ASAKUSA Underground > The best Minshuku
Have you heard the word "Minshuku"?
If you are really an adventurer, you can travel Japan with your tent, sleeping anywhere. Not exactly everyone wants to do this. Then, what do you do? Do you feel like staying at one international hotel after another? Do you call it an adventure if you sleep in a Japanese-style ryokan hotel?
The halfway between an international hotel and your shabby tent is a minshuku. It is a small family-run inn. Often guests and owners sleep in the same building. In concept, it is close to an American (not British) bed & breakfast. The difference is that they serve you a big fancy dinner. Many Japanese stay at a minshuku for its dinner. Some minshuku are well known for their cuisine. Retired chefs, who felt sick and tired of the life in a city, often open a very nice minshuku in the middle of nowhere.
Staying at a minshuku is not necessarily cheap. It costs 7,000 to 15,000 yen per person for one night with two meals. If you ask an extra lobster, the price will easily go beyond 20,000 yen. Besides, some minshuku are in residential areas, where a school or a convenience store can be next to your lodging. Japanese tourists adore the feeling of being "lost". That's why they choose to stay in a minshuku. If you are deprived of this sense of melancholy, 15,000 yen per night is a little too expensive.
There are some minshuku sites in English on Internet, but they do not normally tell you much about details. It is almost like a lottery to pick out a good one.
Nevertheless, you should spend a night in a minshuku at least once. The experience would stay among your cherished memories long after you go home. One has to pay attention to his expenses while travelling, but should not be too stingy. If you don't want to spend money, the best way is to stay at home.
Do you want a little adventure? Are you happy to invest some money? Then, this is the name of the best minshuku in Japan.
It is Sannami in Noto peninsula.
Noto is just beautiful, sticking out to the Sea of Japan. "If the Pacific coasts are in the sun, the coasts by the Sea of Japan are in the shadow", some Japanese say. Here you find everything contrary to Tokyo, being lost in an onsen with delicious fresh seafoods.
In addition, at minshuku Sannami, they serve you organically grown vegetables, freshly taken from the yard next to the lodgings. Their motto is "Healing by Eating". They clean your polluted intestines with foods without pesticides or preservatives. They soothe your strained mind with their warm, welcoming heart. They have their open-air onsen bath with the magnificent view of the Sea of Japan. For the view, the owner needed to construct it a little away from the minshuku house. So, when it rains or snows, the bath is not accessible.
Your adventure begins when you try to book your room by phone. They don't accept children younger than 13 years old because it is a bit difficult for young ones to truly appreciate the quality of their service. Many matured clients like their honest attitude and healthy foods, and it is not easy to find vacancy there.
The trip from Asakusa to Noto is not easy, either. It takes long and costs a lot. It is cheaper to buy a packaged holiday in Bali at a Tokyo bucket shop. The flight to Bali from Narita takes shorter than the train ride to Noto. If you want to get there by hitchhiking, you have to count two to three days unless someone working at the minshuku itself accidentally picks you up.
On its Internet site, Sannnami owner apologizes first, saying "Gomen nasai (I am sorry)". "I am sorry we have such a bad access", says he honestly. "I am sorry we don't serve sophisticated dishes here", says he too modestly. His attitude shows how good the establishment is, don't you think?
[Related articles]
・Two old men, Fukuoka and Lao-tzu
The greatest organic farmer and his philosophy.
・Cheap Sushi near Asakusa
A organic-conscious Sushi restaurant.
・Eat Alfalfa
Tips to travel healthily.
[Reference in Japanese]
http://allabout.co.jp/travel/yado/closeup/CU20010915A
-Sannami
zip.927-0443, 27-26-3 Yanami, Noto-cho, Housu-gun, Ishikawa-ken
tel. 0768-62-3000
石川県鳳珠郡能登町矢波27-26-3
To find out the exact location, use diddlefinger.
The site is your best guide when you work in Tokyo or travel in Japan.
Luckily, they show its position precisely on their Internet site.
135° 5' 56" E. 37° 16' 49" N.
(Check how isolated it is on a map search engine.)
Charge: starting at 14,700 yen (per person per night with two meals. Minimum 2 persons per group)
They serve dinner for non-guests. Starting at 4,800 yen.
Holidays: 28/Dec. to 6/Jan. 12/Aug. to 18/Aug.
Site: www.noto.ne.jp/sannami/ (in Japanese. Plenty of good photos.)
