Daikon no Hana Onsen — Attraction in Zao

You know the hotel is doing something right when you have kept thinking about it since your stay. The stay did not start on a promising note. From the outside, the location of the hotel was far from promising. It is along a non-descript country road next to a random restaurant leading to a resort. As I approached it, I kept wondering how can the setting of the hotel be as beautiful as shown in the pictures at a location like this? I was in for a surprise. Once I was in the lobby, I was immediately put at ease by the tranquil atmosphere. I asked the front desk to book a taxi for me for the next day and that was taken care of immediately.

I was then led to the room, which required me to walk through the outdoor corridors. The environment was idyllic and the scenery soothing. I had read online that they have very nice outdoor onsens. That's where I rushed to immediately upon check-in. And they did not disappoint. After overcoming the initial trepidation about taking off one's clothes potentially in full view of anyone who happens to be there, I was able to enjoy the experience. One thing great about an outdoor onsen is that the water is slightly more tepid. It is quite an incredible experience to be bathing surrounded by trees and next to a stream.

The highlight of my stay was the dinner. I have stayed in a few onsen hotels before and this was by far the best meal I have had. This was easily a Michelin two-star meal. Everything was exquisite. You can tell that they use the finest ingredients and every dish was prepared to perfection. While most of the dishes were outstanding, the dish that has left a lasting impression was the steak. It was one of the most tender pieces of steak I have ever had. And it was not as fatty as the typical Wagyu. It is not too difficult to make a piece of fatty steak tender. But it is much more challenging to do so with a relatively lean piece of meat. And they succeeded. Another worthy mention were the drinks, which were included (there are chargeable wines you can order). The apple juice was from a local farm and it was probably the freshest apple juice I had ever had. You are then invited to have dessert in the lobby. Usually you get fruits after a Japanese meal. But here I was served a bread pudding, which was an excellent surprise.

There were only 18 rooms in the entire hotel. So you hardly run into other guests outside of the meals. There was four private onsens, two outdoors and two semi outdoors, which are first come first serve. Trying to get into them is the only time you may feel the presence of other guests. Sometimes you have to wait.

Most guests, including myself, stay for one night, which is understandable given the cost, but which I think is a mistake. With the four outdoor private onsen and a public one, a lounge, and everything else, you really need two nights to enjoy the place fully. Plus you will get to enjoy the hotel all by yourself after the guests from the previous night have checked out at 11 but before the next batch of guests check in at 3. I double checked with the staff and was assured that your dinner would be different on the second night.

The last thing I should mention is that the service is top notch, as one would expect from an onsen ryokan of this calibre. It was attentive without being intrusive. It is the intangibles that make the overall experience so special. You can try to break it down to the individual components but put together, the whole environment just makes you so relaxed and at ease. It is often said that a hotel can make you forget about your daily life, even if only momentarily. This is one of the few places that genuinely achieve that.

I remember I had seen a YouTube video by a Japanese influencer saying that this is one of the best onsen ryokans in Japan. I was skeptical. But now I am fully convinced and can't wait to go back again. For those who don't drive, there is a bus leaving from the Sendai JR station stopping at the Mercure Resort about a ten minute walk from the hotel. It's...

