The first choice for independent travel in Tokyo is Nikko! You can visit the World Heritage Site Nikko Toshogu Shrine, Futarasan Shrine, and Nikkoyama Rinnoji Temple, as well as Kinugawa Onsen, making it worth a 2 or 3-day slow tour to experience the beauty of Japan. We recommend staying at the Kinugawa Kanaya Hotel, which is only half an hour away by car from Nikko, and not only is the room size super spacious, and you can also enjoy the Kanaya-ryu kaiseki, which is a traditional Japanese kaiseki cuisine with a Western twist, and the Kanaya-ryu teppanyaki kaiseki, which will open in 2023 and can enjoy teppanyaki dishes such as Kuroge Wagyu steak. The reporter was pleasantly surprised after the actual stay, and sorted out the recommended points for everyone!
Kinugawa Golden Valley Hotel: "Harmony and respect" hospitality philosophy, enjoy the ultimate healing and elegant vacation time
The Kinugawa Onsen near Nikko is a well-known hot spring town in the Kanto region, which has been loved by monks and daimyo who visited Nikko since the Edo period, and was opened to the general public during the Meiji period. Located just a 3-minute walk from Kinugawa Onsen Station, the Kinugawa Kanaya Hotel is a salty, unisexual hot spring, and its mildly alkaline, odorless and tasteless hot spring water is said to relieve neuralgia, pain in the shoulder, and relieve fatigue, as well as exfoliate and beautify the skin, and it is a popular destination for beauty lovers.
Kinugawa Onsen
Kinugawa Onsen is believed to have good skin beautifying effects
As soon as you step into the "Kinugawa Golden Valley Hotel", you can feel the strong artistic atmosphere, many corners are placed with chic antiques, and the space with colorful artwork glass is elegant and magnificent. It turns out that the founder Shoji Kanaya is the grandson of the founder of Japan's oldest resort hotel, Nikko Kanaya Hotel, and has been influenced by Western culture since he was a child.
The entrance of the hotel
The overall space has an elegant and noble atmosphere
The founder's management philosophy is "Respect and Praise for the West", which means a comfortable blend of East and West, tradition and modernity. Therefore, the service is perfect with Japanese tradition, and the rooms are both Japanese and Western, with a high-style Western-style modern decoration and a valley scenery where you can feel the beauty of the four seasons of Japan, so you can forget the passage of time and enjoy the best vacation time.
Glass collage art installations can be seen everywhere. This is the entrance entrance patio, and the goddesses in the dance
There is a small wine cabinet with a history, and when the door of the wine cabinet is opened, it is a signal to the residents, "It's dinner time!"
8 reasons to recommend staying at Hotel Kanaya Kinugawa
Reason for recommendation (1): All rooms face the Kinugawa River valley and enjoy the scenery of the four seasons of Japan
There are 7 types of rooms at the Kinugawa Kanaya Hotel, each of which is oversized, at least 66 square meters (about 19.9 tsubo), and each room has a good view of the Kinugawa Valley. The balcony is specially made of glass railings that do not obstruct the view, so you can enjoy the change of seasons at a glance, and the fresh greenery in spring and summer, the autumn maple red, and the snow in winter are all super beautiful, and boating and canyoning on the Kinugawa River are also popular.
Each room has a balcony and a table and chairs with a view of the valley
The lobby of the hotel is also facing the valley, and the greenery is super healing
Reason for recommendation (2): Special room type of about 40 tsubo, 2 bedrooms and 2 living rooms are suitable for the whole family (children are over 12 years old)
The special room is about 40 tsubo in size and has an excellent view from the extended balcony
Some rooms have a living room
"Kinugawa Kanaya Hotel" has a special suite named after the founder, "JOHN KANAYA SUITE", which is perfect for the whole family! The suite on the highest floor has a large space of about 40 tsubo, including 2 rooms, 2 living rooms, 1 dining room, and 2 balconies, so that children can spend time with their parents while maintaining their own space. The calm décor and retro furniture create an elegant atmosphere like an aristocratic study, and the valley from the floor-to-ceiling windows is the most beautiful painting in the room. There is a separate hot spring bath in the room, so you can enjoy the scenery while soaking in the hot springs, and you can even choose to have breakfast and dinner in your room, so you can relax and enjoy every minute of your vacation.
In the round bath, you can soak in the hot springs and enjoy the scenery
In the restaurant of the special room, you can choose to eat in the room
Reason for recommendation (3): You can enjoy an open-air bath with a sense of openness in your room
At the end of 2022, the Kinugawa Golden Valley Hotel renovated 4 rooms on the 4th floor and became an upgraded version with a private open-air bath! The hot spring bath is located on the balcony, and the screen is used to subtly block the view from the outside, so that you can enjoy the openness of the open air while maintaining privacy. The "GRADE UP Japanese/Western-style room" is a Japanese-Western style room with Western-style furniture such as a sofa on a tatami floor, a study, and a hot spring bath made of the top "Towada stone". In addition, the balcony of the "GRADE UP Japanese-style room" is 1.5 times larger than the other rooms, and after soaking in the cypress hot spring pool, you can relax on the round sofa on the balcony in a bathrobe.