E-mail: fksep25czauyvw@noto.ne.jp (They do not seem to take reservations by e-mails. You can still try it, though)
If you find it too difficult to book it in Japanese by phone, Try another minshuku nearby. It is called Minshuku Flatt's. (Tel. 0768-621900) An OZ-Japanese couple runs the establishment. Il signor is a chef of Italian cuisine from Sydney. They have a nice Internet site in English.
Check: www.flatts.jp/index.html
<To get there>
By air: Haneda airport to Noto airport (22,200 yen / one way)
Then, take the Furusato taxi for Noto-cho. (It is a shared taxi, which costs 700 yen / one way. You need to book your seat. See Note.)
Get off at Yanami Bus stop and walk.
Probably you should copy the map on their site and take it on you. Still, you may need to ask someone there. It is suppose to take ten minutes on foot.
[Note]
To reserve your seat in a Furusato taxi, call 0768-72-2810 (Koiji Kanko Bus Ltd.) At the airport, you will find several taxis going for different destinations. Be sure to take the one for Noto-cho.
By train: This could be the cheapest way possible to get from Asakusa to Minshuku Sannami by public transportation.
23: 23 (Asakusa) Take Tokyo Metro Ginza line for Shibuya and get off at Ueno. This is the last Metro train to catch Express Noto. You should take the Metro way before this. You may need some time to buy tickets and foods at Ueno station.
23: 33 (JR Ueno) Take JR Express Noto. Get off at Tsubata at 6:18 AM.
6: 44 (JR Tsubata) Take JR Nanao line for Nanao. Get off at Nanao at 8:07 AM.
8: 12 (Noto-Tetsudo / Noto Railways Nanao) Take Noto-Tesudo Nanao line (not JR) and get off at Anamizu at 8:57 AM.
(The whole train rides cost you 11,310 yen / one way. It takes nine and a half hours.)
Then, take the bus for Udetsu. Get off at Yanami bus stop. Ten minutes walk from the bus stop.
See By air section, too.
Please let us know what you think. The ASAKUSA Underground editorship will sincerely appreciate your effort if you correct our inaccuracy and poor English.
Please contact us.
The best Minshuku
Have you heard the word "Minshuku"?If you are really an adventurer, you can travel Japan with your tent, sleeping anywhere. Not exactly everyone wants to do this. Then, what do you do? Do you feel like staying at one international hotel after another? Do you call it an adventure if you sleep in a Japanese-style ryokan hotel?
The halfway between an international hotel and your shabby tent is a minshuku. It is a small family-run inn. Often guests and owners sleep in the same building. In concept, it is close to an American (not British) bed & breakfast. The difference is that they serve you a big fancy dinner. Many Japanese stay at a minshuku for its dinner. Some minshuku are well known for their cuisine. Retired chefs, who felt sick and tired of the life in a city, often open a very nice minshuku in the middle of nowhere.
Staying at a minshuku is not necessarily cheap. It costs 7,000 to 15,000 yen per person for one night with two meals. If you ask an extra lobster, the price will easily go beyond 20,000 yen. Besides, some minshuku are in residential areas, where a school or a convenience store can be next to your lodging. Japanese tourists adore the feeling of being "lost". That's why they choose to stay in a minshuku. If you are deprived of this sense of melancholy, 15,000 yen per night is a little too expensive.
There are some minshuku sites in English on Internet, but they do not normally tell you much about details. It is almost like a lottery to pick out a good one.Nevertheless, you should spend a night in a minshuku at least once. The experience would stay among your cherished memories long after you go home. One has to pay attention to his expenses while travelling, but should not be too stingy. If you don't want to spend money, the best way is to stay at home.
Do you want a little adventure? Are you happy to invest some money? Then, this is the name of the best minshuku in Japan.
It is Sannami in Noto peninsula.
Noto is just beautiful, sticking out to the Sea of Japan. "If the Pacific coasts are in the sun, the coasts by the Sea of Japan are in the shadow", some Japanese say. Here you find everything contrary to Tokyo, being lost in an onsen with delicious fresh seafoods.
In addition, at minshuku Sannami, they serve you organically grown vegetables, freshly taken from the yard next to the lodgings. Their motto is "Healing by Eating". They clean your polluted intestines with foods without pesticides or preservatives. They soothe your strained mind with their warm, welcoming heart. They have their open-air onsen bath with the magnificent view of the Sea of Japan. For the view, the owner needed to construct it a little away from the minshuku house. So, when it rains or snows, the bath is not accessible.
