Anabara Onsen Okina Ryokan (Stay with Pet)

I’d never heard of Anahara Onsen before, then found out it was surprisingly nearby. I booked a meal upgrade because I wanted to meet the resident cat. The building looks old from outside, but inside it’s really clean and doesn’t feel dated. There’s even a photo of the cat at the front desk, which got me excited. My room was clean too. There’s a family bath as well as a large public one. The big bath seems to face the river, though a screen blocks most of the view. You can peek through gaps, but another hotel is right across from it, so the screen makes sense. I was impressed by the meal. Dish after dish came out, including freshly fried tempura, and the creative cooking was thoughtful and delicious. There was akebi tempura, and I can’t remember the sunfish dish’s name, but I was thrilled to try ingredients that were new to me. Breakfast was just as generous, with lots of dishes that made me want more rice. I usually don’t like soy milk, but this tasted more like tofu and I enjoyed it. The proprietress’s squid and carrot dish was delicious too. I’ve stayed at plenty of inns with great food, but this was even better. The care, presentation, and seasoning were all wonderful. I got full, but couldn’t leave such good food, so I ate it all. The resident cat didn’t appear at night or in the morning, so I gave up and went to pay. That was when it showed up. It was adorable, and you could see how much they care about cats, including the precautions to stop it escaping. They gave me Churu treats to feed it. Between the cat and the food, I had a lovely, relaxing stay. Thank you very much.

The water is pretty hot and really warms you up. And having a cat around is the best. One was waiting at the front desk when I arrived; later, as I took the elevator toward the large bath, another followed me up the stairs to say hello. It seemed to like my hand and rubbed against it, then bit me quite hard, so be a little careful if it gets close.

The building is old, but the rooms have been renovated and are comfortable. There’s no open-air bath, though the spring water itself is excellent and flows straight from the source. Meals are all homemade, creative, and delicious, with portions that are surprisingly generous as well as good quality. I brought both my dog and cat, and the stay was stress-free. The inn welcomes cats as well as dogs, and its mascot cat is very soothing.

Kinako, my beloved Shiba Inu, was the reason I went searching for a place to stay, and I’m glad I found this one. It’s near the highway, so we stopped in on the way back from Sendai. The outside looks weathered, but indoors it’s been renovated with a clean, modern feel. We were greeted by a cute cat, and Chamal, Kinako’s friendly four-year-old cat, was a comfort too. Dinner was fantastic: the seasonal ingredients were carefully prepared, the servings were generous, and my wife and I loved the parade of dishes. To me, it was better than course meals at a Tokyo ryokan. The hot spring was quite hot, warmed me through, and left my skin feeling silky. The owner and proprietress were polite, and all the staff were friendly and explained things carefully. I’ll definitely stay again when I’m nearby ^_^