Stayed 10.10.2015 (Sat)
Reserved thru' Jalan.net.
12 tatami mats room (Tsukikanmuri 月かんむり) = 73,350 yen (3 pax) + 150 yen/pax (bathing tax)
One and only. The first hot spring equipped accommodation that we stayed during our travel in Tohoku region. Arinkan is the only hotel situated in Shin Namari Onsen 新鉛温泉, one of the twelve hot spring spots that made up Hanamaki Onsenkyo 花巻温泉郷, a well known hot spring village in Iwate Prefecture. Shin Namari Onsen is situated along Toyosawa River 豊沢川 and is the innermost (or closest to Toyasawa Lake) out of all. For hot spring lovers, you will definitely be rejoiced by their elaborate hot spring facilities/bathhouse. The hotel has hot spring waters piped from three sources and has a total of 17 different types of hot spring pools/tubs (10 indoor pools and 7 outdoor pools), one of the most I have seen before. Even though Arinkan was not my first choice of accommodation in Hanamaki Onsenkyo as it felt more commercialised and group tourists oriented, the experience was still pleasant (despite being a weekend) and the hot spring was truly the highlight of the entire stay.
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| 12 tatami mat room. |
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| Lounge. |
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| Complimentary drink corner for hotel guests. |
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| Shopping for local merchandise and souvenirs within the hotel. |
Room and facilities. Arinkan is a reasonably large scale hotel, housing about 100 rooms in its building. For our accommodation plan which came with half board, we were assigned a 12 tatami mats room located on the side of the building facing Toyasawa River. One perk exclusive to hotel guests is the free drink corner where freshly grounded coffee, mixed carrot and orange juice, honey vingear drink and flavoured ice lollies can be enjoyed at no additional cost. Every night (2030 - 2115 hrs), song and dance performances are held in Festival Square (Omatsuri hiroba お祭り広場) located on the basement floor. On the night of our stay, we were treated to an engaging shamisen 三味線 showcase and a mass traditional dance which my mother participated enthusiastically! Other entertainment facilities available in the hotel include karaoke rooms (additional charges will apply), kids playroom, table tennis tables and a club/pub where cocktails are served.
Rejuvenating. A "hot spring themepark" is how I will describe the onsen facilities here at Arinkan. There are three different themes - kawa no yu 川の湯, mori no yu 森の湯 and nanbu no yu 南部の湯 and kawa no yu was my favourite out of all. As the name implies, kawa no yu promises a panoramic view of Toyosawa River. I will highly recommend heading to the rotenburo 露天風呂 (outdoor section) to take in the relaxing sounds of water flowing in the river while enjoying a therapeutic soak in the natural hot spring waters. The hot spring pools in the outdoor section of kawa no yu are also pretty unique in my opinion. Upon stepping out into the outdoor section, you will first discover a pool named koshikayu 腰掛湯 in which the water level is designed to be at waist level, filled up to a depth of 90 cm. Walk further down and you will find two bathtubs, both made of Shigaraki ware 信楽焼 (a type of stone ware pottery originated from Shigaraki area in Shiga Prefecture), designed to create some personal space for individuals to enjoy their bath luxuriously.
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| View of Toyosawa River from our room. |
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| A surprise find! Did a morning stroll in the park situated behind the hotel just before breakfast. The elevation here was sufficiently high enough for me to capture a scenic view of Arinkan and its surrounding natural landscape. |
Meals. Both meals (dinner and breakfast) were served in the dinning areas outside of the guest rooms. For dinner service, a half buffet style (ハーフバイキング) was provided. What it meant was half of the kaiseki course was served to us at our table, while the other half requires us to make our way to the buffet counter/station to collect whatever is to our liking. Wakame and steamed shredded chicken accompanied with vinegared miso appetiser dish, assorted sashimi, hakkin pork (白金豚) hot pot, tsukemono were already prepared for us to tuck in when we were seated at our designated table. From the buffet counter, I had several rounds of serving of assorted tempura which comprised of prawn, Japanese sandfish (ハタハタ), capsicum, eggplant and Japanese ginger (みょうが). On the following morning, it was entirely buffet style for breakfast served in the banquet hall. Overall, the dining experience for both breakfast and dinner were satisfactory.
Shin Namari Onsen Airinkan 新鉛温泉 結びの宿 愛隣館
〒025-0252 岩手県花巻市鉛字西鉛23番地
https://www.airinkan.com/
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| Hopped onto the complimentary bus service from Shin Hanamaki JR Station to Arinkan. Bus was full house but I recalled only two groups of people (including ourselves) were heading for Arinkan. Rest of the passengers alighted earlier at other hot spring spots in Hanamaki Onsenkyo. |
How to get there?
(1) Complimentary pick up service from Hanamaki JR Station 花巻駅 and Shin Hanamaki JR Station 新花巻駅.
https://www.airinkan.com/pickup.html
- Note that for the following direct pick up service from the train stations to Arinkan, it requires prior reservation to be made with the hotel
#5: Shin Hanamaki JR Station (0915 hrs) > Hanamaki JR Station (0930 hrs) > Arinkan (0955 hrs)
#6: Shin Hanamaki JR Station (1200 hrs) > Hanamaki JR Station (1215 hrs) > Arinkan (1240 hrs)
#7: Shin Hanamaki JR Station (1400 hrs) > Hanamaki JR Station (1415 hrs) > Arinkan (1440 hrs)
- For the remaining bus services, no reservations are required. However, the duration of the journey is longer as the bus stops at various hot spring spots within Hanamaki Onsenkyo.
#8: Shin Hanamaki JR Station (1510 hrs) > Hanamaki JR Station (1525 hrs) > Arinkan (1610 hrs)
#9: Shin Hanamaki JR Station (1610 hrs) > Hanamaki JR Station (1625 hrs) > Arinkan (1710 hrs)
#10: Shin Hanamaki JR Station (1710 hrs) > Hanamaki JR Station (1725 hrs) > Arinkan (1810 hrs)
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