The Japan Times PUBDATE: 10/17/2008 PAGE: 6 C M Y K OUTPUT TIME: 17:2:39

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6 THE JAPAN TIMES FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2008 (3)

autumn resort special

Accessibility, affordability of family resortopens gateway to all Nasu’s treasuresEpinard Nasu has dramatical-ly improved access to the Na-su Highlands with a direct ex-press bus and accommodationpackage from Tokyo, Yokoha-ma, Saitama and Matsudo sta-tions. With prices startingfrom ¥13,000 for the trip, and aone-night stay with breakfastand dinner, you can sit backand sink into a comfortable re-clining seat, and in three hoursyou’ll be at the area’s largestresort hotel.

Also, because it is the area’stallest hotel, the guest roomsoffer unobstructed views ofthe Nasu mountains. Nothingbut blue sky and a never-end-ing ocean of trees, and in au-tumn, a breathtaking grada-tion of fall colors spreads outbefore you. The view alone isworth the trip, but the hotelhas more to offer.

There’s so much to do at Epi-nard Nasu, from karaoke, re-flexology and body treatmentsto tennis on eight all-weathercourts, an 18-hole puttingcourse and swimming in the 25-meter indoor pool or soaking inthe indoor/outdoor onse n pub-lic bath, to making pottery, sil-ver rings and tomato jams atthe arts and crafts studio.

The resort is baby-friendly,so the bath has kids bathchairs, and the waterproof di-apers sold at the spa countermake even small children wel-

come at the pool. The onsen al-so has bath stools for seniors.

If you want more of anadrenalin rush, then the just-opened Tree Trekking is foryou. Using a climbing har-ness, you can travel alongchallenging aerial paths, likesuspended bridges, climbingnets and zip lines between thetrees. During summer season,exciting attractions like hot-air balloon rides and bungeetrampolines will be installedat the multipurpose grassfield, where you are free toplay catch or soccer anytime.

Guests at Epinard Nasu canenjoy the convenience of trav-eling around the Nasu High-lands without having to usetheir cars. The Kyubi excur-sion bus, which stops in frontof the hotel, runs through all ofthe major tourist attractionslike Nasu Yumoto hot springs,Rindoh-ko Family Ranch andNasu Safari Park every 45minutes. In addition, the hoteloffers guided optional toursthat highlight the naturalbeauty of the highlands. Expe-rienced nature guides willtake you to see the autumn-colored woods or fit you outwith snowshoes to explore thesnowcapped mountains.

Expressed in the name‘‘Epinard,’’ meaning ‘‘spin-ach’’ in French, is the hotel’s‘‘pursuit of slow food.’’ Indeed,

the Epinard’s ‘‘Nasu cuisine,’’prepared with carefully se-lected locally grown organicproduce, continues to temptvisitors back.

Highly popular amongguests is the buffet at theHerBage restaurant, which of-fers more than 60 Japanese,Chinese and Western Nasucuisine dishes, and 30 differentdessert menus. Many dishes,such as sushi, tempura andeven cakes are prepared onthe spot. Colorful organic veg-etables grown at Hatakeya-ma’s Hikarigaoka Farm areused in vegetable sushi, andrich and creamy Jersey milkfrom the Rindoh-ko FamilyRanch is served as a sorbet.The freshly prepared dishesare so tasty you won’t be ableto resist returning to the buffetand asking for more.

At the children’s buffet cor-ner, you’ll find every kid’s fa-vorites — meatballs, curry,spaghetti and desserts — dis-played on a low table alongwith a nutrition chart so thatkids can select their own dish-es and learn to eat a nutritious-ly balanced meal. Baby foodsare also available.

Already a friendly hotel forall generations, Epinard Nasuaims to become somewhereforeign guests can stay incomfort and enjoy their timein Nasu. (M.I.)

Back to nature on Tokyo’s doorstepFeasting on all the natural bounties of Odawara, Hakone and the Nasu HighlandsMinami IijimaCONTRIBUTING WRITER

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Autumn is here and there’s nobetter time to be outdoors. TheNasu, Odawara and Hakoneareas offer a wide choice oftravel destinations and cozycafes where you can unwind inbeautiful natural surround-ings.

Nasu, which is an hour and15 minutes by bullet train fromTokyo, is a highland resortthat is home to the Imperialfamily’s vacation villa. Hav-ing served the needs of the Im-perial family as well as epicu-rean owners of vacationhomes, Nasu has developed in-to a health-conscious resortwhere restaurants offer dish-

es prepared with locallygrown organic produce. Nasuhas the second-highest num-ber of dairy farms in Japan,and produces milk, cheese,butter and ice cream.

At Nasu Loco Market, you’llfind fresh-picked locallygrown vegetables and fruit,and local groceries like thedairy products, jams, wine, to-fu, dumplings and cheese-cake. The delicious egg pud-ding made from local fresheggs is a must.

