Oirase Keiryu Hotel by Hoshino Resorts — Hotel in Towada

In July, when the weather was beginning to get quite hot in Tokyo, we decided to escape the heat and crowds by spending a few days in Aomori. We wanted a nice hotel, off the beaten path, while being a place which wasn’t too hard to get to. ||After looking at what was available in Aomori, we decided to try the Oirase Keiryu hotel, which is located about 7 miles from Towada lake. This area is famous for its forests and natural scenery, its numerous streams, waterfalls, and wildlife. ||Access to Amori is easy, we took the Tohoku Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo Station to Hachinohe, which takes under 3 hours. From Hachinohe we rented a car from the Times Rental Car which is almost in front of the station. It takes about 90 minutes to get from Hachinohe to the hotel, though the hotel does offer shuttle bus service to the station. We chose to rent a car because there are many things within driving distance to see. ||The Oriase Keiryu hotel lies in a small valley alongside a river which runs from Towada lake. The drive from the train station to the hotel takes you through farm land and small towns. As there are few shops or stores near the hotel, it is a good idea to stock up on sundries at a convenience store or at the station before you get on the shuttle bus. ||Our rental car (a Mazda) had a navigation system which could be set to English, but I found my iPhone maps app offered a faster route. However, the route chosen by my phone took me alongside small farm roads, and a couple bridges which were too narrow for two-way traffic. But as there was almost no traffic along the route, this wasn’t an issue. ||After reaching the hotel, we found free parking near the entrance, and were quickly checked in. One great thing about Japanese hotels is that the service is always first rate, and tipping is not permitted. Our bags were promptly picked up at our car, and taken to our room. ||The Oriase Keiryu hotel is a combination of buildings with an older wing and a newer wing. The new wing (where we stayed) was a considerable distance from the lobby, but in Japan people are used to walking everywhere, so this was no real issue. The new part of the building is wonderfully decorated, with a couple of beautiful lobbies which offer coffee, tea, books and comfortable places to sit, indoors or outdoors. ||A good thing about this hotel is the wide variety of rooms, which can be had from less than $100 per night to $1500 per night. One thing I noticed as we were heading to our room was a rather strong smell. To some it might smell like an old building or something else, but I recognized it as the smell of onsen (hot spring) water. The hotel has an onsen baths for men and women, these are located in the newer wing of the hotel. ||As it happened, my wife had booked the best room in the hotel, which was a 2 bedroom suite. This was literally the most beautiful hotel room we have ever seen, and we have stayed at some wonderful hotels. ||The room featured two separate bedrooms with two beds in each, a large kitchen (with a tiny stove), a large living/dining room with a beautiful sofa and a large dining table capable of seating 6 people. Also included with the room was a very large balcony overlooking the river, the balcony had a large hot spring bath which could easily be used by 6 people. ||Our room included a minibar which was stocked with the usual drinks, as well as locally brewed beer, and, of course apple juice, as Aomori is famous for apples. ||The hotel features a couple of nice restaurants, and has a buffet breakfast and dinner. The food was better than average compared to what you typically find in Japanese onsen resort hotels. With the pandemic over, the hotel was crowded with Japanese and some Taiwanese tourists, though the dining room was run so efficiently that there were minimal waits, and the kitchen never ran out of any dishes. ||We ordered room service meals for dinner and breakfast on two occasions, and these were set up on the dining table in our room. These meals were excellent, and the staff returned promptly to clean the table and take away the dishes. ||We wanted to see the river and the lake during our stay, so we booked a 4 hour tour at the front desk, and a driver/tour guide took us to see the river, and then to the lake. He stopped at the most interesting viewpoints, and we were all impressed with the amazing scenery. You will never see so many varieties of green, or so many waterfalls within such a small area. It was simply fantastic. ||Eventually we ended up at Towada Lake, which is formed in the basin of a collapsed volcano. The lake is quite large, and takes some time to drive around. There were almost no tourists in the area, in truth, much of the area around the lake was much like a collection of small ghost towns. ||Back in the 80’s and 90’s, the lake was a hot spot for Japanese tourists, but after the collapse of the “bubble economy” of the early 90’s, and later the “great recession,” most of the tourists stopped coming. This is a great shame, because the area is so amazingly beautiful. ||However, there are a few places which are still open, and one can book a sightseeing trip of the lake on a Zodiac boat. As there are more foreign tourists coming to Japan, hopefully some of them will find their way up to Towada lake. ||Near the lake we found some small parks, a campground, and a couple downsized