萃sui-諏訪湖 — Hotel in Suwa

We stayed at Sui Suwako in late October as part of a long Honshu road trip, and we couldn't be more pleased with our experience at Sui Suwako. It's a hybrid Ryokan/Hotel of sorts... it's a 4-story building that lacks a grand entrance or massive property grounds. But it offers rooms that are modern and comfortably appointed, the Omotenashi hospitality of a family-run Ryokan, an onsen bath in each and every room (as well as a terrific rooftop co-ed bath) as well as a terrific Kaiseki dining experience. Given its location in the middle of Nagano, it also serves as a good overnight rest spot if you're coming to/from places such as Tokyo, Fuji, Nagano, the Hokuriku Region, Tsumago/Magome and Karuizawa.||||Sui Suwako is located on the banks of the enormous Lake Suwa ("Suwa-ko" in Japanese), although there's a somewhat busy road as well as a small park/boardwalk between the property and the lake itself. It's not in the most secluded of locations, but upon entering the building and walking into the reception/common area you'll find that Sui Suwako is an oasis of tranquility. The furnishings and decor are a combination of traditional and modern - liberal use of brightly-colored wood, large windows facing a small yet charming garden, the earthly tones of the furnishings and a smattering of Shoji (dividers that consist of white, semi-translucent sheets on a lattice frame) lend an airy, homely feel. The same is true in the rooms themselves - it's a country home-style feel that gives it a warm, inviting vibe to the entire place.||||There are a total of 8 rooms (2 on each of the 4 floors) with two slightly different room categories. We choose to stay in the larger of the two types, dubbed the "Wide Japanese/Western-style Room with Open-air Hot Spring Bath, 75m²." It's slightly larger than the standard rooms, although every room contains a private, (semi-)open-air Onsen (hot springs) bath with views of Lake Suwa towards the far end of the room that also serves as a terrace of sorts. Our room was on the top (5th) floor with wonderful views of the lake, and was sufficiently spacious with a generously-sized living room and a separate bedroom with two large Western-style beds.||||Another neat feature of Sui Suwako is the open-air Onsen bath on the roof of the building. It offers commanding views of the lake, and it's also co-ed - unlike most Onsen baths, you're permitted to bathe in bathing suits, which allows for an enjoyable Onsen experience with friends and family of the opposite gender. And, given that only a maximum of 8 group of guests will be staying there at any given time, you're more than likely to have the bath all to yourself than sharing it with other guests. I recommend that you go just before dinner during the sunset hours. It's a gorgeous time to chill out and marvel at the beauty and serenity of the area.||||The dining experience was definitely a highlight. To start with, meals are served in one's own room (horray!) We love this aspect of the ryokan experience, and enjoy the intimacy, comfort and tranquility that it offers. The dinner is a many-course Kaiseki affair and focuses on regional produce and delicacies. The area is not very close to the ocean, so Sui Suwako emphasizes the wonderful mountain vegetables as well as fish from the Lake and its surrounds, and the flavors themselves are quite unique to the Shinshu region. Each serving was wonderfully prepared and beautifully decorated with local maple leaves, moss and other vegetation and served on unique plates, bowls, baskets and stone pots made by local artisans. It was definitely a delightful and educational gourmet experience. Among the highlights were the Wakasagi (Japanese Smelt from Lake Suwa) Tempura, which was light, crispy and very tasty; Chicken Houra-yaki, chicken and vegetables cooked on top of a large leaf with miso over a hot stone plate; and a small serving of Shinshu Soba with Karasumi (Salted Mullet Roe.) Breakfast was also not the same 'ol same 'ol. Sui Suwako focused, again, on the wonderful local vegetables, many of them pickled to serve as condiments for the rice porridge, and instead of the typical miso soup servings at most places, the breakfast soup was Kenchin Jiru, a wonderful, Umami-infused soup with root vegetables & tofu.) Very light and healthy, but still rich in complex flavors.||||We had an awesome time at Sui Suwako. It helped us learn and appreciate many of the wonderful aspects of the region, and the friendly staff, comfortable rooms and relaxing Onsen baths helped us recharge in the middle of a multi-week roadtrip throughout Japan. Should we ever venture through the area again (which is very likely), we would not hesitate to stay there once again.||||One final note: the Wakasagi Tempura was served to us via special request, and was not part of the menu for the evening. We had done some research in advance, and became aware of the delicacy that comes from Lake Suwa. We inquired about the possibility of trying out Wakasagi when we checked in earlier in the afternoon, and they thankfully were able to fulfill our request. The head chef supposedly used his connections to procure the Wakasagi from the local fishermen on short notice. It was awesome, and I would suggest you ask about...

