Enjoy a Cultural Heritage Stay! Enjoy Crabs, Hot Springs, and Kintsugi Experience at "Yado Kai" in Kaga
"Kai Kaga" located in Yamashiro Onsen is a traditional inn surrounded by registered tangible cultural properties and Kaga's traditional crafts. During winter, the popular local specialty "shimenojiri steam of live crabs" is a hit. This article introduces your stay at the inn, where "Kaga" is fully experienced, from the kintsugi workshop, the Kaga Lion Dance held every night, to the "Bengara Lounge" you'd like to visit after dinner.
I love traveling! I want to be greedy, but I don't want to get tired!
As we grow older, it becomes natural to feel that "we want to be greedy about traveling, but don't want to get tired." That's why, if the accommodation itself offers "something worth seeing" and "time for reflection," the satisfaction of the trip greatly increases.
"Kai Kaga" is a hot spring inn located in the center of Yamashiro Onsen, "Yu no Kawara." It welcomes guests in a registered tangible cultural property building, where you can experience crafts such as Kiyomizu-yaki and Yamazato lacquerware. Relax in the hot springs, and be delighted by local delicacies. Moreover, the charm of this inn lies in its ability to remain "properly enjoyable" even into the night.
Buildings, hot springs, meals, activities... In the end, when these four things are all available, it creates a strong memory of "I'm glad I came!"!
"Red Shell Grid" and "Inside the Frame." The journey begins from cultural heritage buildings.
The "Kaga" pattern features a calm, reddish-brown color known as "Bengara Gōshi." This structure is visible from the inside but not easily visible from the outside, allowing the atmosphere of the hot spring town to softly permeate.
Once you enter the building, please look up at "Waku no Uchi" (the inner frame) in the front hall. It is a traditional architectural structure assembled without using metal fittings, featuring thick daikoku pillars and log beams. It is considered a rare structure that is difficult to reproduce with the same materials in modern times. Just by looking up, you will experience a moment of switching into travel mode.
The courtyard has a tea room called "Shiio-an." You can visit, and if you make a reservation, you can also experience the way of tea (※ subject to change depending on the season). Having a place where time flows slowly within the accommodation changes the "density" of your stay.
Traditional Crafts in the Room! There are Kaga Handicrafts within touching distance.
The guest rooms feature four traditional crafts—Kutani-yaki, Yamazaki Urushi, Mizuhiki, and Kaga Yuzen—woven throughout the design that blends tradition with modernity.
Some rooms have an open-air bath, and being able to decide when to take a bath gradually enhances the satisfaction of your trip.
From room plates and room keys, even the tea sets are original Kiyomizu-yaki, and various artistic elements such as Kiyomizu-yaki tiles in the interior, lacquerware with Yamanaka Urushi, water-binding decorations, and panels featuring patterns of Kaga Yuzen are subtly incorporated.
With tea utensils made in Kiyomizu-yaki, when you actually drink tea from them, the texture and vividness of the design become even more apparent. This sense of closeness to craftsmanship is more like "spending time together" rather than just "displaying," which is just right for an adult journey.
The hot spring is surrounded by Kiyomizu-yaki art. Until you finish bathing, you will be beautifully arranged.
The large bath is adorned with Kiyomizu-yaki art panels, expressing the four seasons in four different styles. It's impressive to have the time to "gaze at crafts" while soaking in the hot spring.
There is an artistic display of Mount Hakusan made with gold leaf on the partition glass between the open-air bath and the indoor area, and the appearance changes depending on how the light enters. The changing room is illuminated with a Kaga lantern, making even the lingering atmosphere beautifully arranged.
The time of the journey becomes more profound through the kintsugi experience.
At "Kai Kaga," they use Kutani-yaki in various situations, and any vessels that have chipped or cracked are repaired by the staff using kintsugi, and they have continued to use them.
In 2023, a dedicated "Kintsugi Workshop" was established. The restoration work is publicly displayed, and the program "Kintsugi Iroha," which explains kintsugi and allows participants to experience part of the restoration process, has also started.
