NIPPONIA HOTEL Ozu Castle Town

La habitación en la que nos hospedamos era fantástica. Dos pisos, con zona de tatami y de descanso, un pequeño jardín y una bañera de madera tradicional excelente. La comida fue increíble, tanto la cena como el desayuno. El personal nos atendió con amablidad y disponibilidad en todo momento. Nos gustó mucho que las habitaciones se distribuyan a lo largo de una zona del pueblo, de modo que cada alojamiento tiene privacidad y también la sensación de estar viviendo en el pueblo. Volvería sin dudarlo. Ha sido una de las mejores experiencias hoteleras en Japón.

Great dinner. They parked the car for us in a safe spot.

Bit hard to find location of all their buildings

スタッフの方は親切で、ホテルも快適でした。

Tout était bien. La taille de la chambre. La qualité du service. La qualité des équipements.

Le bar de l’hôtel était très bien, mais on s’attendait à un vrai bar. Avec musique et comptoir. Une ambiance lounge comme vous l’annoncez.

Our room was situated at the foot of Ozu castle. We had wonderful views from our sitting area which we thoroughly enjoyed. The wooden bath was superb. We enjoyed the old town feel as the rooms, lounge and breakfast area were all dotted around town.

Would have appreciated a telephone in the room to enable me to contact front desk. Or perhaps an application to be able to text and request the shuttle to access the lounges. We did not have a local sim to do so.

Nipponia Hotel Ozu developed an interesting strategy. VMG, the parent company, purchased, repaired, updated & renovated existing historic properties in Ozu, which is a small town in Ehime prefecture. Thus the lobby, rooms/villas, lounge & dining venues are scattered throughout the castle town section of Ozu. Our unit was the home of a silk merchant. VMG kept both the upstairs living area separate from the entry & bathroom. A nice touch was using Hinoki wood in the construction of the furo. There is wifi but no television or any unnecessary electronics, we missed none of it... The meals were both Kaiseki but the breakfast had a fusion feel to the dishes. We didn't use the lounge, but appreciated its presence. The surrounding areas involve narrow original streets & is very walkable. I constantly thought of Kurashiki but on a smaller more initimate scale. Close-by is a riverside walk that leads to a bridge over the Hijikawa river with an unobstructed view of Ozu castle. The morning we left I walked to the Ozu Shrine & marvelled in the Fall colors & fog in the valleys, Truly a photographic moment. I enjoyed the ambiance of the town, the effort by VMG to realistically retain the flavor of Meiji-Taisho life, while providing an income source to the local community.

This is a fault of mine: I knew of the 2nd floor on booking, but I had forgotten that staircases in traditional & modern homes are steep & shallow. If one has accessibilty issues, make sure to book a ground room. Our upstairs room overlooked a courtyard with an old plum tree. Drivers tend to drive fast on the narrow roads, so caution needs to be exercised.