I had heard the name Harizuru Onsen occasionally from people who love hot springs. This hotel is located on the mountainside, away from the main area of Harizuru Onsen, but they offer rooms with baths and room service, so I made a reservation and visited. The room consisted of a twin bed bedroom and a space with a large table. The hotel itself is located in a high place, so the view is great, especially from the room on the 5th floor. The bath in the room also had a fantastic view. Since it might be a while before I can go out again, I requested a course dinner with abalone, Japanese beef, and locally raised pork. Despite the hassle of setting up a room service dinner, the hotel staff were cheerful and very helpful. The course meal was as listed on the menu, with many dishes that I couldn't finish in the end. It was nice to be able to leisurely enjoy the meal. The next morning, I had breakfast in a private dining room. The hotel facilities themselves have a slightly old-fashioned feel, but all the staff were friendly, and I had a comfortable stay. Thank you very much! #Viewing the Chikugo River... The majestic view of the Chikugo River and the surrounding plains below. Ukiha, Asakura, and Kurume are among the most fertile agricultural areas in Kyushu. Rivers fertilize the surrounding land, but if there is heavy rain, disasters can occur, as seen in the past with heavy rain disasters in Toho Village, Hita, and the recent disaster in the Kuma River area. Once a disaster occurs, the damage can be significant. It makes me think that such things have been happening repeatedly for a long time. The magnificent view of the Chikugo River made me contemplate such things.

Summer is already over... To get pumped up for the end of the year, I came to Haritsuru Onsen this time. It's my first time visiting "View Hotel Heisei"! I chose the "Minou Course" for my meal. The cost was around this much for one night. First up, we have an aperitif. The aperitif was a non-alcoholic drink. It looks like it might be maru squeezed, with a white wine-like color that looks delicious. The taste is a bit bitter, with a hint of surimi, giving it a slightly rough texture. Next is the tomato kudzu tofu. It looks like a dessert with its color and cream topping. It didn't fall apart much when I picked it up with chopsticks. The taste had a strange acidity to it, not the usual tomato taste, but more of a mix of sweetness and acidity. Moving on to the appetizer with five items. The shrimp tempura is coated with sesame seeds and fried to a crispy texture. The sesame adds a nice accent to it. The smoked salmon and cucumber roll seemed like it had too much filling, making it hard to distinguish the flavors. The chestnut dish tasted sweet and brought out the true flavor of the chestnut. The watercress and enoki mushroom salad had a refreshing taste with a hint of dashi. The salt koji-grilled salmon had a nice balance of flavors, not too salty, and went well with rice, beer, or shochu. The sashimi consisted of octopus, salmon, and amberjack, all bite-sized and easy to eat. The octopus had a fresh taste, and the amberjack had just the right amount of fat. The grilled pork breast had a slightly sweet taste and was not too fibrous, making it easy to eat. The sauce had a hint of sweetness and spiciness, making it suitable for both meat and vegetables. The steamed egg custard was flavorful with plenty of mitsuba leaves. The tempura with mushrooms, prawns, and thick fried tofu was crispy and delicious. The tempura had a nice crunch to it, and the pumpkin tempura was particularly tasty.

We used it for company training. I have used Kawazuiroen, Taiseinkaku, and Palens Onoya along the river before, but this was my first time at View Hotel Heisei. Get off at Asakura Interchange, head east on Route 386 from Fukuoka, turn left instead of right, and climb Mt. Koyama. Inside the hotel elevator, it is written that this Koyama is also called "Koyama of Amanokagu" etc. The Miyako town area near the Kyushu region of Chikugo, Kyoto district is still considered to be the land of Yamataikoku. The hotel was located halfway up the mountain, so it was really a hotel with a good view. Along the river is nice, but I also felt that the mountain coolness was nice. At night, I was satisfied with meat, sweetfish tempura, and yuba manju. However, the dessert, sweet potato pudding, and slightly chewy texture didn't match well at the end. What was good was breakfast. Accompanied by mentaiko, rock seaweed, nori, and wasabi pickles, there was also mirin-pickled mackerel. Each dish seemed to go well with rice. In fact, one of the members even ate three bowls of rice. There is only one recommendation at Haritsuru Onsen. Thank you for the meal.

I apologize for not being in touch for a while (^^;) This time, I visited the "View Hotel Heisei" in Harutsuru Onsen for hot springs and meals. I love Harutsuru Onsen because it has many locations with alkaline simple springs, where you can enjoy the soft sulfur scent and smooth bathing sensation. Although I usually go to "Onoya" or "Rokuhotei" when I visit, this time I decided to try a new place. View Hotel Heisei is located on the top of a mountain, a bit away from other inns. I knew about its existence from the highway, but this was my first visit. After enjoying the hot springs at the annex "Hananouka," I checked in at the front desk of View Hotel Heisei and had dinner at the private dining room "Haruka." The seasonal kaiseki meal for 2500 yen included plum wine as an aperitif, followed by appetizers, small dishes, sashimi, grilled dishes, steamed dishes, jellied shellfish, tempura ayu fish, rice, soup, pickles, dessert, and coffee. The quality and satisfaction exceeded the price, especially the small ayu fish in June were delicious with the bones still soft. Dining in a private room with such a beautiful view was truly a luxury experience. If you plan to have dinner, I recommend making a reservation as the seats are limited. Also, I was surprised by the hot springs at the flower farm run by this hotel. Unlike the alkaline simple springs of Harutsuru Onsen, the water was green-brown and had a slightly rough texture, indicating a high iron content. Despite the lower freshness of the water, it was nice to soak while enjoying the magnificent view. Dining at Haruka also comes with a discount voucher for the hot springs at View Hotel Heisei. I might try it next time.

It's about an hour's drive from Fukuoka City using the Oita Expressway to get to this hotel in Harazuru Onsen. You can see it from the Oita Expressway, so it's always visible when going to Yufuin or Beppu. The name is a bit strange, but my companion made a reservation, so I went. It's about a 20-minute drive from Asakura IC. After checking in, we were guided to our room on the third floor right away. "Wow!" As soon as we entered the room, there was a fantastic view in front of us. The view from here is quite nice. The meal consisted of tempura, chawanmushi, and rice, with everything else already set. Well, there weren't any hot dishes, so it's okay. The taste was decently good. Oh, and the hot pot with sweet and spicy gochujang was surprisingly delicious. After eating, there was also an indoor bath, but I chose to go to the open-air bath. I couldn't find any signs indicating that it was a natural hot spring, but since you could drink the water directly... (omitted). It's a shame that I couldn't enjoy the view directly from the bath, but still, it's nice to be able to gaze at the world below in the nude (even in this freezing cold weather). There are so many other hot springs in Kyushu that I want to visit, so a return visit to this one is questionable, but it's definitely a recommended property.