アルカナ イズは伊豆市湯ヶ島、作家の井上靖の墓所もあり、川端康成など文豪とゆかりのある湯ヶ島温泉エリアにあります。緑豊かな渓流沿いに位置し、部屋に源泉掛け流しの露天風呂を備えています。

車で到着するとさっそくバトラーが荷物と車を預かってくれ、部屋でのチェックイン。

部屋の大きな窓をあけてテラスにでると、目の前に雄大な山、眼下に渓流。そしてそのテラスには湯気を立てる露天風呂。さっそく湯に浸かります。川音と木々のざわめきだけを聞きながら、一人、温泉に浸かる時間はなかなかいいものです。

お風呂からあがり、部屋で音楽をかけながら本を読んだり、景色を眺めたり。静かな時間を、ゆっくりと過ごすことを楽しめる宿です。食事はフレンチのシェフが夕食、朝食ともに腕をふるいます。

レストラン支配人の糸井佑磨（いとい・ゆうま）氏はミクニグループ出身のフレンチのシェフで、彼の料理を食べるために足繁く通う人も多いようです。2019年のクリスマスの季節は、White Christmasと銘打たれたタパスから始まります。

朝食も、見目美しく、味もすばらしい料理の数々に驚かされるのではないでしょうか。チェックアウトは13時までとゆったりなので、睡眠を楽しむもよし、露天風呂を満喫するもよし、それぞれの過ごし方がしやすいのもうれしいですね。

周辺には「浄蓮の滝」や「修善寺」、「中伊豆ワイナリー」などもあるのでドライブしながら楽しめるエリアも満載です。浄蓮の滝では、あまごなどの釣りもできます。自然の川を利用した管理釣り場があり、竿も貸してくれるので気軽に楽しめます。釣った魚はその場で焼いて食べるか、持ち帰るかを選べます。中伊豆ワイナリーには、乗馬体験ができる場所もあり、子どもから大人まで楽しめそうです。

楽しんだ帰りは、2019年12月14日にオープンしたばかりの道の駅「伊豆月ケ瀬」でお土産を。ここは伊豆縦貫道の天城北道路南端の月ケ瀬インターチェンジに直結している道の駅で、県内各地の土産物のほか農産物の直売、地元特産品を使った料理を提供するレストランなどがあるので、ここで買い物をしてから東京へ戻るのがおすすめですよ。

Miso Chaya: your one-stop shop for snacks, meals, and everything miso

This business not only makes its miso from scratch, but they teach their hard-earned secrets in their miso-making classes. The beginner’s course is 3000 yen and is held once a month between October and June. They might give you a peek in their storehouse during the off-season if you asked nicely enough.

If you don’t have time to make miso, you can still buy some of their expertly-crafted miso and koji. The lunch they offer gives you a sample of everything for only 800 yen. They also sell a wide variety of products including amazake, pickles, sauces, and strange desserts. Have you ever wondered what miso soft serve or koji pudding tastes like? They’re better than you might think!

Kosaka Town: historical influence attracting crowds and tech companies

Many of Japan’s cities have seen wealth and fame throughout history. For Kosaka, their prosperity has continued since the discovery of its large deposits of copper, lead, zinc, gold, and silver in the early 1800’s. Kosaka is now the leader of metal salvage technology and recovers about $42,000 USD of gold every day.

Its old town office which looks like a three-story mansion has reopened as a museum. You can learn about Kosaka’s ages of prosperity while walking through an international architectural marvel. All of the building’s design components came from Europe and the Middle East except for the ceiling, which has the same design found in most Japanese castles. No nails were used in the construction process!

Across the yard from the office building stands Japan’s oldest wooden playhouse. Famous Japanese actors are featured in place twice a day between April and October. From December and March, guests are welcome to try on costumes in the makeup rooms for free.

http://www.akita-ecotown.com/english/kosaka_zim.html

Odate Wappa Building: build a bento to treasure for life
Odate, Akita prefecture

The finest souvenirs are the ones you make yourself. One of Akita’s famous crafts is magewappa. These boxes and cups are simple, refined, and what Marie Kondo would say spark joy. Why not make one for yourself in this craft experience? It’s 5000 yen per person and it takes about 2 hours from start to finish. There’s enough room for a group of roughly 20 people to participate at once. You’ll also learn how to keep your creation looking beautiful for decades to come. There’s also a café next door which uses a few magewappa items to serve its fare. You can always try using the containers here before deciding to own some!

http://magewappa.com/

Hikage Onsen: bathe in an abundance of minerals

As an avid onsen enthusiast, I can say for certain that this ryokan experience is magical. Your arrival is met by five women beating taiko drums and big, fluffy Akita inu. From there, you are lead to a beautiful lobby with amenities before entering your very own suite for the night.

Hikage onsen has healed the wounds of soldiers during WWII and continues to help those suffering from rashes, eczema, arthritis, menopausal symptoms, and digestive disorders. I wish I lived nearby because it really helped my eczema! There are so many minerals in the water here that the ryokan needs to change its baths’ pipes once every month or two. Just imagine what a 20-minute soak could do for you.

The views are equally breath-taking, especially during snowy months. I highly recommend taking advantage of one of the private outdoor baths for the full experience. The hotel was renovated about two years ago but there’s still a sense of antiquity in the air. At times, it’s even a little spooky.

The food is a real sight to behold. Photos don’t do it justice. You’ll get everything you can hope for and more.  As a guest in the winter, I was treated to a local fish known as hata hata. This deep-sea dweller hides in the sand most of its life and the two I was served were females packed full of roe. I’d recommend searching for other delicacies unless chewing hard eggs is something you’d like to try.

