Sumptuous Riverside Dining in Aizu Wakamatsu

Feast on exquisite Japanese cuisine in a beautiful, natural hot spring paradise

The refined grounds of Harataki, a traditional ryokan inn in Aizu Wakamatsu’s Higashiyama Onsen region, offer visitors a unique dining experience from spring to early autumn. During those balmier months, platforms are set up to allow visitors to dine on regional specialties while taking in the miniature waterfalls and babbling streams on the premises. Taste the reason that washoku, traditional Japanese cuisine, has been recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. The sublime dishes include fresh sashimi, simmered vegetables, locally sourced seafood, and Fukushima Prefecture’s delicious rice.

While lunchtime and dinner reservations can be made during the warmer months, it’s worth spending the evening in one of Harataki’s attractive rooms. Japanese-style accommodations are available; some rooms even come with their own private bath with tubs made from cypress trees. All guests can enjoy the ryokan's beautiful public bath, with breathtaking views of the nearby gorge. All of the water in Harataki’s baths is drawn from the hotel’s own private spring in Higashiyama Onsen, first recognized for its restorative properties more than a millennium ago.

Access: From Tokyo Station, take the Tohoku Shinkansen to Koriyama Station (about one hour 20 minutes), transfer to the Ban’etsu West Line to Aizu-Wakamatsu Station (about one hour five minutes), then take the bus to the Higashiyama Onsen Eki stop (about 15 minutes) and take the hotel’s shuttle bus (about two to five minutes).

Aizu Higashiyama Harataki