The open-air bath on the balcony is spacious
The interior of the "GRADE UP Japanese-Western-style Room" is a perfect blend of Japanese and Western styles
Reason for recommendation (4): Kanaya-ryu iron plate kaiseki, large bite 2 black hair Wagyu
There are two restaurants in the hotel: "DINING JOHN KANAYA" on the first floor mainly serves "Kanaya-ryu Kaiseki", which combines traditional Japanese kaiseki and Western cuisine; Newly opened in July 2023, Kanaya Teppanyaki Restaurant on the 2nd floor offers a set meal called "Kanaya-ryu Teppanyaki Kaiseki", where experienced chefs prepare seasonal ingredients in front of guests' eyes, and the main meal is a great experience where you can enjoy two different types of Wagyu beef at the same time, including Nasu Kuroge Wagyu Philip and Motegi Kuroge Wagyu Sirloin Leg.
"Teppanyaki Restaurant KANAYA" that will only open in July 2023
Nasu Kuroge Wagyu Philip and Motegi Kuroge Wagyu Sirloin Leg Meat
During the meal, guests can enjoy not only the delicious teppanyaki and kaiseki dishes, but also the essence of the restaurant's emphasis on Japanese and foreign culture as you enjoy dishes such as Tochigi Ayu with a sauce based on white wine, a platter of ham, mozzarella cheese and bread made from domestic terengua, and eel aspic. Breakfast can be Japanese or Western, and for Japanese breakfast, you can enjoy the iron plate thick tamagoyaki made by the master on the spot, and it is a perfect match with the Q-bomb white rice freshly cooked in the earthen pot! The cuisine of the two restaurants has its own characteristics, and the most recommended is to stay for two nights in a row and make a big deal!
Japanese cuisine with French sauces
For breakfast, you can eat teppanyaki fried tamagoyaki
Reason for recommendation (5): 2 large communal baths with different styles to liberate the body and mind
There are two large communal baths, "Ancient Hinoyu no Yu" and "Shiki-no-Yu", and special hot springs such as iris soup and yuzu soup are sometimes prepared to suit the seasons so that guests can feel the changes of spring, summer, autumn and winter. The inner bath of the "Ancient Hinohiki no Yu" is made of cypress wood, which is about 2,000 years old, and exudes a strong woody aroma, and the outdoor bath is made of white shadow stone and a sauna of the European pauli.
The "Ancient Hinoyu Bath" bath is designed in the shape of a boat
The Kinugawa hot springs are colorless and odorless
Shiki-no-yu is open to the valley, and there is a daze pavilion and a bed in the middle of the two outdoor baths, making it an island resort-style. Bathrobes and herb tea are provided in the baths for guests to rest and rehydrate at any time. The two baths are for men and women, so it is recommended to come on the day of check-in and the next morning to soak in the hot springs of both baths!
The daze pavilion and reclining bed are island resort-style
Soak in the open-air bath at night and feel the breeze blowing
Reason for recommendation (6): "Cigar Salon", an adult entertainment room isolated from the hustle and bustle
"Kinugawa Kanaya Hotel" has a special "cigar salon", because the founder JOHN Kanaya Shoji is the highest level of enjoyment, so I hope that guests can come and experience the wonders of the world of cigars. CONCEIVED IN THE CONCEPT OF JOHN KANAYA'S PLAYROOM, THE CIGAR SALON SHOWCASES HIS COLLECTION OF ANTIQUE TABLEWARE, AS WELL AS ARTISTIC GLASS COLLAGES, WHERE YOU CAN ENJOY THE SMELL OF CIGARS WHILE ENJOYING FOOD AND WINE UNDER MOODY LIGHTING. Cigars can be brought in or purchased in the salon, or if you don't smoke a cigar, you can only smoke it. There are a lot of ashtray artworks on display on the outside of the salon, which is also worth a visit!
Experience the wonders of the world of cigars at the Cigar Salon
There are many exquisite fittings in the room
Recommended reason (7): Intimate little surprises are constant, hiding desserts and supper after meals
"Kinugawa Golden Valley Hotel" service is super intimate, and there are surprises everywhere! Instead of queuing at the counter when checking in, you can wait comfortably at the lounge with drinks and snacks. After entering the room, you can drink sparkling wine, beer, juice and other drinks in the refrigerator, and if you are not used to sleeping on feather pillows, you can replace them with memory pillows or pillows with wheat and rice husks, and in order to let guests have a good night's sleep, we have prepared lavender, citrus, and seasonal essential oils to help you relax.