For the best cup of coffee intown, try the Nasu Shozo Cafe,the second outlet of the Shozogroup, a pioneer in Japan’s ca-fe sector since 1988. The hom-ey cafe is decorated with an-tique furniture, and sunlight

falls through the tress onto thecomfy terrace seats as thearoma of coffee and freshlybaked scones fills the air.

Odawara, a historical gate-way city to the Hakone moun-tains, is just 36 minutes fromTokyo by bullet train. A 10-minute walk from OdawaraStation will bring you to Oda-wara Castle Park, where youcan climb to the top of the don-jon, or castle tower, and be re-warded with an excellent viewof Sagami Bay.

Next to the castle is HotokuNinomiya Shrine, dedicated tothe spirit of the great Edo Peri-od agronomist Sontoku Ninomi-ya, who is fondly known as‘‘Kinjiro.’’ A great spot for somequick spiritual cleansing is the

Cafe Ginger in the shrine’s Ho-toku Kaikan. The simple andmodern eatery serves ginger-inspired drinks and sweets atan open-air patio or at comfort-able sofas indoors.

Some 30 minutes by bus or40 minutes by train from Oda-wara is the historical hot-spring resort area of the Hako-ne mountains. And if you’reheading there, you really muststop at some of the museumcafes.

The cafe restaurant ‘‘LYS’’at the Lalique Museum Hako-ne serves French-style cuisineusing fresh vegetables at ta-bles with a view of a beautifulgarden. The floor-to-ceilingglass walls make diners in-doors feel as if they are sitting

outdoors. At the Hakone Open-Air Museum’s Gallery Cafeyou can get a champagnelunchbox for a picnic in the70,000-sq.-meter garden over-looking a stunning naturalbackdrop.

Access to the Hakone andOdawara areas has been dra-matically improved by thelaunch of direct services bythe Odakyu Romancecar lim-ited express and Tokyo MetroChiyoda Line. The new MetroHakone Romancecar, stop-ping at Kitasenjyu, Otemachi,Kasumigaseki and Omote-sando subway stations, runstwice on weekends and holi-days, and connects Kitasenjyuand Hakone Yumoto Station intwo hours.

Close encounters of the spiritual, cultural and aesthetic kindNiki Club in Nasu is where sea-soned travelers go to hangtheir hats for a few days of R &R. Opened in 1986 by HitomiKitayama under the ‘‘boutiquehotel with the comfort of a re-sort villa’’ concept, even first-time visitors feel as if they arebeing welcomed back to alongtime vacation home.

Nestling in 140,000 sq. me-ters of oak forest, the 42 guestrooms, restaurants, naturalhot-spring spa, vegetable gar-den, open-air theater and anatelier are dotted in a squarearound a rice field. Designedto provide a place where ur-ban dwellers can re-connectwith nature, trails run be-tween the facilities through

the trees and over a creek,where you will be greeted bysquirrels, tree frogs, and fire-flies in summer and dragon-flies in autumn.

The original ‘‘main’’ build-ing, though a modern structurewith Japanese touches, has thenostalgic feel of a Westernlodge in a national park. Builtwith stone walls, Japanesetiled roofs and wooden antiqueinteriors, all 18 rooms have adifferent design, some with aWestern fireplace, an iror iJapanese fireplace or a teaceremony-theme tatami room.What better place to unwindthan on a cozy sofa in front ofthe brick fireplace, sipping thechef’s house blend coffee and

watching the wonders of na-ture outside.

In contrast, the Niki Club &Spa east annex, which openedin 2003, is a contemporary mu-seumlike structure with theminimalist design touches ofSir Terence Conran. Twenty-four villas offer all the conve-niences of modern guestrooms, some with split-levelsuites and rooftop terraces,and a private outdoor o nsenbath. Under the ‘‘spa’’ concept,the east annex has indoor/out-door onsen public baths andspa treatments.

The spa cuisine full-coursedinner and breakfast at theGarden Restaurant serves alow-calorie menu using vege-tables freshly picked from theresort’s garden and locallygrown ingredients grilled orroasted.

Niki Resort, which runs Ni-ki Club, values cultural, spiri-tual, artistic and aestheticsensitivities, and questionsthe rationalism and material-ism of modern life. To furtherprovide a place where guestscan nourish such sensitivities,and immerse themselves inthe world of art and culture,Niki Resort opened the Kaga-mi outdoor stone stage de-signed by architect HiroshiNaito in 2006 and the Kanki-kan guest house in 2007, whereconcerts, exhibitions and oth-er cultural events are held.Art Biotop Nasu, a ceramicand glass atelier with guestrooms for long-term stays, al-so opened in 2007 across theroad from the Niki Club & Spa,under Niki Resort’s direction.

