Ryokan Akemiso — Hotel in Kesennuma

. . . ryokan in Japan from a meal standpoint. It's a good thing I took notes, because I forgot, but here is what I have jotted down: "#1 in my book for # of dishes and local delicacies. Dishes for dinner included Mambo (sunfish), awabi (abalone), oyster, scallop, saury sashimi, and sea squirt, including shark fin soup and uni pudding for desert. Grilled saury for breakfast with two soups!" I paid 13,650 yen per night. Together with Miyako up the coast, Kesennuma has the best uni in Japan, and is the only place in Japan where shark and sunfish are consumed.||||Kesennuma is also famous for saury. I was disappointed that dinner only included it served sashimi style (bold move as it better be fresh), however I was greeted at breakfast with a whole fish that was grilled to perfection! Juicy and oozing with oil, definitely the best I have eaten in Japan. I knew Mambo was a specialty of Kesennuma but had no luck finding any restaurant in town to serve it, but sure enough, it was included for dinner at Akemiso, prepared in a half raw, pickled fashion. The staff at the ryokan didn't speak much English, but they were very friendly.||||I visited the island around 2003 via rental car. As this ryokan is located in the middle of Oshima Island across the bay from Kesennuma, I presume it survived the horrible tsunami. I am not sure ferry service to Oshima has been restored at this point, to support...

English translation below (日本語のレビューの英訳):

4泊ほどお世話になりました。とても家庭的で温かい雰囲気の旅館で、まるで実家に帰ってきたかのような安心感がありました。スタッフの皆様はとても親切で、私たちが快適に過ごせるよう細やかな気配りをしてくださいました。

夕食と朝食はどちらも素晴らしく、地元の食材を活かした丁寧なお料理に感動いたしました。毎日楽しみにしていました。

また、温泉もとても気持ちよく、心も体も癒されました。館内はどこも清潔に保たれており、快適に過ごすことができました。

心から感謝申し上げます。ぜひまた訪れたいと思います。素晴らしい滞在をありがとうございました。

We stayed at Ryokan Akemiso for four nights and felt truly at home. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and it felt like returning to a familiar place. The staff were incredibly kind and attentive, doing their best to ensure our comfort throughout our stay.

Both dinner and breakfast were wonderful—carefully prepared meals using local ingredients that we looked forward to every day.

The onsen was also very relaxing and helped us unwind completely. The entire facility was spotless, and everything was kept beautifully clean.

We are truly grateful for such a memorable stay. We would love to return again. Thank you very much for your...

Ontzettend lieve mensen die je verblijf een feestje maken! Elke dag weer een bijzondere maaltijd. De onsen is ook heerlijk en de kamers bijzonder schoon. Een aanrader voor iedereen. Wat ook bewonderingswaardig is is dat de eigenaren opnieuw zijn begonnen na de tsunami in 2011 en nog altijd opgewekt zijn, ondanks dat het toerisme in deze regio nog altijd minder is dan voor de...