Mikame Honkan

Simple, nice hotel, and the dinner was great!

I’d happily stay at this inn again. It’s family-run, and everyone was so friendly. Hearing their stories made the visit fun. The room and observation bath both looked out over the harbor, and the view was superb. Watching the sunset there was especially beautiful and relaxing. Our Japanese-Western room was spacious and comfortable. Dinner came in one dish after another, and my son, who has a big appetite, was very satisfied. The local ingredients were delicious, from the fish to the fruit. There were also displays on the first floor featuring Akiyama Saneyuki and other well-known professional baseball players.

Sunday, July 6, 2025 We planned to come with seven people, then added two more the night before. When we called Mikame Honkan, they sorted it out right away and called us back about five minutes later to confirm everything. That made us really happy. We’d like to stay overnight next time. Everyone in our group was very satisfied with the food. Thank you very much. I’d come to Ehime to try “Okuchi Aji,” the local brand of horse mackerel. I’d seen it featured on Daisuke Miyagawa's show “Manten⭐︎Aozora Restaurant.” It’s a rare, delicious fish, and there aren’t many restaurants where you can eat it, so I searched around and called Mikame Honkan. They kindly took our request, and I decided to stay. When I arrived, I was greeted in the lobby with a big smile. I noticed a jacket worn by Shigeo Nagashima, the Giants player who recently passed away, and was amazed by the display of uniforms, autographs, and memorabilia from many players, including Ohtani. From there, I took the elevator to the fifth floor and was shown to a large room with a great ocean view. I’d been told when I booked that we’d have a full horse mackerel course, so I was looking forward to dinner. The first course was horse mackerel sashimi, freshly cut from live fish. It wasn’t fishy at all, and had a refreshing, crunchy firmness that tasted fantastic. Next came fried horse mackerel, with crisp batter and fluffy meat. I tried it with both tartar and Worcestershire sauce, and the deep-fried bones were so good I ate every last bit. It was the best fried horse mackerel I’ve ever had. Then we had salted grilled horse mackerel. I don’t often eat it that way, so I tried it like ordinary grilled fish. The meat came apart easily and was soft and fluffy. I imagine that texture is only possible with fresh, live horse mackerel. The fish was delicious on its own, but the local custom after eating it was a highlight: put the bones in a bowl and pour hot green tea over them to draw out a savory broth. It softened the salt into a lovely clear soup. Locals call it “No Doctor Needed” or “Doctor Killer,” because they say drinking it keeps you healthy and away from the doctor. The final dish, “Ajimeshi,” was my favorite. I’d made the trip all the way to Sanbe Town to try it, so I was excited. Like Uwajima's taimeshi, this version combines raw egg dissolved in broth with sashimi fillets, then pours them over hot rice. The fish was fatty and sweet, and went so well with the broth. It was so good we had three bowls! Okuchi horse mackerel is hard to get without booking, so I recommend making a reservation before you go.

We had a peaceful view across Sanbe Bay from our room, with the port town adding to the calm atmosphere. The window was dirty, which was the one thing that let the room down, but everywhere else was very clean. The fish was delicious, especially the horse mackerel. We had it grilled with salt, as tempura, and dried. Each serving was thick, meaty, and full of flavor. The bath isn’t a hot spring, it uses heated ionized water, but it felt wonderfully smooth and silky. We were also given samue instead of yukata, and the design was great and it was very comfortable.