唯一無二の癒し 『石葉』 : Sekiyou

This is my eighth visit. I'm totally "swamped" (mostly my wife) lol. It's about two hours from Tokyo. Looking for a unique healing experience, my wife and I went to the Onyado "Ishiba" in Yugawara. We've both been busy and a little tired recently, so we were really looking forward to it. As I've already mentioned a few times, the charms of Onyado "Ishiba" are "Yugawara's famous hot springs (the indoor baths are also free-flowing from the source)", "the Onyado's calm atmosphere and room etiquette", and "the deliciousness of the food". I think that Onyado that combines these three elements at a high level and quality is extremely rare, even in Japan. In this regard, I will not go into the wonderful quality of the Yugawara hot springs and the "settings" of the building that remind you of the New Year and Setsubun, as it would take too long to write about them, but I will write about last night's dinner below. The menu we had is as follows. This time, I stayed in a room called "Jukoku", but on the day, I was selfish and asked the staff at Onjuku to set up a table for me to eat indoors. However, because the table was placed in an area that was not originally intended for eating, the photos are a little dim due to lack of light. Appetizer: Furofuki turnip (white miso, needle yuzu) Konoko: The turnip was cooked to perfection and the sweetness of the white miso was excellent. Konoko is a delicacy that goes well with sake (it has an outstanding saltiness). Hachisun: Sardine Sushi with hajikami, Himejiko, Hanamame, Kaneko, Nabana Karasumi mabushi, Soybeans, Steamed abalone, Tiger prawns pickled in Saikyo miso. The concept is Setsubun. Each dish is carefully prepared, and the meal is a joy to eat. Hot pot: Spanish mackerel, watercress, black shichimi. The thick-fleshed Spanish mackerel is incredibly tasty, and the aroma of the natural watercress is very refreshing. Sashimi: Seasonal fish (stone snapper, ark shell). Garnish: The sea bream has a strong umami flavor, and the ark shell also has a nice, distinctive aroma. Grilled dish: Charcoal-grilled beef, reina cabbage, and Japanese pepper soy sauce. The beef and reina cabbage are cooked to perfection, and the Japanese pepper soy sauce brings the whole dish together nicely. Appetizer: Grated Kyoto carrot, yuba, ginger. The sweetness and aroma of the Kyoto carrot are excellent. The texture is smooth and the tofu skin from Juunian is also very delicious. Strong Appetizers: Air fry, butterbur shoots, spring rolls. The combination of smelt and butterbur shoots is excellent, which, combined with the crispy texture of the spring rolls, makes for an exquisite appetizer. Final Appetizers: Burdock leaves, Rikyu gluten, Omi konnyaku dressed in sesame vinegar. The aroma of the burdock leaves, and the texture of the gluten and konnyaku are great. The seasoning of the sesame vinegar is excellent. Rice: Flower wasabi rice, crushed seaweed, salmon roe, red miso soup, pickles. The overwhelming aroma of flower wasabi. Plenty of salmon roe, seaweed, pickles and red miso soup were also delicious. Dessert: strawberry, yuzu ice cream, tochiotome strawberry was delicious, yuzu sorbet was less sweet, perfect for adults. Dessert: lotus root mochi, with a refined sweetness from wasanbon and brown sugar syrup, excellent texture, chewy yet extremely smooth. The food is served in each room, so Nakai-san serves it all, and his manners, behavior and hospitality (this is the second time I've been served by him) are amazing. I think this is also a beautiful point that should not be forgotten as a "healing" experience at Ishiba. Thank you as always. Chef Morita-san's cooking, and of course the menu that Ishiba-san has inherited over the years, was flawless and really delicious as always. Impressed. My wife has already made a reservation for the next time on the web, so I'm looking forward to my ninth visit lol. Thank you so much for the meal. * Only photos of breakfast are posted.

It's not far from Tokyo, but I'm back at the best inn "Ishiba" @ Yugawara, where you can forget about your daily life and relax your body and mind with the free-flowing hot springs, excellent food, pleasant service, and beautiful interior decor. I think this is my seventh time here. This time, I stayed in the "Jukoku" room. There is a bath in the room, and it is the only room other than the detached building that has a sofa. The interior decor is very relaxing. First of all, the bean paste of the "Kintsuba" welcome service is very delicious. It goes well with the "Ashitaba tea" with its unique flavor and sweetness. As always, the dinner was full of seasonal ingredients. In addition, the presentation of the hassun and the grilled beef wrapped in a magnolia leaf on a charcoal brazier was as expected. The person in charge of the room was also graceful and had beautiful manners. It was a really delicious dinner. I was very satisfied. Of course, there was nothing wrong with the breakfast. The clam miso soup was excellent. The dried horse mackerel was grilled to a juicy finish. The carefully prepared rolled sushi roll was also delicious. And to top it off, the rice was made with freshly cooked new year's rice. Ah, it was just too good. If I could, I'd like to stay another night... I've already made a reservation for next year. Once you experience the healing power of Ishiba, you're hooked. Thank you so much for the meal.

　自分が今まで訪ねて来た国内・海外のホテル・旅館の中から3指に入るお宿です。施設（家屋・部屋の室礼）、温泉、料理、ホスピタリティその全てがここまでハイクオリティなお宿を探すのは至難の業ではなかろうか。

　今回のお部屋は、「観月庵」です。
　石葉の中でも、「離れ」にあたり、最も居心地が良いです。室礼も素敵。

　お料理は、当たり前ですが、季節感がある逸品ばかり。これらの料理がお宿で食せるとは、本当にスゴイですね。お部屋を担当して下さる中居さんの所作が美しく、対応も洗練されていて、癒されます。
　ちなみに、夕食だけでなく、朝食の内容も素晴らしかったです。

　温泉は、外湯（露天風呂）も良いですが、部屋にある檜のお風呂でゆっくり出来るのも最高です。しかも、源泉掛け流し。

　とにかく顧客との距離間を大事にしてくれるお宿で、一度、門を潜れば、外界を忘れ、心底、本当に寛げます。昨今、高級ホテルや旅館は、ホスピタリティの名の下で、顧客を構い過ぎると思ってます（相手にするのも疲れる）ので、石葉さんの「おもてなし」を見習って欲しいなぁ。

　大変お世話になりました。
　本当にごちそうさまデシタ。