Over U.S. Thanksgiving week, we decided on a 5 day / 4 night road trip through Gunma and Yamanashi Prefecture, staying in four of the very best ryokans (and Onsen towns) in the region. We flew from Osaka to Niigata, then rented a car. 2.5 hours later, we arrived at our first stop, Tanigawa Onsen in Minakami, Gunma.


Bettei Senjuan - view of the property grounds and Mt. Tanigawa

Gunma is renowned for its hot springs quality, and has an abundance of charming onsen towns. Kusatsu Onsen is undoubtedly the most famous - it's considered one of the "three most famous Onsen spots in Japan," along with Gero Onsen and Arima Onsen, although I'm not sure where this list came from and I don't know if I'd agree with that assessment. In any case, other top locations include Minakami Onsen (aka Tanigawa Onsen), Ikaho Onsen, Shima Onsen and Manza Onsen.


Bettei Senjuan - curved corridor


One of the countless intricate displays in the public spaces at Bettei Senjuan

Bettei Senjuan (also spelled "Senjyuan," depending on where you look) is located in Tanigawa, which is part of the greater Minakami Onsen area in Northern Gunma (close to Niigata), and in the shadows of photogenic Mount Tanigawa. It's the sister property of Ryokan Tanigawa, a much larger ryokan, and was established in 1997 with the intention of catering to a more upscale clientele. Over the years, Senjuan has won numerous awards for its architecture and interior design, and even after 26 years it remains a property that is both traditional yet incredibly artistic at the same time. It's stylishly constructed, adorned and furnished, and is also in great shape. There is a long, curved hallway connecting the common area and the rooms, with 9 rooms on each side. It has floor-to-ceiling glass windows, allowing for incredible view of the Southern Alps range and the well manicured property grounds. The overall architecture is impressive - every wall, beam and counter has elaborate carvings or artwork on them. And in every nook and cranny, there are small but precious adornments, from an elaborate Ikebana arrangement to a traditional string instrument to a mini display of tress with colored maple leaves on the ground to signify the fall foliage season. You can spend many hours exploring the glorious attention to detail in every corner of Senjuan.


Bettei Senjuan Special Room SP



Bettei Senjuan - Special Room SP living room

Of the 18 rooms on site, Special Room SP is the top category suite, and was the accommodation that we selected. It has a living room, bedroom, a tea room, a mini inner garden, an open-air Onsen bath with a view of the river, forest and the Alps, and is stylish beyond belief while still being traditional in general design and layout. Everything from the entrance door to the ceiling artwork and carvings to the decorations on the sliding doors inside the suite have amazing artistic detail, but done in an understated way - in typical Japanese fashion, it's tasteful yet in no way is it garish and blingy. One thing to note - this Suite is almost completely tatami-matted, meaning you sit on a floor (on top of a sitting cushion, mind you) and you'll sleep on futons rather than a Western style bed. If this isn't up your alley, I believe there are other room categories that offer more "foreigner-friendly" accommodations.


Bettei Senjuan Special Room SP - tea ceremony items

The Suite has two toilets (Mrs. KI-NRT loves that!), two sinks and a host of high-end toiletries. Most of the bathroom amenities are Molten Brown-branded, while some others are De Medici (first time I've heard of it, so I can't vouch for its quality.) Just about every possible need has been accounted for - especially for me, there's really no need to bring anything with you if you're visiting on a short trip from Tokyo. Outside the room is the open-air Onsen bath with lovely views of the (natural) grounds, including a small river and the mountains beyond. It was one of the more mesmerizing views from an in-room onsen that we've seen. The bath gets its hot springs straight from the source, is continually free-flowing and never recirculated. That said, we found the temperature to be a bit on the lukewarm side - many Westerners may prefer it that way, but I can't help but think that Japanese visitors (including ourselves) would prefer it to be a few degrees higher. While we did not see any of the other rooms at Senjuan, we were told that "Special Room S" - the second best room - is quite comparable to SP, with the main differences begin the lack of a Ganbanyoku (hot stone spa) and the Chashitsu (Tea room.) Everything else is pretty much the same, meaning we would have had an equally blissful time had we stayed in Special Room S.


Bettei Senjuan - In-room open-air Onsen bath

Both dinner and breakfast are served in a koshitsu (private room), and we felt that the kaiseki dinner was definitely a highlight - it was 11 courses in total - which is typical of an elaborate luxury ryokan kaiseki course - and many of the dishes focused on local ingredients, which is one of the reasons to visit ryokans in regional locations. That said, the most memorable offering was a savory, souffle-like custard with grilled Conger Eel, Red King Crab, Japanese Taro, Lily Bulb and Yuba (Tofu Skin.) Very original and simply sublime. Another unique offering was the clear soup with Chakin Hasudofu - Tofu cake mixed with Renkon Lotus Root and Katakuriko Potato Starch, along with seasonal mountain vegetables, Yuzu and Somen Noodles made from fish. A Chakin is a small wiping cloth used to purify the utensils during Japanese Tea Ceremonies, and the Tofu cake was shaped in a way that resembled a Chakin. The Japanese breakfast was also quite original and pretty darned good. One nice touch at Senjuan is the fact that English menus are available upon request. While explanations of each course are not as extensive as the Japanese menu, it's still a great way to learn about Wafu cuisine and will serve as a nice souvenir to take home with you.


Bettei Senjuan kaiseki dinner - Souffle-like Chawanmushi savory custard with Grilled Conger Eel, Red King Crab, Japanese Taro, Lily Bulb, Yuba Tofu Skin and Calocybe gambosa (aka. St. George's mushroom)

We were wondering whether the facilities might be outdated given the ryokan's age, but our concerns were unfounded. This is a top-notch Onsen ryokan with immense style and substance. Thumbs up.