Stayed 10.11.2017 (Fri)
Booked thru ikyu.com
Single: 19,995 yen (half board)
The communal bathhouse, separated by gender, is located on the second floor of the main building and only indoor facility is available. Though the source of the water in the bathhouse is not from a hot spring source, soaking into this temperature regulated water after a bath helps to wear down the tiredness accumulated over the trip. If you are taking a soak in the morning, do keep a lookout for the sea view from the bathroom which becomes visible in the day. In the rest area located just outside the communal bathhouse, there are bookshelves filled with photography books and travel guidebooks for guests to refer to while chilling/cooling down. From a design perspective, the modern style wood house with alike interior furnishing created this comfortable ambience for guests to relax in and the design was something I will love to have it in my own house!
Thumb-up. Meals were the highlight of my stay in Unoshima Villa. Love both meals were served in Sea-ne restaurant and were prepared with care by the owner, Mr and Mrs Harada-san. Utilising locally produced ingredients, the couple aimed to create local cuisine with a touch of novelty and most importantly, beneficial to health. From plating to the choice of ingredients employed to prepare the entire meal course, and the meticulous explanation by Mr Harada-san on each and every dishes placed in front of me, I can strongly feel the immense effort put in to attain their desired objective.
Dinner commenced with a beautifully plated appetiser served on a wooden tray - a modern interpretation of a hassun (八寸) utilising ingredients harvested from the land, mountain and sea. Next was maguro carpaccio, accompanied with fresh greens and Hishio, a traditional Japanese fermented seasoning. The maguro was perfectly seared on the outside with the dark red meat still intact, and such cooking style reminded me of tataki maguro. This was followed by a rich and flavourful cup of pumpkin soup, piping hot, crunchy tempura of assorted seasonal vegetables and cold udon made from moroheiya, a type of wild vegetable known for its high nutritious value and grown locally in Mito, served with dashi. Main course was Hitachi-gyu steak drizzled with Hishio. When Harada-san came by to ask me how the beef was, I could only compliment him with a gesture of thumb-up. Hitachi-gyu is the pride of Ibaraki Prefecture and are only harvested from Japanese black cattle raised for more than 30 months. The marbled meat is known for its tenderness and rich flavours and I could fully relate to this claim after savouring this well-executed piece of steak. The penultimate dish was rice flavoured with mushrooms. Knowing that I was already quite full up, Harada-san proposed to make onigri from the remaining rice for me to take away. The onigri, despite cold, still tasted nice and moist when I had it in the afternoon while onboard the train.
Luxury. Breakfast was yet another luxurious moment for me as the restaurant overlooked the beach and Pacific Ocean with sun rays pouring through the glass panels into the room. Reverting to a more Japanese style breakfast accompanied by a panoramic sea view, my pace of eating automatically slowed down and my appetite grew as I requested for another bowl of fragrant rice! It was a moment I wished that time can stand still and I could prolong my extraordinary experience at Unoshima Villa. One most important attribute to this wonderful stay was the warm and immaculate hospitality displayed by both Mr and Mrs Harada-san throughout my entire stay, which today, still remained vividly in my mind. 本当にありがとうございました。
In short, the feeling of home comes naturally right from the first moment you step onto the grounds of Unoshima Villa, a phenomenon which I have not felt strongly from my past travelling experiences in Japan. A place I would highly recommend all to stop by, even for a simple meal, when you come to Hitachi city.
Booked thru ikyu.com
Single: 19,995 yen (half board)
Feeling of home. To facilitate my visit to Hananuki Gorge / Hananuki Keikou (花貫渓谷) in Takahagi on a morning, I decided to stay in a nearby accommodation the night before. The first one which caught my attention was Unomisaki 鵜の岬 located along the coastline facing Pacific Ocean. Later I found out that this lodging has an impressive track record of emerging top out of all Kokumin Shukusha (国民宿舎) in Japan, in terms of occupancy rate, for 27 consecutive years. However, this hotel only accepts reservation through phone which kind of deter me away. Continued my search and stumbled upon Unoshima Villa in ikyu.com. Sound strange, but I will have to call this "love at first sight" as the outlook of this seaside accommodation looks so comfy and scenic to my liking. Without further ado, I proceeded to make my reservation online and was looking forward to my stay in Unoshima Villa at the halfway mark of my holidays.