Taiko Museum: a “hit” for children

It’s not every day you get to see something in Japan break a Guinness World Record for being big. This museum’s 6- and 3-meter tall drums are paraded around the town in processions of dancers during the local summer festival. The reason these drums got so big was because the town’s north and south neighborhoods have had a long history of competing with one another for having the largest drum that year. That tradition has proven much more peaceful than their original race to be the first to give offerings to the local shrine.

Beyond the huge taiko drums is a fun, interactive museum with an international drum collection. Most of the drums can be used by attendees. It’s a great place to play and get a little silly, and the admission fee of 420 yen is worth it. There’s also a store in the same parking lot which sells souvenirs and snacks. If you haven’t tried butter mochi yet, I suggest you take this opportunity to buy some. The only complaint is that the lighting isn’t very good for taking photos. You’ll find most of them look green.

http://www.city.kitaakita.akita.jp/kankou/category/kankou_shisetsu/takanosu/001.html

Matagi Museum: Akita’s bear hunters

The Matagi have been hunting bears in Akita’s forests since at least the 14^th century. Their stories, history, tools, and legends are being preserved in this museum. Its founder is a gentleman with a passion for teaching the world about Matagi. He is also fond of the local bears in many ways. The museum’s restaurant even has bear meat on it! What is perhaps crazier is that he convinced us of the medicinal properties of bear stomach. He generously offered us some shavings and let us taste it for ourselves before giving us a full tour of the premises. Although it was extremely bitter, it seemed we all felt a bit refreshed after having our share. For medicine that costs 10,000 yen per gram, I really hope our imaginations weren’t playing tricks on us.

Moreover, visitors can enjoy a taste of traditional Matagi bear stew. I’m sure you can find bear stew in a chic part of Tokyo, but here you can eat it with an exquisite view of snowflakes tumbling gently to the ground in winter. Who knows how fresh exotic meat in Tokyo is anyway? The wild bears have a very healthy diet and their meat is rich in oils and fats. It’s very tender and has a light taste reminiscent of beef. There are other meals available for the less adventurous.

http://www.mataginosato.com/

Akita Nairiku Jukan Railway

The finale of my trip was a ride along a once-abandoned railroad which stops at a shinkansen station. Train travel is the best way to end a trip because it brings you close to nature without any of the footwork.

The interior of the train is very unusual. Riders sit atop pillows on tatami flooring. It gives the feeling of classic Japan while gliding through the countryside in a dream-state. The Nairiku Jukan railway is a perfect blend of farmland, forest, and rocky river.

そんな秋北エリアに、初めて向かいました。東京のシェフ4人が、秋北エリアの食材でディナーを提供するとのこと。主催は秋田犬ツーリズム。これは食べに行かなければと、まず行きはJR東日本の東北新幹線で、東京駅から新青森へ。そこから、バスに乗り、秋北エリアに向かいます。

今回、ディナーコースが提供されるのは、秋田県大館市の日景温泉。白神山地の東端に位置します。建物は秋田杉をふんだんに使っています。かつては政治家犬養毅なども滞在していたという歴史ある宿。2017年、リニューアルオープンしました。明治26年の開湯依頼「日景の湯は皮膚に効く」といわれているほどの泉質は、「東北の草津」とも呼ばれ、3日入れば治ることから「三日一廻りの名湯」といわれるほど。実際、バスから降りた瞬間から強い硫黄臭がします。温泉好きとしてはたまりません。

温泉にも入りたいものの、すぐに「シェフたちの饗宴」はスタート。左から、株式会社いらかの顧問、梨澤六郎さん。元エスキスで「キエチュード」オーナーシェフの荒木栄朗さん、ミシュラン1つ星の「アムール」シェフの後藤祐輔さん、「リストランテ ラチャウ」オーナーシェフの馬渡剛さん。

アペタイザーは、4人のシェフの腕が結集。後藤祐輔シェフによる「比内地鶏と枝豆のタルトレット」、荒木栄朗シェフによる「桃豚のパテ・ド・カンパーニュ 黒ニンニクとこはぜのペースト」、馬渡剛シェフの「玉ねぎの詰め物イタリアチーズのソース」、梨澤六郎シェフの「ハタハタ燻りがっこ小袖すし　長芋梅酢漬　枝豆豆腐」。

食事のお供に小坂七滝ワイナリーのワインをいただきます。ここでは日本オリジナル品種「小公子」をはじめとするぶどうの苗をベースに、ワインづくりを行なっています。高橋竹見代表が、そのワインの魅力を教えてくれたあとに、「実は僕はお酒飲めないんだよね」というのがチャーミングでした。小坂七滝ワイナリーは別の機会に見学に行くつもりです。

同じテーブルに、日景温泉の石川崇代表と、大館商工会議所の仲澤和子副会頭がいらっしゃったので、この地域の特徴などの話もたくさん聞けて、酔っ払い…もとい、充実した時間を過ごせました。

夜はシェフたちの打ち上げに参加させてもらい、明け方近くまで食の未来について語り合うこともできました。やはり、どこかへ行くというのは大事なことですね。普段のことを忘れて一つに集中し、新しい発見を得ることができます。

さすがイタリアというか、↑この話はほとんどなしの、美味しいものを食べたり飲んだりおしゃべりしたりの会でした。どうも、こないだイタリア大使館でいたメンバーと同じ気もしますが、せっかくなのでこちらも郷に入っては郷に従うで気にせず飲んだり食べたりおしゃべりします。

イベントは銀座の『The Kitchen Salvatore Cuomo GINZA』で行われました。場所は知っていましたが、入るのははじめて。なかなか素敵でした。

イタリアの食に対する探究心と好奇心は、日本の味のこだわりとも相通じるものがあると思います。学ぶべきところも多いです。

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