We stayed at Sui Suwako in late October as part of a long Honshu road trip, and we couldn't be more pleased with our experience at Sui Suwako. It's a hybrid Ryokan/Hotel of sorts... it's a 4-story building that lacks a grand entrance or massive property grounds. But it offers rooms that are modern and comfortably appointed, the Omotenashi hospitality of a family-run Ryokan, an onsen bath in each and every room (as well as a terrific rooftop co-ed bath) as well as a terrific Kaiseki dining experience. Given its location in the middle of Nagano, it also serves as a good overnight rest spot if you're coming to/from places such as Tokyo, Fuji, Nagano, the Hokuriku Region, Tsumago/Magome and Karuizawa.||||Sui Suwako is located on the banks of the enormous Lake Suwa ("Suwa-ko" in Japanese), although there's a somewhat busy road as well as a small park/boardwalk between the property and the lake itself. It's not in the most secluded of locations, but upon entering the building and walking into the reception/common area you'll find that Sui Suwako is an oasis of tranquility. The furnishings and decor are a combination of traditional and modern - liberal use of brightly-colored wood, large windows facing a small yet charming garden, the earthly tones of the furnishings and a smattering of Shoji (dividers that consist of white, semi-translucent sheets on a lattice frame) lend an airy, homely feel. The same is true in the rooms themselves - it's a country home-style feel that gives it a warm, inviting vibe to the entire place.||||There are a total of 8 rooms (2 on each of the 4 floors) with two slightly different room categories. We choose to stay in the larger of the two types, dubbed the "Wide Japanese/Western-style Room with Open-air Hot Spring Bath, 75m²." It's slightly larger than the standard rooms, although every room contains a private, (semi-)open-air Onsen (hot springs) bath with views of Lake Suwa towards the far end of the room that also serves as a terrace of sorts. Our room was on the top (5th) floor with wonderful views of the lake, and was sufficiently spacious with a generously-sized living room and a separate bedroom with two large Western-style beds.||||Another neat feature of Sui Suwako is the open-air Onsen bath on the roof of the building. It offers commanding views of the lake, and it's also co-ed - unlike most Onsen baths, you're permitted to bathe in bathing suits, which allows for an enjoyable Onsen experience with friends and family of the opposite gender. And, given that only a maximum of 8 group of guests will be staying there at any given time, you're more than likely to have the bath all to yourself than sharing it with other guests. I recommend that you go just before dinner during the sunset hours. It's a gorgeous time to chill out and marvel at the beauty and serenity of the area.||||The dining experience was definitely a highlight. To start with, meals are served in one's own room (horray!) We love this aspect of the ryokan experience, and enjoy the intimacy, comfort and tranquility that it offers. The dinner is a many-course Kaiseki affair and focuses on regional produce and delicacies. The area is not very close to the ocean, so Sui Suwako emphasizes the wonderful mountain vegetables as well as fish from the Lake and its surrounds, and the flavors themselves are quite unique to the Shinshu region. Each serving was wonderfully prepared and beautifully decorated with local maple leaves, moss and other vegetation and served on unique plates, bowls, baskets and stone pots made by local artisans. It was definitely a delightful and educational gourmet experience. Among the highlights were the Wakasagi (Japanese Smelt from Lake Suwa) Tempura, which was light, crispy and very tasty; Chicken Houra-yaki, chicken and vegetables cooked on top of a large leaf with miso over a hot stone plate; and a small serving of Shinshu Soba with Karasumi (Salted Mullet Roe.) Breakfast was also not the same 'ol same 'ol. Sui Suwako focused, again, on the wonderful local vegetables, many of them pickled to serve as condiments for the rice porridge, and instead of the typical miso soup servings at most places, the breakfast soup was Kenchin Jiru, a wonderful, Umami-infused soup with root vegetables & tofu.) Very light and healthy, but still rich in complex flavors.||||We had an awesome time at Sui Suwako. It helped us learn and appreciate many of the wonderful aspects of the region, and the friendly staff, comfortable rooms and relaxing Onsen baths helped us recharge in the middle of a multi-week roadtrip throughout Japan. Should we ever venture through the area again (which is very likely), we would not hesitate to stay there once again.||||One final note: the Wakasagi Tempura was served to us via special request, and was not part of the menu for the evening. We had done some research in advance, and became aware of the delicacy that comes from Lake Suwa. We inquired about the possibility of trying out Wakasagi when we checked in earlier in the afternoon, and they thankfully were able to fulfill our request. The head chef supposedly used his connections to procure the Wakasagi from the local fishermen on short notice. It was awesome, and I would suggest you ask about...

We intended to check out the Lake Suwa area of Nagano to view the autumn leaves, which were peaking during the time of our visit, and we couldn't think of a better option than to return to the marvelous Sui Suwako ryokan. We were pleased to find that the establishment was as delightful as we remembered it.||We stayed here just a year and a half ago, so I won't go into detail regarding every aspect of our stay. Just a few things that bear repeating, however. At just 8 rooms, this ryokan offers an incredibly bespoke experience for each group of guests. Also, each of the rooms has its own in-room free-flowing Onsen (hot springs) bath. And should you want to enjoy the open-air Onsen on the roof (with an awesome view of Lake Suwa, especially at sunset), you can take a dip with members of other genders because swimsuits are not only permitted, but are available to borrow from the ryokan.||Service level is very high here. As was the case last time, we were assigned a butler that tended to our room as well as our meals (which are served in a private koshitsu room for each and every group of guests.) Our wonderful butler during our previous stay was on leave of absence, but we were delighted to have gotten to know the wonderful Ms. Minri Ko, who was as competent, attentive and knowledgeable as she was warm and charming. The dining experience was sublime. Not every offering was a "best ever" serving, but that's not what we were after (nor should you seek it here.) While everything really is delicious, what's more impressive is their ability to serve local dishes with local ingredients, which really adds to the overall sense of place. Soba (buckwheat noodles), Basashi (raw horsemeat), Wakasagi (Japanese Smelt from Lake Suwa) Tempura were among the highlights. Breakfast was equally imaginative and well executed - many ryokans really mail in the breakfast - they're all good (how can Japanese breakfasts not be?), but can be the same 'ol thing. At Sui Suwako, they really go the extra mile in bringing out the flavors of the local, seasonal produce and fish from the area.||Yet again, we left Sui Suwako with a deeper understanding and appreciation of this part of Japan. And that's part of why we travel to far-flung...