Akan Tsuruga Bessou Hinanoza

We stayed for two nights in an AMA No Za room with Kaiseki, and had a truly wonderful experience. From the moment we arrived, the welcome was excellent, and what impressed us most was the absolutely outstanding level of service and assistance. The team went above and beyond to answer all our needs. Our warmest thanks in particular to General Manager Mr. Azakura and to Sultana Shayla from the Front Office for their kindness, efficiency and exceptional customer care. Our room was beautiful, with a wonderful view. It was spotlessly clean, extremely well maintained, and decorated in a refined Japanese style of excellent quality and very good taste. The private outdoor onsen was an absolute pleasure and made the stay even more special. We also greatly enjoyed the cocktails at the bar. A very special thank you to Mr. Kobayashi, the bartender, who introduced us to a new cocktail, the Camparinha, which was absolutely fabulous. Both the kaiseki dinners and the breakfasts were also of a very high standard, with excellent quality throughout. Overall, a memorable stay combining a beautiful setting, superb accommodation and, above all, truly exceptional hospitality. We would be very happy to return.

This was my first time staying at a Ryokan and experiencing a lot of traditional Japanese inn culture. The experience really starts on arrival, with a car valet taking care of things and then delivered to a grand entrance hall and lobby. We said goodbye to our shoes for a while and completed the very smooth check in process. We were escorted to our room by a lovely member of staff who explained the inner workings of our room to complete the check in. The room: Big, traditional and warm are the best adjectives. The entrance hall had the toilet and a separate soundproofed door to provide more privacy. The tatami room followed, with a great space, dining table, tv and wardrobe. The other room was the bedroom, containing a sink and a fantastic massage chair. The shower room was in between the bedroom and balcony, that had an outdoor onsen and seating area. We had twin beds that were super comfy and warm and we both slept well. The onsen was really special as the cold weather was complementing the hotness of the onsen and we really enjoyed it. However: some recommendations / considerations for the hotel. The room was, in a way, quite complicated. It felt like a mix of modern and traditional, with the modern parts interfering with the traditional. There’s no usable power sockets near the bed and for some reason the only ones free were by the sink?? The provided stereo is a good idea but our room had the instructions to a different stereo and therefore we couldn’t connect to it - but that might have interrupted the experience somewhat. The shower room wasn’t that private and because of the design of the shower next to the balcony, there was no blackout possible and sunlight poured in at sunrise. There were too many controls located around the room for various functions and this made things a little confusing. I personally feel that the beds needed to switch places with the tatami room, so that there’s better sleep quality and more functional layout. Lastly, we struggled a bit regulating the room temperature as it was a battle of too much heat versus the cold outside. The hotel: Ideally located right next to lake Akan, this is a beautiful hotel that exudes character, history and charm. There’s staff were all wonderful and so helpful. The food was also spectacular and the dining kaiseki experience was truly unforgettable. We also had a drink at the bar and really enjoyed the end to our evening. Overall, a wonderful experience at the lake Akan area that I would fully recommend.

After a long drive, we arrived at the hotel and immediately felt comfortable and welcomed. The staff were consistently friendly, attentive, and always had the right answer to any question. Having stayed in many hotels and ryokans across Japan, I would personally rank Akan Tsuruga Bessou HINA no ZA as a very close No. 2 on my list—just behind my No. 1, the Kaho in Tsukioka Onsen. But truly, it’s a photo finish! The dining experience was absolutely fantastic, and the spacious rooms are equipped with everything one could wish for. What really sets excellent hotels apart from merely good ones are the little details. Here, every detail has been thought of—for example, the coffee machine already filled with water, a small but meaningful touch. Even my shoes were cleaned during my stay, something I did not expect. These thoughtful touches show that everything in this hotel is perfectly cared for. We are deeply grateful to the staff for such a wonderful stay. If our travels bring us back to the area, we will certainly return.