This ryokan is featured in many books showcasing the best Japanese hotels. Located on the side of Lake Akan, we drove here after our visit to Furano. The onsen street area is basically on one area of the lake and most of the hotels are those big ones with many rooms. But Hinanoza is different, being the type with only a small number of rooms, offering more privacy and exclusivity.
After parking our car, the entrance already gave me a good wow. The wooden plaque showing the name of the ryokan and the stone facade has a local tribal element and walking through the gate of intricate design of a crescent moon, there is a big wooden chair right in front, where a majestic eagle is perching on top. The eagle is an animal the local people worship and signify glory and power.
The staff helpfully brought our luggage in and processing our registration, so I took the time to walk around. There are many wooden sculptures, showing wild animals like wolf and bears from this northern land. The wooden table and chairs are also of amazing quality and craftsmanship. But the one thing that really took my breath away was the very very long wooden bar table. Extending for ten metres, it is made of solid wood and must have cost a fortune.
Finishing the snacks and drinks while relaxing comfortably and admiring the beautiful lake view outside, we were then shown to our room. There are only 25 rooms in total for the ryokan, and we had booked the Ama no Za Suite, which has a huge tatami room of more than 1,200 sq. feet. Our room is 301, with the Japanese style living room has the traditional low table, facing the balcony where there are seatings to look at the lake view outside.
Adjacent is the western style living room, with the sofa and coffee table, a small writing table and a pantry. Another great facility is the high-end sound system available. There are couple of CDs the ryokan had prepared to provide nice music to smooth our nerves, and the music quality was also great. One can just spend hours listening to the music, admiring to the view and let your mind totally relax and wander wildly.
The bedroom is comfortable, with a soft, cozy mattress and blanket that would put you to sleep in seconds, and while you can close the paper door at night, opening them leads to the make-up room, where there are two sets of basins so you don't need to fight in the morning to clean up, there is also a massage chair.
Facing outside and leading out is a Japanese cypress shower-room, and then it leads to the semi-open onsen bath. Made from cypress, the bath is huge, good enough to accommodate a couple easily. There are also a chair that one can take a rest between baths while looking out to Lake Akan. The whole experience is really wonderful and put all my work pressure beyond me for the time being.
Another special service the ryokan provided is that for female guests they could choose their own yakata. My wife picked a very pretty pink one but instead of just letting her to figure her own way, the staff came and helped her put that on, very helpful indeed!!
After taking a walk at the onsen street, we return to get ready for our dinner. The first course is Grilled Tomato and Potato, made such beautifully that it resembles more like a flower than the tomato.
The appetizers include Boiled Shrimp, Scallop Salted in Pickled Vegetables and Stewed Duck Meat. Again presenting in such a nice way and all the ingredients amazingly have their flavors so rich and pronounced.
The sashimi included Japanese Hucho Perryi, Bluefin Tuna, Sea Urchin and Prawn. They are very fresh, with each sashimi so intense on the individual flavors. Again a great demonstration of the quality of the ingredients from Hokkaido.
Next is the signature hot pot cooked at the table, with a Thornhead cooked in Hinanoza style. The fish itself is a high-end type, with the flesh very soft, tender and sweet. Cooked in the hot pot highlighted the good qualities of the fish and the tofu and other vegetable in the pot has absorbed the flavors of the soup and fish making it extra tasty.
Then we have the Rockfish Broiled, Soaked in Yuzu Sauce. The fish is special as mostly this dish is made using cod, but Hinanoza had chosen Rockfish instead, which has a nice texture, firmer than cod, and equally tasty. It is grilled perfectly with a nice charcoal skin while the flesh was not dried out.
The simmered dishes include the King Crab with Ginger, which has a nice delicate taste. The other option is the Steamed Neptunea with Sake. The shellfish has a nice chewy bite but not rubbery, and the seaweed jelly giving an extra dimensions.
The main dish is of Beef Steak with Red Wine Sauce. The beef is of top quality wagyu, and they are grilled nicely, with the skin crispy and caramelized but the flesh still soft, and tender. On the sides there is the broccoli and potato to accompany.
Then we have the Abalone and Shredded Pumpkin. The abalone is chewy but easy to bite, full of the intense flavors of the shellfish. The lotus root provided a good contrast with the abalone and offer another dimensions to the overall enjoyment.
Then we have the Boiled Rice with Crab, which has generous amount of crab meat. A great way to conclude the meal, the rice is sweet, and pair perfectly with the fish roe and crab meat to make it another highlight of the evening.
Finally for dessert we have berry ice-cream and fruit preservatives.
Honestly this is probably the least impressive of all the courses on the night. Nothing special, not bad really but considering the overall quality of the meal it is a bit of a disappointment.
After the meal and having a nice bath, before retiring for bed we decided to go to the bar to enjoy. The bartender is very professional, and I had the signature cocktail (forgot the name) which we saw how it was mixed. The place is quiet with only the two of us, so it was relaxing, peaceful, and unfortunately I could not speak Japanese or otherwise it would be a good time to chat with him.
On the next day we got up and was greeted by a beautiful weather, with a perfect view on Lake Akan and seeing the cruise ship coming to the pier. This view honestly was already worth a high price. After another bath we went to breakfast.
Again the meal was wonderful, with all the dishes, including the salad, Japanese pickles, grilled and steamed fish, toasted seaweed, rice and fruit all very good, and in no time I finished all the food, without any single thing left.
The services overall are nice, operating in an interesting way where you would not find the staff normally but when you need them they would materialize. I think this is one of the secrets of the service of the Japanese ryokan and Hinanoza certainly live up to that.
The cost of staying in the room we chose was not cheap, at 172,800 yen it is one of the most expensive ryokan I have stayed. But it was one of those places I still recommend to come if you can afford.
My overall rating is 8.0/10.
Next we have Rogan Josh, which are chunks of lamb cooked in onion and red pepper sauce. The sauce is rich and full of flavors, while the lamb is juicy, tender and tasty. This dish is recommended by the staff and certainly a good choice, with both my wife and myself rating this the best of the dishes on the night.
We also have Malai Jheenga Curry, which are fresh prawns cooked in a rich creamy curry sauce. The size of the prawns are quite small, which generally for me I would call them shrimps. But it has the bite which shows the freshness of the shrimps. The sauce is good, though a bit sweet.
To enjoy the sauce we also had some bread, a Tandoori Roti which is wholewheat bread baked in Tandoor, as well as a Garlic Nan. Both bread are good, and perfect complement to eat with the dishes to enjoy the sauce which are always the essence of the Indian food.
