Hanaichi

Hanaichi is a small ryokan is quite remote and is best accessed by car. Although I had never heard of Hanaichi, upon doing some research I found that it gets top marks for its service, Onsen and food, so we decided to check it out. Arriving at the ryokan is not particularly wow-inducing; it's on the side of a road and does not scream "luxury" looking at it from the outside. The reception area is much the same - it looks more like a rural country home with a mishmash of furnishings and decorations that suit the owner's preference rather than a cohesive design approach. It's not bad, mind you, but not exactly elegant. There isn't much in the way of property grounds to speak of, but at least there is a common lounge area and several private rental Onsen baths on site, so you're not stuck in your room the entire time. The 7-room ryokan was founded in 2002 by the current owner and his wife, who both decided to open a ryokan only after drilling over 1000 meters below ground and hitting the Onsen jackpot. As a result, the Onsen is straight from the source, directly below the property, and it is top notch quality with no filtration system necessary due to the constant stream of hot springs that feed into each bath. This is part of the reason that - in spite of each room having its own private Onsen, Hanaichi also has 3 additional private baths that are available 24 hours a day and on a first-come, first served basis for paid guests at the ryokan. We booked the "Tsukishi" room, which is a 75m² junior suite-style accommodation that features two beds, a living room, a dining table with two chairs, a snakk sitting area with a "Kotatsu" (a heated coffee table that keeps your feet toasty), a patio and a small area that is meant to be a work area. The Onsen is not open-air, although you can open the windows to let in some fresh air if you so desire. From the patio, you do get a bit of a view of Mt. Asama (Tsumagoi is located on the opposite side of the mountain from Karuizawa) although the ubiquitous power lines and a cookie-cutter white building detracts from the ambiance. One of the benefits of staying in Tsukishi is the option for guests to have meals served in their room for 2000 yen extra, but we didn't feel the atmosphere was particularly appealing, so we decided to dine in one of the semi-private rooms at the main restaurant. The executive chef is the son of the owner, and he did a pretty good job with the food offerings. I remember it being pretty good, but not particularly memorable. Mrs. KI-NRT, however seems to recall the meals being excellent, even if she had a hard time remembering specific dishes. Everything was elegantly presented, and Hanaichi's kitchen staff did a competent job of bringing out the best of the local fish, meat and produce. Nothing was super fancy - among the offerings were salt-grilled Iwana (White-spotted Char), White Onion Spring Rolls, Joshu Beef steak (Joshu was the name of the province that currently is known as Gunma)