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 Kuramure is one of the most remote ryokan in
Japan. Located at the Asarigawa Onsen in Otaru,
Hokkaido, this interesting gallery-like ryokan
provides guests the special experience of
traditional Japanese-style living. Here visitors
will feel very much as ease as they are shown
the real ryokan and onsen expectations and
customs. You will take great pleasure in
slipping into the steamy hot spring waters and
all the distracting thoughts which you might
have will all disappear at the very same time. Kuramure means 'group of warehouses' in Japanese
and these warehouses represent the bustling
history of Otaru, a very busy seaport since the
17th century. The waters off the
coast of the Sea of Japan have supplied such
wealthy stores of herring that fishermen were
able to build grand nishin-goten (herring
castles) whereby the sight of these luxurious
homes still manages to amaze tourists who are
sightseeing in this
Photo: Kuramure at Otaru
area up till today.a famous Japanese architect, found
beauty in the fortitude of Otaru's storehouses
and forms a partnership with owner Toshiyuki
Sanada to built a new-age warehouse for
contemporary art and design, healing, bathing,
refined dining and fun where visitors will truly
enjoy. The design is a perfect fusion of
modernism with Otaru's traditional Japanese
warehouse architecture. The art and beauty seen here comes in
many forms ranging from a cage of rocks to
contemporary sculpture by local artists and to
Asian antiques. The main attraction here for
guests who craves for moments of tranquility to
escape from the crazy corporate world is the
four natural springs which are specially made
for them. It include two communal outdoor baths
and two indoor baths, one for men and one for
women. Guests have a choice of fifteen
semi-Western style rooms with beds or the four
traditional Japanese-style rooms to choose from.
The names of the rooms are taken from famous
novelist, painters and poets. Each of the rooms
found here presents a unique, individual decor
and offers private natural hot spring bathing
whereby guests only need to open the bath window
and soak in an amazingly natural, open-air
atmosphere. Breakfast and dinner are served in a
separate dining room and guests will appreciate
the elements of Chinese, Italian and French in
the food served here.
The owner's method to Japanese inn-keeling is to
emphasize on using materials of the earth,
stone, iron, mud and handmade Japanese paper.
Visitors leaving here always make a point to
come back for more since this place always gives
incredible pleasures and spa joys since the
guests' welfare is always the top priority of
the owner and also its incredible location which
is alongside a babbling brook in the hot spring
valley of Otaru Asarigawa. Travelers who are
making a trip here from Tokyo will have to take
a one-and-a-half-hour flight from Tokyo's Haneda
Airport to Kuramure's closest airport which is
the Chitose Airport, south of Sapporo. Then
catch a train to the town of Otaru. Then take a
ten minutes car ride from Otaru Station to
Kuramure which is in Asarigawa Onsen. This onsen
ryokan is known for its unique understanding of
the total pampering that every guest deserves.
Located at :
2-685 Asarigawa Onsen,
Otaru-shi,
Hokkiado 047-0154,
Japan.
Telephone :
81 (0)134 51 5151
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