Minshuku Tenshin

The house was clean and had flowers throughout, which made for a calm, comfortable stay. The bath was a large home-style tub with jets and Maifan stones, and I could really relax in it. The inn is far from the station and the location wasn't ideal, but it felt like staying at a friend's place. The owners' gentle manner and kind smiles were soothing. I came to the area for business in Sendai and had researched a guesthouse where I could eat good fish. Kesennuma was my main reason for the trip, so getting there was a bit of a hassle, but I was glad I made the effort. Meals were generous and delicious, including foods that aren't usually available in the area, and I enjoyed them with local sake. I was more than satisfied. The standout dishes for me were the three-day miso-simmered mackerel, grilled fish, sea squirt, and tuna innards simmered to go with sake. The pickles seemed homemade and were impressive. Dinner included sashimi of bonito, swordfish, albacore tuna, otoro, octopus, salmon, and red shrimp; sunfish; simmered tuna innards; sea squirt; grilled oysters; a mulukhiyah and whitebait salad; grilled fish; cod soup; whole boiled shark fin soup; lots of rice; and pickles. Breakfast had mackerel simmered in miso for what was apparently three days, assorted sides, salad with plenty of fresh vegetables, a boiled egg, udon among the other dishes, salted salmon roe, pickled plums, more simmered tuna innards, simmered mushrooms, mekabu seaweed, natto, nori, plenty of rice, miso soup, and pickled vegetables with watermelon. Afterward there was coffee, watermelon, and cherry tomatoes.

For 9,800 yen with one night and two meals, this inn offered an astonishing amount of food for the money. Dinner came with ten dishes: a five-kind sashimi platter of tuna, albacore, swordfish, octopus, and red shrimp; saury sashimi; parboiled conger eel; grilled scallops with seaweed; sweet-and-spicy tuna stomach; grilled salted saury; saury meatball soup; whole shark fin soup; sunfish with vinegared miso; and pickles. Breakfast's miso-braised mackerel was excellent too. An elderly couple run the guesthouse from the second floor of their home. It's a genuinely homey place, like being welcomed back to the countryside, and there's more food than you can manage.

The couple were so friendly, and the food was delicious. Breakfast included homemade salted sea urchin, Hachinohe mackerel stewed for three days, and field-grown myoga ginger. At dinner there was far too much to finish, with yellowtail collars, assorted sashimi, shark fin, sanma meatball soup, and sea squirt. I'd definitely like to come back.

Dinner was as lavish as I'd heard, with rare mountain and sea ingredients prepared with real skill and care. There was so much that my stomach was full, and the food was so good everyone got absorbed in eating. Afterward, a pleasant conversation with the owner and his lovely wife made a satisfying evening; breakfast was delicious too. The owner's dedication to making guests happy came through in the cooking. The garden was in full spring bloom after winter, and the profusion of flowers was the first surprise when I arrived. The owner loves wildflowers, and that affection gives the whole guesthouse a simple, kind feeling. With such a lovely couple running it, the stay was comfortable. This is a hidden-away guesthouse that visitors can enjoy for a particularly satisfying experience. It feels like the kind of place that enriches your life. Thank you for the wonderful meal. I'd love to see this guesthouse featured in "Solitary Gourmet."