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Grandia Housen in Awara Onsen is a beautiful and luxurious ryokan, a traditional Japanese hotel, located in Awara Onsen, a town in the north of Fukui Prefecture famous for its hot springs. Here you can have an authentic and luxurious experience of a hot spring resort, steeped in history and tradition. Grandia Housen has been serving customers for over 50 years, and over that time it has earned a prestigious reputation. It has three different high-quality hot spring water sources, which are said to have many healing properties. In the ryokan itself, there are various room types to choose from, such as rooms with private outdoor baths, Japanese suite rooms, barrier-free rooms, and Western-style rooms with beds. Also included, are many facilities that you will surely enjoy. The staff is also on a really high level.
Awara Onsen is easily accessible from Kanazawa, as well as from Kyoto and Osaka, and around it, there are many interesting tourist attractions such as Tojinbo, a picturesque stretch of rocky coastline that is popular among visitors from both Japan and abroad. If this sounds like the place you would like to stay, and I am sure it does, you will be happy to learn more about it below!
A large number of different baths available at Grandia Housen make it truly a hot spring paradise. These include public indoor and outdoor hot springs with a sauna, separate by gender, as well as baths that can be reserved for private use. Some of the baths are large public baths Tsuki-no-Yu (Moon Bath) and Hoshi-no-Yu (Star Bath). Recently, owners have renovated them and made them even better. Outdoor baths here at Grandia Housen enable you to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the surrounding area which looks wonderful no matter the season. When the weather is good, you can enjoy the spectacular night sky.
Water for all these baths comes from three hot spring water sources belonging to the Awara river. When you visit this amazing place, you will understand its beauty when you experience the soothing sensation of the Awara water on your skin as you gaze out over the beautiful scenery.
One thing that makes Grandia Housen eve more exquisite is the fact that some rooms have private hot baths for you to enjoy. That way you can enjoy the ultimate experience of soothing relaxation, in the comfort of your own room.
As I already said, Grandia Housen is located in Awara Onsen. Awara Onsen is a small town in the far northern part of Fukui Prefecture. Fukui Prefecture is located on the Sea of Japan coast and is part of the historic Hokuriku region of Japan. Grandia Housen is easily accessible from Kanazawa via train to JR Awara Onsen Station. The trip takes around 35 minutes. Also, a complimentary shuttle bus runs daily from JR Awara Onsen Station to Grandia Housen, but you need advanced reservations. If you are arriving from Kyoto, the trip via train will take about 1 hour and 40 minutes. It is also possible to reach JR Awara Onsen Station via bus from several directions.
The history of Awara Onsen and Grandia Housen is rich and proud. Awara Onsen is over 130 years old. Dating back to when the first hot springs were discovered here in the Meiji era of Japanese history. Grandia Housen was established in 1963. Over years it developed into a premier destination for visitors who want to experience an authentic and luxurious ryokan.
Grandia Housen offers many different types of rooms, such as rooms with private outdoor baths, Japanese suite rooms, barrier-free rooms, and Western-style rooms with beds. The ryokan has a special detached wing for additional privacy and relaxation called Kotobuki-tei Villa. It has 16 highly luxurious suite rooms in both Japanese, and Western-Japanese styles. The furniture and design of these rooms are exceptional and high quality. They include spectacular private hot baths in which many of you will spend hours relaxing and enjoying the tranquility of the moment after many hours of sightseeing. Yutorogi-tei is another part of the ryokan. This is a modern-Japanese style resort wing full of greenery. It includes standard Japanese and Western-style rooms, and also deluxe Japanese-Western rooms which have private, open-air hot spring facing out over the garden.
Every fan of Japan and Japanese culture knows that Japanese cuisine is among the best in the world. Every trip to Japan should be used as an opportunity to try as much as possible of delicious authentic Japanese meals. Because of that, I am sure that you will be happy to hear that Grandia Housen offers many different types of delicious Japanese dishes. The local area is rich in high-quality ingredients from the mountains, countryside, and nearby sea. These seasonal ingredients are used to prepare exquisite dishes of the highest quality. There are several restaurants in Grandia Housen which serve a variety of meals. The most unique local delicacy is the Echizen crab, famous for being an annual offering made to the Imperial family. This crab is famous for its juicy sweet taste, and is rightfully known as the “king of crabs”.
Grandia Housen ryokan has several facilities available to its guests that I am sure many of you would enjoy. One of these is the modern Japanese lounge, a perfect relaxation space for those looking to spend a peaceful time in serene surroundings. Footbath “Ashigaru-no-Yu” is another one. There you can enjoy a dip in the foot bath at any time. I really like foot baths since warm up your whole body, and the cobbled floor helps to stimulate blood circulation. There is also a Moon viewing platform that overlooks the Japanese garden.
It is a great place to take a memorable photo of your trip. If you are the type that wants to continue the fun until the late hours, you will be happy to know that this ryokan has a vibrant nightlife. It has a karaoke bar, private karaoke rooms, mah-jong rooms, a Japanese noodle restaurant, and more. Parking, vending machines for quick snacks, and Wi-Fi for connection to the world is also available.
The area around Awara Onsen has a lot of interesting and must-see places. However, many tourists are not even aware of them. The most popular of these is Tojinbo. It is a spectacular series of steep, rocky cliffs that stretch for about a kilometer along the coast. These giant, pillar-shaped rocks are a unique geological formation. It can only be seen in a couple of other sports in the world, and nowhere else in Japan.
If you love visiting traditional temples and shrines, Eihei-ji Temple is a place you might be interested in. This important temple of Zen Buddhism was founded in 1244 and is one of the head temples of the Soto Sect of Zen Buddhism.
Other places of interest include Historic Ruins of the Ichijodani Asakura Clan, Kanaz Forest of Creation, and Shibamasa World.
If you are looking for a place to relax during your trip across Japan, and if you want to experience an authentic hot spring, Grandia Housen in Awara Onsen is perfect for you. Rent a car, or book public transport, and escape to this less known, but wonderous part of Japan! Grandia Housen ryokan will be waiting for you!
3 Responses
Wow this place looks amazing! I was already planning to visit Kanazawa next year, and I didn’t even know that this place exist! Thank you so much for sharing all of this information 🙂
This place looks like a perfect mix of modern and traditional. Is it close to Tokyo or Kyoto?
Yes, it’s close to Kyoto. It takes approximately 1.5 hour to reach Grandia Housen from Kyoto!