tourist shops. Later during our stay we took an open-top bus tour which brought us to these places, where we were sure to buy ice cream, drinks, and some souvenirs to bring home. ||Another thing I did was to rent a e-bike at the hotel lobby, which I rode all the way to the lake, which is 12km away, and then back. The power assist feature made getting over the hills easy. Cycling is popular in the area, and I saw numerous other cyclists on the road. Cycling is safer in Japan than in other places as drivers make way for bicycles. This is because in an accident with a bicycle, a car driver is automatically considered at fault, and any accident involving an injury is considered a crime. ||Hiking is another thing which you can enjoy, there is a trail which follows the river all the way to the lake, and this was very popular with guests at the hotel. There is a visitors center about halfway where one can use the restroom, or buy drinks and snacks. ||One of the less-good things about the Oirase Keiryu hotel is the lack of nearby shops or stores. There are a couple of places which sell drinks and snacks, but the variety of things isn’t great. There is a pizza restaurant nearby which seems to be popular with the few locals, but the pizza wasn’t very good, though I couldn’t complain about the beer. ||If you are coming to Japan and want to see a really beautiful place which isn’t drowned with crowds, and, if you are coming in summer, and want a place which isn’t hot and humid, I recommend the Oirase Keiryu hotel. It’s a place you’ll love, and will never...

My wife and I went to Tohoku of Japan for a vacation, and the Oirase Gorge and the Tsutanuma Ponds of Aomori were two of the highlights of the trip. Our visiting days were within the peak weeks of the Momiji season, and we could not secure a room directly from the hotel website even three months ahead. We stayed in a regular room of the Resort for three nights and it was quite expensive at this peak season period. Nonetheless, the location of the Resort at the northeasterly end of the walking trail of the Gorge and at the south side of the Tsutanuma Ponds, together with the free hourly shuttle bus, conferred the convience we hoped for.||The trail of the Gorge is 14km and is described to be a 5-hour walk. We explored a few sections separately, and our strolling, photographing, eating and exploring turned up to take a double of the time recommended. The hotel shuttle bus provided a round trip transportation to a handful of notable checkpoints, with four stops and the farthest (fourth) one from the resort at the Kumoi-no-taki falls, which is at about the midway of the whole trail. You can hop back on the shuttle at the fixed time of the hour at either of the four stops to get to the other stops or back to the hotel. Another major stop is the Ishigedo (second stop) where there are a cafeteria, a small shop and a restroom. If you miss the shuttle, you can still take the public bus. The Resort also offers an open-top double decker running along the trail a couple of times a day, but we have not tried it.||For the meals, there are very few options of dinner around the area. You have to make a reservation (latest by the morning) for the dinner buffet at the Ringo Kitchen of the Resort, which serves some interesting apple-themed items, and has slightly different dishes alternating every other day (Ringo means apple which Aomori is famous for). The crowdedness and noises were what you expected from a buffet restaurant. For the more prestiged french restaurant (Sonore) of the Resort, you have to make the reservation at least three days ahead (so probably before you arrive). Their breakfast is also buffet-styled and served japanese and western choices at the same Ringo Kitchen. If you are tired of the buffet breakfast, there is a lovely terrace breakfast by the stream side which also requires advance booking three days ahead and with an extra fee.||We stayed in the east wing with a north facing room. The room is clean and the toilet/bath is good. Our room was on the floor of the reception and were near the campfire lobby, but it was not noisy. It was just a pity that the momiji came a bit late this year and was not at its height during our stay, and the expensive room with its big window did not yield the best it could offer.||We were served by Mr Timothy Takahara at the reception. He spoke very good English and explained everything in details during the check-in. He also helped us in various reservations. We later realized that he also waited in the Ringo Kitchen. He was pleasant and we chatted a bit. He even showed us out after our buffet dinner. He recommended us a few restaurants in the Towada City when we decided to take a half hour drive away from the Resort to try something local.||There were some free juices, wines and nuts by the campfire common area. However, it would be nice if water and ice were available as well. There were a few mini live music performances in the evening on certain days, and some slide shows and talks (in japanese) as well. ||The outdoor onsen has an infinity-pool-like edge and is by the side of the stream. The checkout time is 12 noon which is convenient. There is a small shop in the Resort, but if they can also offer some light lunchboxes or onigiri or sandwiches, that will be handy for our planning on the morning and afternoon walks and other activities.||Our overall experience was nice and the stay was...