Not to be missed amongsuch art and cultural events is‘‘Hotel in Hotel Konomi.’’ Eachof the six guest rooms in themain building will be rede-signed by six renowned artistslike Hiroko Koshino and AkiraMinagawa under a differenttheme. A preview event will beheld Nov. 15 and 16, and fromNov. 17 through Dec. 25, therooms will be available forguests.

In addition to the abundantnature and art, what makesNiki Club so special is serviceand hospitality. ‘‘Niki’’ means

‘‘second encounter’’ and wasused in the hope that every en-counter would be treasured,and trigger second and thirdencounters with guests. In-deed, the warm personal con-

nections and friendly conver-sation with Niki Club staff arethe greatest charms of the re-sort, and what rejuvenateseven the weariest ofsouls. (M.I.)

Eye-opener: Panoramic views of the Nasu Highlands can be enjoyed from the Epinard Nasu’s LaVerdure French restaurant on the top floor of the hotel’s Main Tower as well as from guest rooms.

(Publicity)

For all tastes: Atraditional Japanesebreakfast at La Brise inthe main building(above) or aWestern-style buffet atthe Garden Restaurant inthe east annex buildingare available. Potteryand glassmaking can beenjoyed at the Art BiotopNasu’s studios, the NikiResort’s new facility thatopened across the roadfrom the Niki Club & Spain 2007 (left). MINAMI IIJIMA

Family fare: Many of the menus offered at the Epinard’s six restaurants feature fresh vegetablesdirect from the farm (left). With its wide selections of European, Japanese and Chinese dishes,the HerBage’s dinner buffet is popular with children and adults alike (right).

Natural habitat: The Niki Club & Spa east annex (above) issurrounded by oak forests. The hotel’s facilities are dottedaround a rice field, connected to each other by wooden trailsrunning through the trees and by streams (below). MINAMI IIJIMA

The Japan Times PUBDATE: 10/17/2008 PAGE: 7 C M Y K OUTPUT TIME: 17:3:50

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(3) THE JAPAN TIMES FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2008 7

autumn resort special

A world-class resort only minutes from HakoneA breathtaking view of Saga-mi Bay welcomes you as youstep off the train at JR Tokai-do Line’s Nebukawa Station,an old, solitary stationperched high on a cliff top. It’shard to imagine that this tran-quil town is only two stopsfrom Odawara.

When people think of Oda-wara, the first thing that usu-ally comes to mind is a histori-

cal castle town or a provincialcity by the sea. What is lesswell known is that the city isblessed with the abundant na-ture of Sagami Bay and theHakone mountain region.

A five-minute shuttle busride from Nebukawa Stationbrings you to the Hilton Oda-wara Resort & Spa. The resorttakes full advantage of thenatural surroundings and its

230,000 sq. meters of land, withonly 172 guest rooms in an ar-ea five times the size of the To-kyo Dome.

Entering your room, pan-oramic views of Sagami Bayand the lush foothills assaultyour eyes. All rooms com-mand ocean views, so you willbe awakened by the rays of thesun rising above the horizon,and soothed to sleep by moon-

light shimmering on the waterand cool ocean breezes drift-ing into your room. Who wouldhave imagined that therecould be a world-class resortin such a beautiful natural set-ting just an hour from Tokyo.

Of the Hilton’s eight loca-tions in Japan, Hilton Odawa-ra has the highest repeat cus-tomer ratio. Some 70 guestshave visited the hotel more

than 40 times in its four-yearhistory, and some even 100times. The secret of its popu-larity is its proximity to To-kyo, luxurious facilities andrenowned service.

Honored by the World Trav-el Awards as Japan’s LeadingSpa Resort four times in a row,the hotel offers spa facilitiesthat are admired around theworld — the Bade Zone has 11indoor and outdoor spa poolsthat use natural hot-springwater. There is also an onse npublic bath and the AquaBeaute Spa salon, which offersa special facial rejuvenationtreatment for skin damagedby strong summer sunlight.

In addition to the spa facili-ties, the resort has indoor andoutdoor tennis courts, a full-size gymnasium where youcan play basketball and bad-minton, fitness gym, a puttingcourse, indoor golf range,bowling alley, pottery studioand a library cafe with high-speed Internet access. With somany activities to choosefrom, you’d regret staying justone night.

The Hilton Odawara Resort& Spa stands alone among Ja-

pan’s resort hotels in terms ofits service for young guestsand foreign travelers. Onweekends and holidays, chil-dren aged from 4 to 12 can jointhe Kids Club’s three-hour ac-tivity programs (¥4,200 perchild). There’s ballgames,cooking lessons and sports ac-

tivities. The Kids Club is somuch fun that some childrenbeg their parents to let themreturn as soon as their threehours are up.

