Araya Totoan is a luxurious Ryokan, set in the quiet, hot spring village of Yamashiro, central Japan. Nestled in the shadow of Mt. Hakusan and overlooking the Kaga Plain, Yamashiro is a hot spring resort destination steeped in 1,300-year old traditions. Run by the same family for 18 generations, that has retained much of the traditional culture, you will be greeted as friends by the current owner with green tea and the type of service only a small ryokan can offer.
There are only 18 rooms at Araya Totoan, each with large living and dining rooms and separate sleeping areas, as well as private terraces and aromatic outdoor baths fed by the hot springs. Dinners are Kaga-style Kaiseki feasts served on rare Kutani ceramic and Yamanaka lacquer ware, comprised of handmade gems by local artisans. These multi-course dinners prepared with the best of Kaga’s seasonal ingredients and served in traditional style, can spread over a period of two hours.
After dinner, guests are invited to the back cottage, Arisugawa-Sanso, built for the Emperor and now serves as Araya Totoan’s private lounge bar. For relaxation there are two public onsen, each beautifully set in wood or stone with views of the verdant landscape. Outside, you can take a stroll through the narrow streets of this tiny town and explore the local life, while nature lovers can enjoy a leisurely walk, leading through shrines and temples, and up to the top of the hill.
Amenities
Bar/PubCoffee ShopConciergeCribs/Infant Beds AvailableFamily RoomGardenMultilingual StaffRestaurantSafety Deposit BoxesSpa/SaunaStay Araya Totoan features just 18 Japanese-style rooms. All are sparsely decorated with contemporary Japanese art, sculptural paper lampshades and come with tatami-style living room and futon beds. Some rooms are available with western-style beds, for those seeking some extra familiar comfort whilst sleeping. Each room has a terrace, a garden and many have free-flowing hot water from the hot spring straight into the room’s Yoshino hinoki (Japanese cypress) bath.
ChildCare Families with children are welcome to stay at the Araya Totoan but there are no specific facilities available for children. Please be aware that the Japanese food can be unfamiliar for very young children and it is difficult to cater for those with strict dietary requirements.
Dine Dining at the Araya Totoan is a unique experience. Breakfast and dinner is usually served in your room in Japanese style. The kaiseki style meals are prepared with local seafood from Hashitate docks and vegetables grown in the mountains. Served on famous Japanese ‘Kaga-yaki’ pottery and ‘Yamanaka-nuri’ lacquerware, its multi-courses are enjoyed with full-flavored local sake and what could be an unforgettable two-hour affair.
Relax The Ryokan experience is all about relaxing and enjoying the hot spring waters and dining on the most exquisite array of wonderful dishes. Yamashiro Onsen sits on the original hot spring source of internationally acclaimed superior quality water and the one in Araya Totoan gushes out over 100,000 litres of water per day. These waters run through three public onsen on the property, each beautifully set in wood or stone with views of the verdant landscape outside.
Experience Guests at Araya Totoan can take a day tour to visit the interesting town of Kanazawa, famous for its handicrafts. It’s well-known for Kutani-yaki (Kutani ware), a style of Japanese porcelain characterised by its innovative designs and Kanazawa-haku (Kanazawa gold leaf) used in Japanese culture’s lavish decorations. However, shoppers will love Kaga Yuzen and ‘Bokash-zome’, in which a cloth is dyed unevenly in different shades, in a way to express the beauty of nature.
Location Located in the small hot-spring town on Kaga Onsen just outside Kanazawa, you will really feel like you have arrived in Japan. Set in the hills, enjoy walks around the town or climb to the top of a hill for the most amazing views.
Getting there The Ryokan is about 1 hour away by car from Kanazawa or just 15 minutes from Kaga Onsen station.
When to go Yamashiroonsen is characterised by a very seasonal climate with high precipitation. The climate here in winter is much cooler than it is in Tokyo. The best time to visit Yamashiroonsen is from April to June and September to November.
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