Private beach, sunrise and star gazing! Arrived at Unoshima Villa just before sunset and was instantly welcomed by a cooling sea breeze. Before heading into the main building to check in, I decided to spend some time admiring the remaining moment of sunset at the beach. Comprised of two buildings - the main one is where the front desk, Sea-ne シーネ restaurant and communal bathhouse are housed in, while the guestrooms are located separately in an adjacent two storey lodging building. Unoshima Villa was formerly known as Unoshima Onsen Ryokan which was heavily destroyed by the tsunami as a result of Mar 2011 Tohoku Earthquake. 2/3 of the existing premises were tore down and the remaining building structures were refurbished for re-opening in Apr 2014. Being strategically located near the seaside, Unoshima Villa naturally has it own private beach and promises a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean all year long. On a clear day, guests should wake up slightly earlier than usual to catch the sun surfacing from the horizon. Unfortunately, I was not granted that spectacular moment as it was rather cloudy when I woke up in the morning. However, I was already very contented to stumble upon a star glittering sky on the night of my stay! In Singapore, star gazing with bare eyes is always a feat due to light interference from the ground. Therefore, it was considered a rare experience for me to witness a star filled sky and its beauty is truly beyond words to describe.
Room and facilities. Unoshima Villa is a small scale accommodation with a capacity of only seven rooms. As I happened to be the only guest, I could have the restaurant and communal bathhouse all to myself during my stay! The room assigned to me was a spacious Japanese style tatami laid room which came with an unobstructed sea view, located on the second floor of the lodging building. There are a total of three such similar rooms and they are not equipped with toilet and showering facilities. Guests will have to utilise the common toilet and shower rooms located on the same floor. There are also coin operated washing and drying machines made conveniently available at the ground level of the lodging building.
Private beach, sunrise and star gazing! Arrived at Unoshima Villa just before sunset and was instantly welcomed by a cooling sea breeze. Before heading into the main building to check in, I decided to spend some time admiring the remaining moment of sunset at the beach. Comprised of two buildings - the main one is where the front desk, Sea-ne シーネ restaurant and communal bathhouse are housed in, while the guestrooms are located separately in an adjacent two storey lodging building. Unoshima Villa was formerly known as Unoshima Onsen Ryokan which was heavily destroyed by the tsunami as a result of Mar 2011 Tohoku Earthquake. 2/3 of the existing premises were tore down and the remaining building structures were refurbished for re-opening in Apr 2014. Being strategically located near the seaside, Unoshima Villa naturally has it own private beach and promises a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean all year long. On a clear day, guests should wake up slightly earlier than usual to catch the sun surfacing from the horizon. Unfortunately, I was not granted that spectacular moment as it was rather cloudy when I woke up in the morning. However, I was already very contented to stumble upon a star glittering sky on the night of my stay! In Singapore, star gazing with bare eyes is always a feat due to light interference from the ground. Therefore, it was considered a rare experience for me to witness a star filled sky and its beauty is truly beyond words to describe.
Room and facilities. Unoshima Villa is a small scale accommodation with a capacity of only seven rooms. As I happened to be the only guest, I could have the restaurant and communal bathhouse all to myself during my stay! The room assigned to me was a spacious Japanese style tatami laid room which came with an unobstructed sea view, located on the second floor of the lodging building. There are a total of three such similar rooms and they are not equipped with toilet and showering facilities. Guests will have to utilise the common toilet and shower rooms located on the same floor. There are also coin operated washing and drying machines made conveniently available at the ground level of the lodging building.
