Kinugawa kanaya hotel

Indulge in autumn’s bounties, vibrant hues

To visit Nikko and the Kinugawa hot springs in autumn is to be dazzled by the colors of the fall foliage, which decorate the area’s famous shrines, fill its hillsides to bursting, and make its rivers and gorges even more stunning. Yet it is also a time when the culinary bounty of the area’s farms, forests and rivers comes to full fruition.

Every year the Kanaya Hotel Kinugawa carefully selects the best of what the season has to offer for its autumn menu. Available from September, every dish served reflects the plentitude and colors of autumn. Inspired by the clear waters of the Kinugawa River, slices of sablefish grilled saikyoyaki-style (marinated in a white miso paste) and flavored with sweet sea urchin are served as an appetizer. Also available are salt roasted duck with figs and Manchurian wild rice stems in oyster sauce. For the main dish, guests can choose between a rich Japanese-style stew with tender cuts of beef, or a luscious soy milk hot pot made with famous Yashio trout from Tochigi Prefecture and other aquatic delights, along with freshly harvested vegetables and mushrooms.

Like the feast for the eyes offered by the reds and yellows of the area’s maple, beech and azalea, this is a dining experience that allows guests to fully enjoy the essence of autumn in Kinugawa. After spending the day in the brisk fall air, or perhaps after a soothing bath in one of the hotel’s hot springs, visitors can savor a signature seasonal cocktail inspired by the changing colors of autumn.

All the guest rooms are facing the riverfront, and from the terrace, guests can see magnificent views of the Kinugawa River Valley. The hotel has a big bath featuring an “all-season onsen (hot spring)” and a bathtub made from a 2,000-year-old Japanese cypress, where guests can relax the mind and the body.

There is no time like the fall for a visit to the Kanaya Hotel Kinugawa, where beauty deepens by the day.