Izu: Tofuya Resort & Spa
Tofuya Resort & Spa Izu is a Japanese style ryokan with a history of 400 years. Spanning 29 acres, it’s an immersive, high end getaway that guests can escape to.
Alongside the Yoshina River in Izu, Shizuoka, is Tofuya, a Japanese style resort with a history that dates back 400 years. It’s often considered one of the top modern luxury ryokans in the Izu and Atami areas.
The resort now spans a vast area of about 29 acres, or 120,000 square meters. Because of this, it never feels crowded even if it’s fully booked. Despite covering such a big space, each part of the resort is clean and well maintained.
How to get there
The best way to get to the Izu Yoshina Onsen area, where the resort is located, is by car. Resort staff will greet you at the driveway and valet park your car for you.
If you’re traveling by train, the closest station is Shuzenji Station. From there, a taxi would be best.
Taishokan-Hosen building
The experience at Tofuya Resort & Spa Izu is almost like being immersed in an Edo Period Japanese town. The buildings are mixed but tend to be on the more “traditional” side, and there are many open spaces to walk in.
At check-in, the staff will let you choose a yukata of your choice. Unlike some other ryokans, there are multiple designs that range from simple to colorfully designed ones.
Kurashiki warehouse villa suites
Kurashiki villa suites illuminated at night
Lounge
Lounge
The lounge, located on the Taishokan-Hosen building’s first floor, spreads across a few rooms.
In the center near the entrance is a counter of snacks, soft drinks, beer and wine that’s included in your stay. Guests can take what they want, head over to a seat and relax.
Drink and snack area of the lounge
Room at the lounge
Room at the lounge
Hall area at the lounge
Rooms
The room we stayed in was a villa suite type that was near the Yoshina River. Located inside of a kurashiki style Japanese warehouse building, the room was 2 floors and featured 3 beds (1 in the main living area, 2 upstairs). It totaled about 72㎡ and is meant for 2-4 people.
There are outdoor spaces both on the first floor as well as a private onsen bath tub and balcony on the second floor.
For this room, prices will depend on the season but is like to start at around 40,000 JPY per person, including meals.
Toiletries such as toothbrushes, combs, razor etc. are provided, as well as free soft drinks, tea and capsule coffee.
Main area of the villa suite room
Sofa and TV area of the villa suite room
Bathroom and balcony in the villa suite room
Private onsen bath in the villa suite
The Hot Springs
There are multiple pubic onsen hot spring baths at Tofuya Resort & Spa. The two that I used were set alongside the Yoshina River.
One was fully outdoors, including the washing area, and had a more natural feel to it. The bath itself was big, providing a lot of personal space.
The other had a Japanese style to it and was open to the outdoors but enclosed with a roof.
These baths alternate between men and women each day, so guests can try out both of them during your stay.
Public outdoor onsen hot spring bath
Semi-outdoor onsen bath
Dining
Like most ryokan stays, Japanese kaiseki meals were included. Tofuya Resort & Spa’s meals are served in both a dining hall as well as the second floor of the Taishokan-Hosen building, depending on which meal type you choose. For breakfast and dinner, there are Japanese and Western meal options.
The Japanese-style dinner was amazing. We opted to get the upgraded version, and it included dishes such as a sushi and sashimi platter, kinmedai (a type of red snapper), Wagyu yakiniku and a lot more. It was incredibly filling and delicious.
We chose to go for the Western breakfast to experience eating in the Taishokan-Hosen building. While I don’t have experience eating the Japanese breakfast here, I think that’d be the better option for most.
The main attraction of the Western breakfast is that it features bread from their popular bakery, however we didn’t feel that it was that good.
Overall, our stay at Tofuya Resort & Spa Izu was great. It’s a real gem on the Izu peninsula and a resort that I’d recommend to anybody looking to getaway and relax in a luxurious Japanese environment.
Outside of the lobby area
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Shizuoka: Hoshino Resorts KAI Enshu
A luxury ryokan resort focused on Japanese tea. The Hoshino Resorts KAI Enshu, an amazing getaway that dives into the local specialty.
Next to Lake Hamana is the Kanzanji Onsen area, a removed area near Hamamatsu City. Right at the lakeside is Hoshino Resorts KAI Enshu, a luxury resort that is all about tea.
Hoshino Resorts is one of the most well known and sought after luxury hot spring and resort ryokan chains in Japan.
If you’ve looked around at my Japan travels on my blog or watched some of my videos on YouTube, you may know that I’m a fan of their KAI brand. I’ve been fortunate to have stayed at some of their resorts such as:
We took a road trip to Hamamatsu in the spring of 2022, and I was able to stay at their KAI Enshu location.
How to get there
We drove to the ryokan, but it’s possible to get there by train and bus.