Your adventure begins when you try to book your room by phone. They don't accept children younger than 13 years old because it is a bit difficult for young ones to truly appreciate the quality of their service. Many matured clients like their honest attitude and healthy foods, and it is not easy to find vacancy there.
The trip from Asakusa to Noto is not easy, either. It takes long and costs a lot. It is cheaper to buy a packaged holiday in Bali at a Tokyo bucket shop. The flight to Bali from Narita takes shorter than the train ride to Noto. If you want to get there by hitchhiking, you have to count two to three days unless someone working at the minshuku itself accidentally picks you up.
On its Internet site, Sannnami owner apologizes first, saying "Gomen nasai (I am sorry)". "I am sorry we have such a bad access", says he honestly. "I am sorry we don't serve sophisticated dishes here", says he too modestly. His attitude shows how good the establishment is, don't you think?
[Related articles]
・Two old men, Fukuoka and Lao-tzu
The greatest organic farmer and his philosophy.
・Cheap Sushi near Asakusa
A organic-conscious Sushi restaurant.
・Eat Alfalfa
Tips to travel healthily.
[Reference in Japanese]
http://allabout.co.jp/travel/yado/closeup/CU20010915A
-Sannami
zip.927-0443, 27-26-3 Yanami, Noto-cho, Housu-gun, Ishikawa-ken
tel. 0768-62-3000
石川県鳳珠郡能登町矢波27-26-3
To find out the exact location, use diddlefinger.
The site is your best guide when you work in Tokyo or travel in Japan.
Luckily, they show its position precisely on their Internet site.
135° 5' 56" E. 37° 16' 49" N.
(Check how isolated it is on a map search engine.)
Charge: starting at 14,700 yen (per person per night with two meals. Minimum 2 persons per group)
They serve dinner for non-guests. Starting at 4,800 yen.
Holidays: 28/Dec. to 6/Jan. 12/Aug. to 18/Aug.
Site: www.noto.ne.jp/sannami/ (in Japanese. Plenty of good photos.)
E-mail: fksep25czauyvw@noto.ne.jp (They do not seem to take reservations by e-mails. You can still try it, though)
If you find it too difficult to book it in Japanese by phone, Try another minshuku nearby. It is called Minshuku Flatt's. (Tel. 0768-621900) An OZ-Japanese couple runs the establishment. Il signor is a chef of Italian cuisine from Sydney. They have a nice Internet site in English.
Check: www.flatts.jp/index.html
<To get there>
By air: Haneda airport to Noto airport (22,200 yen / one way)
Then, take the Furusato taxi for Noto-cho. (It is a shared taxi, which costs 700 yen / one way. You need to book your seat. See Note.)
Get off at Yanami Bus stop and walk.
Probably you should copy the map on their site and take it on you. Still, you may need to ask someone there. It is suppose to take ten minutes on foot.
[Note]
To reserve your seat in a Furusato taxi, call 0768-72-2810 (Koiji Kanko Bus Ltd.) At the airport, you will find several taxis going for different destinations. Be sure to take the one for Noto-cho.
By train: This could be the cheapest way possible to get from Asakusa to Minshuku Sannami by public transportation.
23: 23 (Asakusa) Take Tokyo Metro Ginza line for Shibuya and get off at Ueno. This is the last Metro train to catch Express Noto. You should take the Metro way before this. You may need some time to buy tickets and foods at Ueno station.
23: 33 (JR Ueno) Take JR Express Noto. Get off at Tsubata at 6:18 AM.
6: 44 (JR Tsubata) Take JR Nanao line for Nanao. Get off at Nanao at 8:07 AM.
8: 12 (Noto-Tetsudo / Noto Railways Nanao) Take Noto-Tesudo Nanao line (not JR) and get off at Anamizu at 8:57 AM.
(The whole train rides cost you 11,310 yen / one way. It takes nine and a half hours.)
Then, take the bus for Udetsu. Get off at Yanami bus stop. Ten minutes walk from the bus stop.
See By air section, too.
Please let us know what you think. The ASAKUSA Underground editorship will sincerely appreciate your effort if you correct our inaccuracy and poor English.
Please contact us.
[The photos have nothing to do with the article.]