplied by Omnisens (a Japanese brand), which seems to be what is offered by almost a third of the luxury ryokans in the country. We enjoyed our dining experience at Matsunomidori. The Noto Peninsula, which is where Wakura Onsen is located, is renowned for nature's bounty from both the sea and land, and the ryokan does a good job that make the most of the local ingredients (especially the seafood.) The sashimi, including the Amaebi Sweet Shrimp, was simply sublime, as was the boiled Snow Crab (the local variety in the area is called "Kano-gani.") While not every single dish was exceptional, overall we were satisfied with the high-quality cuisine on offer at Matsunomidori. The same also applies to the Japanese breakfast - very good overall, although the food portions were on the small side. Although we enjoyed our second stay at Matsunomidori and are glad we returned, it didn't quite live up to the fond memories and sky-high expectations that resulted from our amazing first visit many years ago. There is no shame in that, and it's still definitely a bona-fide luxury ryokan. But the inconvenient in-room onsen bathing process brings this property down a notch relative to some of the other top luxury ryokans that we've recent visited in Japan.

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“Small room lit with Kieg lights”

We had a very small room in the 300’s. There is a large construction project going on in front. Try to book a room other than in that wing. Lovely grounds and public spaces. However not my cup of Japanese Tea