Although the kintsugi repair work may not be flashy, it gives a sense of connecting the past to the future, and strangely enough, it calms my mind. Once I know the background of the vessel, when I face the meal, the dish repaired with gold inlay gradually transforms into "memories as experiences"... It's wonderful how such a connection can be made.
Meals are a "marriage of vessel and cuisine." Winter is the time for "crab kaiseki."
The cuisine of "Kai Kaga" is a kaiseki meal that values the philosophy of gourmet expert Otake Ruisan, "the vessel is the clothing of the dish." Enjoy the season's delicacies from Hokuriku, served in Higashimura lacquerware and Kiyomizu-yaki ceramics.
Not only the food, but also the fact that it leaves a memory "together with the dishware" is the characteristic of this inn. The dishware enhances the food, and the food makes the dishware even more beautiful. It's truly a perfect match.
The star of winter is none other than crab. Among them, the famous dish is "Live Crab Steamed with Saltwater-soaked Rope." This unique dish, exclusive to Kaiso, involves wrapping a rope soaked in saltwater around the crab and steaming it. The entire process of steaming adds a dramatic touch, instantly making the dining table more lively.
Crabs are delicious, but many people tend to wrestle with them silently. Here, there is a service that helps you remove the meat for easy eating, and this thoughtful consideration is really appreciated.
At the banquet, there are courses where crab is enjoyed in various forms such as sukiyaki and ochazuke, offering a "crab experience from all angles." It's now clear why this has remained a popular winter getaway treat.
The highlight of the night is the Kaga Lion Dance every night.
At night, "Gotochi Rak" (local entertainment) features the vigorous Kaga Lion Dance performed daily. Reconstructed as a unique performance of Kaga, it is presented by staff with the cooperation of local craft artists and folk performing arts teams.
We have created all the choreography, costumes, and music original, keeping the power of tradition, and presenting a new and original Kaga Lion Dance.
What particularly catches the eye is the unique lion's head called "Happō Niramī." With a powerful impact that leaves a lasting impression, it firmly engraves itself in the memory of the journey.
Choose your cup and enjoy! A refined drink to finish the lingering flavor
The "Bengara Lounge" located in the traditional architecture building is a "place for adults" where you can enjoy sake and snacks together with traditional crafts such as Kiyomizu-yaki and Yamakato Urushi. Outside the window, you can see the night view of the hot spring town and willow trees. A quiet time flows gently.
One of the charms at the entrance of the lounge is being able to choose your preferred sake vessel or dish from a selection of Kiyomizu-yaki, Yamakato Urushi, and other ceramics. It's strange how the taste of the same local sake seems to change when the vessel changes.
In winter, a special menu featuring a marriage of crab and Kiyomizu-yaki is available. The flavor of the crab from dinner can be skillfully enjoyed again in the lounge.
Crabs, handcrafts, and the time of night. Within the inn, "Kaga" is completed.
The charm of "Kai Kaga" is not only in its hot springs and cultural heritage buildings. You can experience the "beauty of connecting to the future" through kintsugi, get energized in winter with the famous crab, and feel the essence of your journey through the lion dance at night. Finally, you can carefully close the lingering atmosphere at the Bengara Lounge.
"Experience the entire Kaga within the inn." This satisfaction will surely take effect in your daily routine heading towards the next plan.
This time, the hot spring inn where I stayed is this one: "Kai Kaga"
"Yukai Kaga" stands in the heart area of Yamashiro Onsen, a quiet yet exhilarating ryokan surrounded by registered tangible cultural properties and Kaga's traditional crafts. Soak in the hot spring at the large bathhouse decorated with Kiyomizu-yaki art, and enjoy meals that highlight the harmony between tableware and cuisine, relaxing your mind completely. Moreover, experiencing "Kaga" in its entirety within the inn, such as through gold leaf repair workshops and Kaga Lion Dance performances, is also a charm.
「"Regular Ticket for 'Onsen Tour of the World'" for those 70 years old and aboveOne of the target facilities, this hot spring inn is popular among senior women.
■ World Kaga
18-47, Yamashiro Onsen, Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture
Reporting and text by Toriuchi Fumio (HALMEK up Editorial Department)
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