If you know that “tatami” is the name for the traditional floor mat found in Japanese homes, you may be wondering: What exactly is a tatami room bath? Unlike traditional baths which come with stone or tiled floors that are cold to the touch and often slippery, the tatami room bath is exactly what its name suggests: a tatami-floored room with a nice hot spring in the middle. This time we’ll be looking at a hotel with this unusual feature!
Rare Even in Japan: the Tatami Room Bath!
The owner of the “Tateshina Onsen Hotel Shinyu” once ended up with a broken bone after slipping and falling at a public bath. In order to guarantee the safety of his guests, he introduced his tatami-laid bath with a special type of tatami that was developed to “have no problems with hygiene or rot.” This tatami is made from a special material with the Shinyu Onsen (Shinyu hot spring) composition in mind. While it still lets your feet softly sink into the floor as you walk, it does not become slippery when wet. Bringing the kids who like to run around in baths? It’s good to know they are safe from slipping and falling.
You can definitely feel the hospitality at this Japanese-style resort. The steaming springs in the middle of the room are called “Shingen’s Hidden Spring,” after the 16th century Japanese warlord Takeda Shingen. The springs are a type of simple spring (weakly acidic, hypotonic, low temperature spring). It is famous that Takeda Shingen chose a Nagano prefecture hot spring as his “hidden spring,” a hot spring to be used exclusively by him. They say the hot spring of “Tateshina Onsen Hotel Shinyu” healed the wounds of wounded soldiers, and soothes cuts and scrapes on your skin. Some people today even say it helped with their eczema. For the ladies, of course, it helps to keep the skin beautiful.
Shinyu Onsen – the onsen loved for 400 years. Other than the tatami room baths, you can also try their outdoor bath where you can enjoy the forest and the sound of the river flowing before it, or one of their private outdoor baths filled with the soothing aroma of Japanese cypresses.
Tateshina is All About the Tateshina Beef!
Tateshina beef is famous for being an expensive, high-quality beef. Raised in a cool climate and a natural environment, and given water from the foot of Mt. Tateshina, “Shinshu Tateshina Beef” is smooth and soft, with a distinct sweetness. The full course meal provided at the “Tateshina Onsen Hotel Shinyu,” called the “Tateshina Cuisine,” is of course centered on this Tateshina beef. The “Tateshina Cuisine” is a full course meal created by the head chef at Shinyu in order for guests to have the full Tateshina resort experience. Believing that everything at such a resort must be “extraordinary,” every course is original and handmade. The picture is of the 2013 summer menu dish: “Two Ways to Enjoy Tateshina Beef Steak: Shalyapin Sauce and Simply with Salt and Pepper.” The marbling of Tateshina beef is delicate enough to melt at room temperature, so every bite lets its sweet taste spread in your mouth.
The chef’s special Shalyapin sauce complements it well too! Be sure to try this quality dish, only available here!
Tateshina Club, Seiryutei, Sangetsutei, Suzurantei… Choose the Room You Like!
The picture shows a room in the hotel’s annex, Sangetsutei. The room includes a 16.5 square meter Japanese-style room, a hardwood floor living room and a terrace. The inclusion of a table set is a considerate addition for people who cannot sit on the floor for long periods of time.
Each room also includes a coffee maker, so you can enjoy your vacation with a morning coffee as you watch the river flowing through the valley. The hotel also has the “Lobby Street,” its assortment of 9 shops. There you can find your standard gift shop, a Japanese candy shop, a general store, an amusement room that includes pool, darts, and ping pong, and even a children’s area where kids can play on slides.
It’s quite fun just to have a look around!
Nagato Farm on the Foothills of Mt. Tateshina, 1400m Above Sea Level
Near by, there is the “Shinshu Shirakaba Kogen Nagato Farm,” which is a dairy farm with fields the size of 45 Tokyo Domes.
In the fresh wind of the highlands and under the warm sun, these healthy dairy cows are raised with nutrient-rich grass. The sight of these cows lazily walking around the grounds is a calming sight. And the fresh milk they make! Of course it’s delicious!
Although they offer other high quality dairy products, including yoghurt and cheese, our favorite is the five kinds of ice cream and soft-serve ice cream they make from the freshly squeezed milk. Be sure to give this rich and mild taste a try.
Final Thoughts
The Tateshina Onsen Hotel Shinyu, with their tatami-room bath and many other features, is the finest resort hotel where you can have many unforgettable experiences. Come enjoy the breathtaking scenery and soothing hot springs, with their exquisite cuisine and items exclusive to highlands. You’re sure to make some great memories here.
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