We stayed at Daikon no Hana for two nights. We arrived at the Shiroishi-Zao train station & the staff already waiting outside the exit with the ryokan banner in Japanese writing, so if you can't read Japanese no problem because they're the only one standing there with a green banner greeting us very politely. There are a few couples coming, we use a mini bus to go to the ryokan, it takes around 40 minutes with a very old driver & stunning view of snowy villages & mountains along the way.||||We were told via e-mail that all the staff can't speak English,but apparently there's one staff who can speak English quite good, her name is Misa-san. She is very helpful since the moment we arrived she explained everything we need to know, give us the map of the ryokan, scheduling our dinner, breakfast & lunch, taking us to our beautiful villa & explaining everything inside the room including how to wear the yukata pyjamas with the winter coat. We wear the pyjamas/kimono all day wherever we go inside the ryokan area. ||||The ryokan itself has a very unique concept because it consist of several individual villas connected by this open air wooden bridges & aisle, more like villas you'll find in Bali or other tropical mountain. Because of the land texture, the position of the villas have a good privacy & it's own beautiful breathtaking view of the woods. Love the main lobby with a small shops & there's a library where you can rent a DVD or books. Wifi only at the lobby.||||The room is huge, very clean with a complete compliments of bottled water, green tea, coffee, beauty kit & amenities. Theres no private bathroom inside our room, only toilet & wash basin. We must go outside across the open air wooden bridge to take a bath or shower, it's a beautiful experience. The room is very warm with a heater under the tatami mat.||||There's two outdoor hot spring/onsen with a shower, two outdoor onsen without shower & 24 hr public outdoor & indoor onsen with bathroom for men & women.||||They served the breakfast & dinner at the dining room, which all a private room & very beautifully design. The food is delicious with a fulfilling portion, there's a late night snack consist of oden soup & a steamed sponge cake so you won't be hungry. But for lunch we must go outside to a restaurant nearby the ryokan, there's a pick-up car & driver from the ryokan. The nearby soba restaurant is very beautiful traditional house & the food is delicious with a very wonderful staff. You can go to the nearest village centre for other options or go to public onsen or fox village to see the forest fox in their natural habitat.||||They have a very good system of using the onsen, we can use the private onsen whenever we want as long as it's not occupied. So it's very convenience unlike other ryokan where we have to make a reservation for a private onsen. The view from the onsen is magical with all the snow covering the forest with tall big trees around you. You will never get tired of the view surrounding this ryokan.||||The highlight of our trip :||- The staff & the service is excellent, specially Misa-san who is very helpful||- They are not allow to receive tips||- The view is amazingly beautiful, you don't really get this kind of view at other ryokan||- The wooden structure & the building is beautifully designed||- Dinner was delicious with Fugu (Blowfish) as the main menu||- The tomato juice is sooo delicious, also the milk & blueberry yoghurt during breakfast is my favorite||- They served a delicious cookies inside our room, I bought one box to bring back home||- This is a place for couple or two people, the onsen are mostly fit for two person only||- Over all we had the best time & experience at Daikon no Hana, worth the price, we will definitely come back...

This resort is truly world class, and totally unexpected. Having stayed at many Japanese resorts, most of them were missing something that placed them just below other great resorts in Asia. No surprise service is fantastic like in most establishments in Japan, but the staff here took it to a higher level. Perhaps it was the unspoken and quiet attention to details. Even watching the barista grind and prepare awesome pour over coffee to customers wasn’t a hurried affair. Efficient, effortless, and exceptional quality, as can be said about every aspect of our two-night stay. The staff were not robots, they performed their tasks, they interacted, and they accommodated. A rare experience in Japan, and very warmly welcomed.

I highly recommend staying two nights, as there are four private open air onsen on the property in addition to the gender specific communal onsens and the onsen in your room! Most guests spend a night, which means that between 11am check-out and 3pm check-in, the facilities are all yours! (Not that it feels crowded or busy in any way in the first place).

The grounds are breathtakingly set in natural forrest surroundings away from disturbances other than the river and singing of birds and wildlife, and connected by immaculately maintained covered walkways. It’s an idillic paradise away from the big cities, and less than 2 hours Shinkansen from Tokyo. The food is also impeccably well prepared, of first rate quality, with ingredients sourced locally across Miyagi prefecture. They have an incredible wine and sake menu, mostly from Japanese wineries and distilleries in the area, but also selections of Italian and German wines. The resident sommeliers are also more than happy to help pair drinks with your meal. Being all-inclusive, you can try pairings to your hearts content, truly an incredible experience. The details continue into the Japanese traditional guest rooms, which are clean, functional, and comfortable. Beds and pillows were just right, probably the most sound sleep I’ve had in a long time. There is sufficient privacy and separation between suites, and the mini-bar is well stocked and free. Refills for the snacks, beer, Champagne, and sake are a phone call away.

The saddest part of our visit was going home. We will miss the hospitality and how comfortable and worry-free the staff make you feel. Everyone knows who we are, how long we are staying, our travel accommodations, etc. so they can help make our stay smooth. They ensure the taxi is taken care of and waiting at checkout, even ensuring that the kitchen prepares a different meal for you on the second day so you don’t repeat the same meal.

We hope to come back again in time for beautiful autumn colors, and to experience how the chefs prepare the spectacular seasonal ingredients from the local farms that end up on the menu.

Don’t hesitate one bit, if you can reserve a night or preferably two, it will be one of the most relaxing and satisfying getaways you...