My wife and I went to Tohoku of Japan for a vacation, and the Oirase Gorge and the Tsutanuma Ponds of Aomori were two of the highlights of the trip. Our visiting days were within the peak weeks of the Momiji season, and we could not secure a room directly from the hotel website even three months ahead. We stayed in a regular room of the Resort for three nights and it was quite expensive at this peak season period. Nonetheless, the location of the Resort at the northeasterly end of the walking trail of the Gorge and at the south side of the Tsutanuma Ponds, together with the free hourly shuttle bus, conferred the convience we hoped for.||The trail of the Gorge is 14km and is described to be a 5-hour walk. We explored a few sections separately, and our strolling, photographing, eating and exploring turned up to take a double of the time recommended. The hotel shuttle bus provided a round trip transportation to a handful of notable checkpoints, with four stops and the farthest (fourth) one from the resort at the Kumoi-no-taki falls, which is at about the midway of the whole trail. You can hop back on the shuttle at the fixed time of the hour at either of the four stops to get to the other stops or back to the hotel. Another major stop is the Ishigedo (second stop) where there are a cafeteria, a small shop and a restroom. If you miss the shuttle, you can still take the public bus. The Resort also offers an open-top double decker running along the trail a couple of times a day, but we have not tried it.||For the meals, there are very few options of dinner around the area. You have to make a reservation (latest by the morning) for the dinner buffet at the Ringo Kitchen of the Resort, which serves some interesting apple-themed items, and has slightly different dishes alternating every other day (Ringo means apple which Aomori is famous for). The crowdedness and noises were what you expected from a buffet restaurant. For the more prestiged french restaurant (Sonore) of the Resort, you have to make the reservation at least three days ahead (so probably before you arrive). Their breakfast is also buffet-styled and served japanese and western choices at the same Ringo Kitchen. If you are tired of the buffet breakfast, there is a lovely terrace breakfast by the stream side which also requires advance booking three days ahead and with an extra fee.||We stayed in the east wing with a north facing room. The room is clean and the toilet/bath is good. Our room was on the floor of the reception and were near the campfire lobby, but it was not noisy. It was just a pity that the momiji came a bit late this year and was not at its height during our stay, and the expensive room with its big window did not yield the best it could offer.||We were served by Mr Timothy Takahara at the reception. He spoke very good English and explained everything in details during the check-in. He also helped us in various reservations. We later realized that he also waited in the Ringo Kitchen. He was pleasant and we chatted a bit. He even showed us out after our buffet dinner. He recommended us a few restaurants in the Towada City when we decided to take a half hour drive away from the Resort to try something local.||There were some free juices, wines and nuts by the campfire common area. However, it would be nice if water and ice were available as well. There were a few mini live music performances in the evening on certain days, and some slide shows and talks (in japanese) as well. ||The outdoor onsen has an infinity-pool-like edge and is by the side of the stream. The checkout time is 12 noon which is convenient. There is a small shop in the Resort, but if they can also offer some light lunchboxes or onigiri or sandwiches, that will be handy for our planning on the morning and afternoon walks and other activities.||Our overall experience was nice and the stay was...