Tweet

Pocket

Across the street from Miyoshi Station, it doesn’t get much more convenient than Nagaoka Ryokan, but that’s certainly not the only reason why travelers choose to stay in this cozy “ryokan,” or Japanese-style hotel. The Nagaoka family has been running their ryokan for four generations, and to this day the small-town hospitality felt at Nagaoka Ryokan makes any guest feel right at home, starting with a warm welcome upon arrival.

Nagaoka Ryokan has been around in one form or another since the postwar period, and nowadays it has 10 guestrooms that can accommodate up to 30 people in total. The rooms are a mix of Western-style rooms with beds and Japanese-style rooms with tatami mat floors and traditional futon mattresses, and four of them come with ensuite baths. Don’t worry, when the guesthouse fills up, those staying in the other rooms can take advantage of the large tub of the shared bath instead!

Thanks to the hotel’s comfortable rooms and convenient amenities like wi-fi and washing machines, along with its great location next to Miyoshi Station, it attracts a wide base of customers. Student groups, business travelers, and plenty of sightseers stay the night at Nagaoka Ryokan to explore Miyoshi, sometimes as a stop on their way between Hiroshima’s Miyajima Island and Shimane’s famous Izumo Taisha Shrine.

There’s one thing that draws many of Nagaoka Ryokan’s repeat customers, however, and that’s the homemade meals. Customers who eat dinner at the hotel get to enjoy lavish multi-course meals in the elegant first-floor Japanese-style room, which lends an extra touch of traditional atmosphere to the experience. Each of the numerous courses and side dishes is cooked to perfection by the Nagaoka family themselves, and complemented by Miyoshi’s own Miyoshi Kinsai Rice. Grilled ayu (sweetfish), shark sashimi, and other Miyoshi specialties make frequent appearances on the Nagaoka Ryokan dinner table, and most of the ingredients are locally grown and produced, meaning everything is about as fresh as it gets. There’s no better place to try a real taste of Miyoshi cooking!

Guests with other plans in the evening might still opt for breakfast at the hotel for a taste of Miyoshi’s local produce. Even the tea is unique, as Nagaoka Ryokan brews up pots made not with tea leaves, but a plant found and gathered locally, called habuso (ハブ草) in Japanese or senna in English. Decades ago, the plants were gathered around the area by the current owner’s great-grandmother for use at the ryokan!

The Nagaoka family has been running their ryokan in Miyoshi for decades, so not only are they passionate about bringing people to the city, they know all about what’s going on locally. Don’t hesitate to stay a night and pick their brains about Miyoshi’s wine and grapes, ukai cormorant fishing, Miyoshi’s “sea of fog,” local mythology, and more, all before settling in for a hearty Miyoshi meal!