Over U.S. Thanksgiving week we went on a 5-day road trip through Gunma, Nagano and Niigata Prefectures. We chose Central Japan since it's typically not freezing cold or snowy (yet), and we were already intending to do a similar length trip in Kyushu over the Christmas holidays. We didn't have any major "must visit" sightseeing spots on the itinerary - we just wanted to enjoy some properties we've been meaning to visit (especially Iwanoyu.) I decided that we'd fly to Niigata Airport, rent a car, and take a semi-circular route across Gunma, Nagano and Niigata before flying home. Our first stay: Bettei Yaeno in Minakami-machi, Gunma Prefecture.


View of rice fields and Mt. Echigo Komagatake on our drive from Niigata to Minakami, Gunma

Located 10 minutes away from the more famous Bettei Senjuan (also spelled Bettei Senjyuan in English), which we had visited the prior year, Bettei Yaeno is the second of the two renowned properties in the area. It's a small, family-run, 4-room ryokan that was established in 2006 by the current owner and his wife, and the executive chef has also been at Bettei Yaeno since its inception. It was a beautiful, 2.5 hour drive to get there from Niigata, with picturesque views of the countryside and mountains (including that of Mt. Echigo Komagatake) along the way. Although there is very little to do in the area, we felt Bettei Senjuan was worthy of a stay. Bettei Yaeno, while perfectly adequate as a ryokan, is not quite on the same level; we'd be hard pressed to recommend anyone making an arduous detour (especially without a car, and more on this later) just to stay here.


Bettei Yaeno outside front entrance. From here, it's straight to our room.


Welcome treat - Matcha Pudding with Chestnut on top, and Matcha Green Tea

Upon arrival, we were surprised upon discovering the complete lack of a common area - we were ushered straight from our car to the room. No lobby, no lounge, no gift shop (most ryokans offer local products to give guests a good sense of the region). Outside of one's room, there really is nowhere else to explore and pass the time, as Bettei Yaeno also lacks a garden, a communal or rental bath, or even a small exhibit. The only space allocated are private "lounges" adjacent to each room, which is intended to be a tranquil place to relax with your significant other. The small, glass-encloused enclave consists of two lounge chairs and a coffee table, with a view of... the nondescript inner courtyard and visible to any guests walking around the ryokan (although it's unlikely, since there are only 4 rooms and nothing to do outside of the room.) Since it's the room and nothing else here, we hoped that our accommodations would make up for this shortcoming.


Yamaboushi, 70mē - Living Room


Yamaboushi, 70mē - Dining Room


Yamaboushi, 70mē - Bedroom. The futons were light, warm and comfy.


Yamaboushi, 70mē - Onsen

There are two room categories at Bettei Yaeno, each of which are individual, villa-type units - two are 60 square meters in size and the other two are 70mē. We chose Yamaboushi, which is one of the latter two room types. It was perfectly adequate, consisting of a separate bedroom, living room and dining room (meals are served - you guessed it - in one's own room.) Yamaboushi also had a patio as well as an Onsen bath that can be turned into a semi-open-air Onsen by opening the sliding glass windows. In case you're wondering, they do not have their own Onsen source - it's brought in so it is not considered "gensen kakenagashi" - another drawback relative to Bettei Senjuan, if it matters to you (it does to us, somewhat.) Since the rooms were last renovated in 2009, it's not fresh and tech-infused, but since it's classic Japan style and was reasonably well maintained, it did not feel old. There was only one sink, however, and the button to lift the 2-generations old Toto toilet seat was inoperative.


The fish on the left is "Silk Salmon Kobujime-yaki" (Konbu Sea Kelp-cured and cooked "Silk Salmon.") Silk Salmon is a trout brand from Azuma Fish Farm in Agatsuma County, Gunma. The fish are fed a diet containing mulberry leaves and coconut oil and taste like salmon, despite being trout.


Iwana Karasumi Konbu-ae (White-spotted Char flavored with salted Mullet Roe and Konbu Sea Kelp)


Charcoal-grilled Masuda Beef Steak - You can pay an extra 5000 yen and get more if this isn't enough for you.

While Bettei Senjuan's kaiseki meal was borderline mind-blowing, Bettei Yaeno was good but not spectacular. When you're not along the coast of Japan, be prepared to feast on a healthy dose of vegetables (and wild ones if in the mountainous interior, like in Gunma and Nagano) and freshwater fish. We're fine with that, and that's part of the reason to visit - to try out the local cuisine. There were two standout dishes, however. Iwana (White-spotted Char) is a major delicacy in Japan, and can only be caught (or farmed) in very clean water - the cleaner the water, the sweeter the taste. Here, they offered it as Sashimi, which is a very rare treat. Even salt-grilled Iwana needs to be extremely fresh, but to be eaten as Sashimi it really needs to have been prepared just before serving. The other highlight was the Masuda beef steak, a little known variety of grass-fed cattle raised in parts of Gunma. It was flavorful and well marbled, and you can order an even bigger piece for extra cost if you'd like, but the quantity served was more than enough for us, given that most kaiseki meals can be gut-busting in quantity to begin with.

Service overall was... fine. There wasn't much interaction with the staff (which consists of the GM, the proprietress (his wife) and Ms. Shimada, who's been there for 15 years), since we were relagated to our room for the vast majority of our time here. Ms. Shimada was polite but somewhat impersonal, and being locally born and raised, I doubt she speaks much English.

If you do choose to make it out to Minakami, be aware that by train it's not easy to get here and not easy to get around, either. Minakami does have a train station - from Tokyo you can take the Shinkansen to Takasaki Station (~50 minutes), then take the local JR Joetsu Line to Minakami, which is the line's final stop. As mentioned earlier, there is only one taxi serving the entire area, and is generally not available unless you reserve in advance. Although it's only 10 minutes away by vehicle, Bettei Yaeno (unlike Bettei Senjuan) does not offer complimentary shuttle service from/to the station. Minakami is a sleepy and pretty little town that's flanked by the photogenic Mt. Tanigawa, so it's a shame about the difficulting in enjoying the area without a rental car. Regardless, I'd definitely suggest you give Bettei Senjuan a visit should Minakami happen to be a convenient stopover in your travel itinerary.