You can easily check in while having refreshments
There is no need to pay for the drinks in the room
During meals, the staff will maintain a wonderful distance so that they do not disturb the guests to eat, and do not let the tea cool or empty the glasses. Thinking that dessert was over, it turned out to be "chocolate time", where you can have a cup of tea in the salon and choose your favorite flavor from a cart of handmade pralines chocolate! After the reporter returned to the room, he found that the stereo played a relaxing Bossa nova music, and there was a Japanese-style bento box and handwritten notes on the table, which turned out to be a supper prepared by the staff, which was very touching. When checking out, I asked the staff to pick you up at the station, and I actually drove the passengers to BMW's premium RV. Every minute you spend at the Kinugawa Golden Valley Hotel is surprising and heartwarming, and you can feel their customer-oriented service spirit everywhere.
An after-dinner surprise with a truckload of handmade chocolates to choose from
The late-night snacks and notes prepared by the staff were heartwarming
Reason for recommendation (8): High-quality home appliances and spare parts are readily available
"Kinugawa Kanaya Hotel" not only has high-quality service, but also high-quality hardware and equipment! The guest room is equipped with a high-quality ReFa BEAUTECH DRYER SMART hair dryer that is fluffy and soft after blowing, and the ReFa FINE BUBBLE PURE shower head, which has sold more than 1 million units in Japan since its launch, is said to deeply clean pores and has a good reputation for skin beauty. The women's large communal bath and guest rooms are equipped with faces, cleansers, lotions, and other amenities from the plant-derived skincare brand Marks &WEB, which is popular in Japan, and L'Occitane is the furnishings for the special suites. Western-style bathrobes and Japanese-style yukata robes are also available in the rooms, so guests can wear them as they like. It can be said that all kinds of details have been noted!
Asking for a reFa hair dryer at a great price
THE LARGE COMMUNAL BATH AND GUEST ROOMS ARE EQUIPPED WITH PLANT-DERIVED MAINTENANCE BRAND MARKS & WEB, and the special rooms are equipped with L'Occitane sets
Gaying at the same scene: Nikko, Kinugawa must-visit sightseeing spots
Tokugawa Ieyasu's Tomb, World Heritage Site Nikko Toshogu Shrine
The Yangmei Gate of Nikko Toshogu Shrine
During the Warring States period, Tokugawa Ieyasu finally pacified the world in 1603 and was named the Shogun of Seiyi, beginning the Edo Shogunate period, which allowed Japan to maintain peace for more than 200 years. The last resting place of this historical figure is Nikko Toshogu Shrine, which is home to 8 national treasures, 34 important cultural properties, and countless art sculptures, and the iconic Yangmeimon Gate was renovated in April 2022. Toshogu Shrine is a World Heritage Site along with the adjacent Rinnoji Temple and Futarasan Shrine, which are known as the Two Shrines and One Temple. You can feel the essence of Japanese faith, architecture, history, and art.
Spectacular view like a giant dragon lying on the throne "Ryuo Gorge"
Ryuo Gorge is dyed red by maple leaves in autumn
Ryuo Gorge was formed by an undersea volcanic eruption 22 million years ago, and the volcanic rocks of the Kinugawa River have been eroded over the years, creating a spectacular scenery that looks like a giant dragon from afar. The trail stretches for about 6 kilometers, and it is perfect for an afternoon of hiking, along the way, there are strange rock boulders called Gokogan, Rabbit Jump, and Turtle Cave, the Five Ryuo Shrine dedicated to the dragon god, and the Hoshimi Bridge where you can enjoy the complete scenery of the canyon and the harp waterfall, etc., and you can sit by the stream for a picnic when you are tired, or go to the restaurant at the entrance of the canyon to eat grilled Sichuan fish and shaved ice made with natural ice. After a whole trip, you will feel as if your body and mind are fully charged.
Japan's highest lake: Lake Chuzenji
"Chuzenji Lake" is one of the 100 scenic spots in Japan
The Nikko Kinugawa area is full of beautiful scenery, including the World Heritage Site of Nisha and Ichiji Temple, and the Chuzenji Lake, which has been selected as one of Japan's 100 Scenic Spots. Lake Chuzenji is also a natural landscape formed by volcanic eruptions, and it is known as a summer resort due to its high terrain and cool summers. In addition to walking around the lake, you can also take a sightseeing boat to enjoy the scenery from the lake. Chuzenji Lake has a different style in spring, summer, autumn and winter, so it is recommended that you come and see it in every season.
The Nikko area is home to a popular spot for the elderly, as well as facilities for children such as the Monkey Army and Nikko Edo Village, making it a great place for all ages. It is recommended to arrange a trip of at least 2 days and 1 night, and after sightseeing, we recommend staying at the Kinugawa Kanaya Hotel, where you can relax and enjoy a relaxing trip with food, hot springs, and first-class services.
Nikko Kinugawa Onsen accommodation recommendation "Kinugawa Kanaya Hotel": All room types are more than 19 tsubo, experience aristocratic vacation time! | Teh-Eat! Japan