From JR Hamamatsu Station’s North Exit, there’s an Enshu Railway Bus from Bus Terminal Platform No. 1, that’s bound for Kanzanji Onsen. The bus will take you to Hamanako Bay Street, and it’s about a minute or two to the hotel on foot.
The lobby
Hoshino Resorts KAI Enshu focuses on the local area, just like other locations in this line. Shizuoka Prefecture accounts for 40% of Japan’s green tea, so it’s only right that this resort is focused on it.
The resort itself is centered around the tea garden pictured at the top, and there’s tea at every turn inside the resort as well.
At the entrance of the main indoor lounge area are these fancy-looking, cold-brew green tea dispensers.
Tea Stand for cold-brew tea
Nearby is their Tea Cellar, a long counter with personal teapots and about 13 different tea leaves with pictogram “Tea Cards” that explain about the tea and provide brewing recommendations.
It’s self-serve and you can make yourself a pot of tea and take it anywhere in the resort to enjoy.
Tea Cellar with 13 different types of tea
One of the teas at the Tea Cellar
In the same area is their Tea Lounge Bicharaku, a library space with tables and an elevated space that looks over the tea garden and Lake Hamana.
Tea Lounge Bicharaku library
Activities
There are a number of activities that guests are able to take part in. One of them is their tea brewing experience.
Here, an instructor educates participants exactly how to brew their tea. Once everyone has successfully brewed their cup and finished drinking it, a challenge is presented.
Three different cold teas are presented, and one of them is the same type of tea as the hot one that everyone just brewed. The challenge is to guess which one that is. It’s harder than it sounds!
Tea Bar for the tea brewing experience
Tea at the tea brewing experience
Taste test at the tea brewing experience
Rooms
We stayed in the Western-style Room with Lake View TA2, a room that measures 35㎡ big with 2 beds in the main space and a bathroom with shower (you probably won’t need it because of the onsen).
Like all the rooms, it had a main window that looked directly out at Lake Hamana which was gorgeous.
Main area of the room
Sofa by the room window
Bathroom
The Hot Spring
There are two onsen hot spring baths at Hoshino Resorts KAI Enshu.
One has two tubs, an indoor and an outdoor one that’s pictured below. It’s set in a serene location, surrounded by nature, and has a running fountain of fresh water pouring in.
One of the two public onsen baths
The second bath also has an indoor tub, but the main outdoor tub is unique as it has baskets of tea floating in it. The tub itself is wooden and circular, and although it’s a bit small, having the tea in their will give off an aroma that gives you quite a unique onsen experience.
The water that flows through Japanese onsen hot springs vary and depend on where the water is coming from. Each has a slightly different combination of minerals carrying different benefits to the skin and body.
Hoshino Resorts KAI Enshu’s onsen water is from the Kanzanji hot spring and is pretty clear in color. They report that their water has sodium, calcium, chloride, and strong saline.
One of the benefits said to be provided by this combination is that the salts coat the body like a veil to warm up and moisturize the skin.
Dining
Like most ryokan stays, Japanese kaiseki meals are included. Hoshino Resorts KAI Enshu’s meals are served in a dining hall that has separated rooms.
Like every other Hoshino Resorts KAI resort, this location had great meals.
The Hamamatsu area is known for unagi, or eel, but because we had plans to eat that in Hamamatsu city, we opted to go for the Standard Seasonal Dinner option.
Delicious dinner. Some pics are below.
Breakfast was also good and staying with the tea concept, some of the main dishes were served in a box of tea on top of tea leaves.
This was another enjoyable stay at a Hoshino Resorts KAI location and recommend it to anyone traveling in the area, especially if they have an interest in tea.
If you’d like to watch a video of my stay there, please check it out below.
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Shimoda: A Presidential Onsen Getaway At Seiryuso
This upscale onsen resort getaway was fitting enough for a US President.
Out on a peninsula in Shizuoka prefecture is Shimoda, a rural area with onsen hot springs and ryokans surrounded by nature.
While there is a small train station in the town, we, like most others visiting the area, came by car.
The town is extremely small, so expect to stay at the ryokan for your full stay. You won't want to leave anyway.
We did take a walk around the neighborhood and there isn't much to see. There weren't any convenience stores either - odd in Japan. The one store that had their door open was one of the more creepier stores with it's flickering dim fluorescents with no one manning the half-stocked shop.
Seiryuso
We stayed at Seiryūso, an upscale ryokan resort that US President Jimmy Carter stayed at in 1979. It's presidential indeed.
The grounds were clean and well kept, and from arrival to departure, the service was on point.
Sakura tea served upon arrival
The ryokan’s rooms are beautifully set near a river [map] and the spacious rooms have their own onsen baths in a private space that opens to the outdoors. It’s walled for privacy but there are window slits that can be opened in order to take in the natural surroundings as you relax.