The communal bathhouse, separated by gender, is located on the second floor of the main building and only indoor facility is available. Though the source of the water in the bathhouse is not from a hot spring source, soaking into this temperature regulated water after a bath helps to wear down the tiredness accumulated over the trip. If you are taking a soak in the morning, do keep a lookout for the sea view from the bathroom which becomes visible in the day. In the rest area located just outside the communal bathhouse, there are bookshelves filled with photography books and travel guidebooks for guests to refer to while chilling/cooling down. From a design perspective, the modern style wood house with alike interior furnishing created this comfortable ambience for guests to relax in and the design was something I will love to have it in my own house!
 |
| Admiring this beautifully prepared tray of appetiser. |
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| Maguro carpaccio served with fresh greens and Hishio. |
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| Impressed by this Hitachi-gyu steak! |
Dinner commenced with a beautifully plated appetiser served on a wooden tray - a modern interpretation of a hassun (八寸) utilising ingredients harvested from the land, mountain and sea. Next was maguro carpaccio, accompanied with fresh greens and Hishio, a traditional Japanese fermented seasoning. The maguro was perfectly seared on the outside with the dark red meat still intact, and such cooking style reminded me of tataki maguro. This was followed by a rich and flavourful cup of pumpkin soup, piping hot, crunchy tempura of assorted seasonal vegetables and cold udon made from moroheiya, a type of wild vegetable known for its high nutritious value and grown locally in Mito, served with dashi. Main course was Hitachi-gyu steak drizzled with Hishio. When Harada-san came by to ask me how the beef was, I could only compliment him with a gesture of thumb-up. Hitachi-gyu is the pride of Ibaraki Prefecture and are only harvested from Japanese black cattle raised for more than 30 months. The marbled meat is known for its tenderness and rich flavours and I could fully relate to this claim after savouring this well-executed piece of steak. The penultimate dish was rice flavoured with mushrooms. Knowing that I was already quite full up, Harada-san proposed to make onigri from the remaining rice for me to take away. The onigri, despite cold, still tasted nice and moist when I had it in the afternoon while onboard the train.
Luxury. Breakfast was yet another luxurious moment for me as the restaurant overlooked the beach and Pacific Ocean with sun rays pouring through the glass panels into the room. Reverting to a more Japanese style breakfast accompanied by a panoramic sea view, my pace of eating automatically slowed down and my appetite grew as I requested for another bowl of fragrant rice! It was a moment I wished that time can stand still and I could prolong my extraordinary experience at Unoshima Villa. One most important attribute to this wonderful stay was the warm and immaculate hospitality displayed by both Mr and Mrs Harada-san throughout my entire stay, which today, still remained vividly in my mind. 本当にありがとうございました。
In short, the feeling of home comes naturally right from the first moment you step onto the grounds of Unoshima Villa, a phenomenon which I have not felt strongly from my past travelling experiences in Japan. A place I would highly recommend all to stop by, even for a simple meal, when you come to Hitachi city.
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Unoshima Villa 日立・太田尻海岸 うのしまヴィラ
〒317-0052 茨城県日立市東滑川町5-10-1
https://unoshima-villa.com/
How to get there?
(1) By bus and walk
From Hitachi JR Station Central Exit (Chuo Guchi) 日立駅中央口 Bus Stop 2, hop onto either Hitachi Dentetsu Kotsu Bus 日立電鉄交通バス 75 or 77 and alight at Iwaizaki 祝崎. Bus journey takes approx 10 minutes.
From the bus stop, head for the seaside and it takes another 5 - 7 minutes walk before finally arriving at Unoshima Villa.
Bus schedule: http://www.hitachi-dentetsu.co.jp/bus/bus_jikokuhyou_h/20181001/g181001h_75_77.html
Unoshima Villa 日立・太田尻海岸 うのしまヴィラ
〒317-0052 茨城県日立市東滑川町5-10-1
https://unoshima-villa.com/
How to get there?
(1) By bus and walk
From Hitachi JR Station Central Exit (Chuo Guchi) 日立駅中央口 Bus Stop 2, hop onto either Hitachi Dentetsu Kotsu Bus 日立電鉄交通バス 75 or 77 and alight at Iwaizaki 祝崎. Bus journey takes approx 10 minutes.
From the bus stop, head for the seaside and it takes another 5 - 7 minutes walk before finally arriving at Unoshima Villa.
Bus schedule: http://www.hitachi-dentetsu.co.jp/bus/bus_jikokuhyou_h/20181001/g181001h_75_77.html
