Shiki no Yado Michinokuan
B · 7.7 / 10right inn, right place
A nine-room ryokan from 1985 near Shiroishi Castle that doesn't scream opulent luxury and doesn't need to, because it is wrapped in forest, serves both meals in the room, cooks delectable local food and is elegantly staffed. KI-NRT would return without hesitation, but only for one of the three suites with in-room onsen, ideally the top Akebono suite, renovated in 2024, because the six standard rooms share the communal baths and miss the point.
Scores
Food 4 / 5
KI-NRT found the cuisine neither unique nor especially creative, but the kitchen puts great effort into local and seasonal ingredients and the result was delectable. The fava-bean tofu with dashi and soy-sauce jelly, the grilled Sendai kuroge wagyu steak and umen (a local noodle soup like somen but thicker, made without oil) were all excellent. Breakfast was standard Japanese, good but with nothing that stood out. Both meals come to your room.
Bath 3.5 / 5
The three suites each have their own onsen bath, and in Yui Suite Shinonome it is indoors, though the large glass window can be opened for a semi-open-air effect. The other six rooms have no bath of their own and use the communal, gender-segregated onsen. KI-NRT looked forward to a soak before dinner on arrival, and he would return only for one of the suites so as to have the onsen in the room.
Service 4 / 5
The house is elegantly staffed, with a waka-okami (proprietress-in-waiting) on hand and a nakai-san, Ms. Suzuki, attending the room and serving both dinner and breakfast there, the classic arrangement KI-NRT always seeks out. He calls it a charming and comfortable property.
Room 4 / 5
Yui Suite Shinonome is more of a junior suite, with the bedroom only partly separated, but there is plenty of space in a Western-style living and dining room with a fireplace and a small tatami sitting area. The nits are cheap toiletries, a water-only minibar, and a drinks fridge by the communal bath that charges even for milk and yogurt. The top suite, the 110 m² Akebono, was fully renovated in spring 2024, and KI-NRT would book it next time.
Place 4 / 5
You arrive to mountains and forest all around with no man-made object in sight, and the heart rate drops at once. Every room faces a small rear lawn surrounded by flowers, a sight to behold when the hydrangeas bloom. The exterior is traditional and the interior contemporary Japanese, simple and unpretentious with just enough style (wooden ceiling beams, paper-lantern lights) to add flavor, and Mrs. KI-NRT approved. Shiroishi Castle is close by.
Getting there
- Sendai — ~0h50, 1 transfer (estimated). Tohoku Shinkansen Sendai to Shiroishi-Zao is about 15 min (or ~50 min by local line), then roughly 20 min by car to the inn.
- Tokyo — ~2h25, 1 transfer (estimated). Tohoku Shinkansen Yamabiko from Tokyo to Shiroishi-Zao is about 2h, then roughly 20 min by car.