Main room with a balcony out in front and a tatami room behind
Bathroom with dual sinks, shower, and the private onsen tub outside
The room's private onsen has constantly running hot spring water
The resort itself has a huge outdoor pool that is heated by the natural hot spring water, sauna and steam room, massage chairs and more, and the grounds are quite spacious.
The Olympic-sized outdoor heated pool
The Japanese meals were delicious and really filling, and we enjoyed them in our Japanese yukata wear.
If you’re looking for an upscale onsen getaway that's somewhere other than Hakone, Seiryūso in Shimoda is a really nice place to consider as a destination. Everything was pleasant and provided us with a refreshing recharge.
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Hamamatsu
Exploring Hamamatsu, Shizuoka - one of Japan's unagi capitals - for a day.
Edited 2022
Hamamatsu is a mid-sized city at the western end of Shizuoka Prefecture
It’s most famous for Lake Hamana, unagi and gyoza
Hamamatsu is a coastal city on the western end of Shizuoka Prefecture, neighboring Aichi Prefecture.
How to get there
JR Hamamatsu Station is one of the stops on the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen Line, making it rather convenient. While there is a train line in the city, getting around it is best done by car.
About Hamamatsu
Hamamatsu is a mid-sized city with a population of just under 800,000. It’s Shizuoka Prefecture’s largest city. Many Brazilians live in the city, with a large portion of them working at local manufacturing plants.
Lake Hamana and unagi, or Japanese eel, are the two things Hamamatsu is best known for. A lot of the shops in the city even sell unagi-flavored confectionary treats as well, and it’s usually the omiyage, or gift brought back from travelers to the city.
I’ve visited Hamamatsu twice. The first was a spur of the moment decision in which I stayed for a couple of days, and the second was to stay at the Hoshino Resorts KAI Enshu resort ryokan.
I've been a big fan of unagi since I was a child, and since it’s considered Japan’s unagi capital, I decided that I needed to go there and try it. My only real goal on that first trip was to head to a shop that was recommended to me. (shown below)
Here are some places that I’ve been to in the city.
Where we went
Act Tower
Often times when I travel to a place, I try to make it to a high point in the city to get a view overlooking the area. I headed to Act Tower, which is just outside of Hamamatsu Station on the east side. The view from the tower the photo at the top.
Airpark JASDF Hamamatsu Air Base Museum
The Airpark is a large museum for people interested in jets and planes in general. I was able to go on my second trip to Hamamatsu.
Entrance to the park is free and there’s free parking as well. There are decommissioned planes and replicas located in the museum, models showing the evolution of flight suits, a replica of a room in the Japanese Air Force One that the Emperor, Prime Minister and other high-ranking officials use when traveling overseas.
There are interactive exhibits as well such as a flight simulator and virtual experience for the Blue Impulse, Japan’s air acrobatics team.
The park is located at an actual air base, so we saw a couple training jets take off. Overall it’s a fun experience.
https://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/airpark/ [J]
MAP
I mentioned that food was my main reason why I first visited Hamamatsu. And because I got to go again, I ate at some good places that I can recommend.
Unagi Nakaya
Mission accomplished. Unagi Nakaya was recommended to me and the main place I wanted to eat on my first trip to Hamamatsu.
It's quite far from the central area and inconvenient to get to without a car, but as of today, it’s one of the top 3 unagi that I've ever had.
The chef cuts, grills and prepares the unagi right in front of you. It's extremely fresh, moist and tasty.
MAP
* This place seems to have closed.
Atsumi
Another favorite unagi spot. Both Unagi Nakaya above and Atsumi here are two of my three favorite unagi places that I’ve ever eaten.
Atsumi is centrally located and just a short walk from Hamamatsu Station. It’s straight forward, selling unagi sold in a few different ways such as sauce, sauceless, in a round bowl, etc. Each comes in about 3 different sizes. The one that I got here is a medium, which contains 1.5 unagi.
So fluffy and moist, yet just the right amount of char on the outside. Absolutely delicious.
Fukumitsu
Gyoza, or Chinese dumplings, are also famous in Hamamatsu. In fact, the city competes with Utsunomiya in Tochigi Prefecture for the title of gyoza capital of Japan.
Fukumitsu is a local spot and during lunch hours, you’ll see a line of locals - a good sign. Hamamatsu style gyoza is filled with a lot of vegetables like cabbage and onion, as well as pork. Fukumitsu’s gyoza wrapping was a little thicker than average, but still maintained a light feel to it.
I got a small-sized, 10-piece lunch set which was filling enough. Lunch sets go up to 20 pieces, and you can order gyoza platters of up to 50 pieces. Fukumitsu is very satisfying for lunch and I imagine it’d be a great place to gather with friends for gyoza parties in the evening as well.
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Visiting the Furano area of Hokkaido in the summer, a popular tourist destination for Japanese