All services at the hotel areEnglish friendly, from a skinconsultation at the AquaBeaute Spa Salon to playing at

the Kids Club. Foreign guestscan enjoy the resort withoutworrying about languageproblems. Whether you are afamily or couple, Japanese orforeign, spending time at theHilton Odawara Resort & Spais certain to help you relax andunwind. (M.I.)

Serving foreign travelers for the past 130 yearsLocated in Miyanoshita, Ha-kone, the Fujiya Hotel hasserved as a mountain resortfor foreign guests, from royal-ty, world leaders and celebri-ties to travelers simply seek-ing the essence of Japanesehospitality in a wonderful nat-ural setting, since 1878. Sur-rounded by lush greenery, inthe sunlight the hotel is en-chanting, but when a pool ofmist descends from the moun-tains and hangs low over theground, it seems to magicallyfloat on its own cloud.

Entering the hotel is likestepping back into the late 19thcentury. The hotel’s five neo-Japanese buildings, con-structed from 1891 through1960, each reflect the decor ofthe era in which it was built.Looking at walls covered in

photos of visiting dignitariesand old restaurant menus dis-played in the hotel museum,will take you on a virtual jour-ney through the Meiji, Taishoand Showa eras.

The 130-year-old hotel isfilled with the presence of pastguests. Was that CharlieChaplin swimming in the in-door natural hot-spring pool orAlbert Einstein sipping a mar-tini and listening to jazz on thepiano in the Bar Victoria, orJohn Lennon tucking into hisfavorite apple pie in the tea-room?

Before the advent of railtransport, in order to p r o v i d ethe best hospitality for foreignguests, Western foods likebread and meat were trans-ported every morning from Yo-kohama to Odawara on a horse-

drawn cart, and from Odawarato the hotel on the backs of hotelstaff, who manhandled the pro-duce up the steep, winding trailto the hotel.

Also in response to foreigntravelers’ curiosity about Jap-anese culture, the hotel start-ed to print a column describ-ing Japanese culture on theback of the menu for The Fuji-ya main dining room and deco-rated the lobby with seasonalJapanese ornaments; a ser-vice that continues to be ap-preciated by guests.

In 1946, the Fujiya Hoteltook over the Kikka-so Inn, aformer Imperial villa built in1895 across the street from thehotel, and introduced the tra-ditional Japanese-style gar-den and architecture to the Oc-cupation troops visiting the ho-

tel. In 1953, the villa opened asa sukiyaki restaurant andclassic Japanese-style r y okan(inn). Today it houses the ho-tel’s annex guest rooms andrestaurant serving traditionalkaiseki course menus.

The Kikka-so is perhaps theFujiya Hotel’s best-kept se-cret. The beautiful kaisekidishes wow food connoisseursand the classic Japaneseatmosphere is serene andcalming. Celebrating the130th anniversary, a specialsukiyaki and kaiseki coursedinner — prepared in the orig-inal 1953 style — is availablefor ¥20,000 with a three-dayprior reservation.

The hotel offers a special‘‘130th Anniversary Plan’’ ratefor foreign passport holders.Foreign guests can stay over-night in a standard double ortwin room for $130, excludingtax and service charges, ex-cept on Saturdays, the eve ofJapanese national holidaysand holiday weeks. An off-sitemeeting package is also avail-able, which includes the use ofa meeting room with mineralwater and coffee service, de-luxe twin room, breakfast anddinner, starting from ¥27,000per person, including tax andservice charges.

If you are looking for a sou-venir, 130th anniversary giftswould be a great choice. Keyrings that look like miniatureroom keys crafted from thedistinctive flower patterns ofthe Fujiya’s old room keys;purses; f u roshiki wrappingcloth; stationery and a burato-rigami (facial paper) for yourspouse; Fujiya Hotel bellboyteddy bears for the kids; andthe ‘‘Fujiya Story,’’ a bookfilled with photos and legendsof the hotel for everyone whocherishes their time at the Fu-jiya Hotel. (M.I.)

(Publicity)

A part of history: Many of the buildings of the 130-year-old Fujiya Hotel have been designatedas National Cultural Assets.

In the footsteps of royalty: Kikka-so, a formerImperial villa built in 1895, now accommodatesthree Japanese rooms and a restaurant (right).Celebrating the Fujiya Hotel’s 130thanniversary, sukiyaki and kaiseki courses,prepared in the original 1953 style, are served atthe Kikka-so restaurant (above).

Location, location: The Hilton Odawara Resort & Spa, occupying 230,000 sq. meters of land,stands amid the natural beauty of the Hakone mountain region, overlooking the blue waters ofSagami Bay.

R & R: All guest rooms offer panoramic views of SagamiBay (left). The Hilton Odawara provides a wide range ofrelaxation and activity options, including theaward-winning Bade Zone spas (above).