Aomori: Hoshino Resorts Oirase Keiryu Hotel
On a trip to explore northern Honshu island in February 2021, I was lucky enough to get to stay at Hoshino Resorts Oirase Keikyu Hotel in Towada, Aomori.
Hoshino Resorts is one of the most well known and sought after luxury hot spring and resort ryokan companies in Japan. I’ve stayed at a few in their KAI line, such as KAI Kinugawa (Nikko), KAI Sengokuhara (Hakone) and KAI Kaga (near Kanazawa).
This was the first time I was staying at one of their resorts that wasn’t in that line, and as expected, it was great as well.
Main lobby and check-in area
How to get there
We took the Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo Station to Hachinohe in Aomori prefecture. From there, there’s a daily shuttle bus that you can request that is provided by the hotel. It takes about an hour and a half to get to the hotel.
The main lounge area
Hoshino Resorts Oirase Keiryu is located along the Oirase stream, tucked away and completely surrounded by nature.
Because of this, if you want to leave the resort, you’ll need a car.
Luckily, Hoshino Resorts Oirase Keiryu has a handful of tours and activities setup which they provide transportation for as well as equipment to rent. We took part in a couple, and I talk about those down below.
We stayed in the Modern Room, a room that measures 44㎡ with 2 beds, a bathroom, and a sofa looking out at the surrounding nature.
Modern Room
The Hot Spring
Maybe especially so because we went in the winter, but the onsen hot spring here was amazing, probably one of the nicest I’ve sat in.
Public indoor onsen bath area
In the winter, it’s called the “Frozen waterfall onsen” due to being surrounded by walls of ice. The hot water comes from Mt. Hakkoda, and the outdoor bath look out to the natural environment.
There is also an indoor part of the onsen that is quite big.
Dining
Like most ryokan stays, meals are included. Hoshino Resorts Oirase Keiryu’s meals take place at their Aomori Ringo Kitchen, a dining area centered around an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Aomori Ringo Kitchen buffet
The food here was great, and yes, they had more than apples.
For dinner, the highlights are their roast beef and maguro (tuna) sashimi and negitoro. Their apple pie and self-serve soft serve ice cream dessert is also really good.
For breakfast, their ikura (salmon roe) and salmon flakes are amazing.
Activities
Because the Hoshino Resorts Oirase Keiryu is secluded in the Towada area of Aomori, you basically need a car to go anywhere on your own. Because of this, they have option activities available that they’ll provide transportation for and offer gear to rent.
We went on two.
Night tour: Frozen waterfall
This was a short trip in a van to Makadoiwa Rock, a nearby waterfall that gets illuminated by LED lights. You don’t need any equipment and the whole trip takes only about an hour.
Snow trekking
This activity is in the daytime and took place twice a day. We opted for the later one that went from 1PM - 4PM. A van takes the group to a parking lot where we each strap into show shoes.
We followed the leader up and around a small mountain area until we ended up at Tatsunuma, a scenic swamp/lake. The guide was very informative, explaining the trees in the area and behaviors of the animals while looking at the tracks we came across.
All in all, this was a really nice stay and this resort was great. It exceeded my expectations and I’d love to visit again.
If you want to see the trip in video:
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