Migiwatei Ochi Kochi

Unique Amenities: In addition to private baths in guest rooms, the property features two reservable larger baths with panoramic sea views. Complimentary drinks, traditional yukata wear, and a restored traditional wooden entrance enhance the cultural experience.

While looking for a place to break up our Western Japan road trip and unwind for 2 nights in a small, luxury property, we settled on Migiwatei Ochi Kochi, a high-end ryokan in the port town of Tomonoura. Pouring through articles and reviews (mostly in Japanese), we felt that it would offer large, comfortable rooms with great views, easy access to (leisurely) sightseeing and great food. As we had hoped, Miguwatei Ochi Kochi perfectly fit the bill for us. The ryokan is a relatively small property with just 17 rooms, but comes with all of the amenities one would expect from a much larger luxury hotel. It was built in 2010, so it's still relatively fresh and new, with very little sign of wear and tear. While it lacks a tranquil garden that some luxury ryokans have (think Asaba in the Izu Peninsula), its calling card is the view from both its common area and all of its guestrooms - they all have unobstructed views of the Seto Inland Sea, as well as of the Bentenjima and Sensuijima Islands not far away. It's makes for a really relaxing vibe, which combines well with the modern Japanese architecture and decor, which suits this ryokan very nicely. We stayed in an "Upper Suite Room", the top room category at the ryokan, and features a bedroom and living room as well as a very nice open-air Onsen (hot springs) bath on the room terrace. It's sufficiently large enough to relax and not feel cramped, and - as a bonus - we had meals served in our own room (which is something that is slowly disappearing from even the top ryokans), which we love. The room was stylish without being cluttered, and its earthly tones gave us a warm, welcoming feeling. The property also has two private baths that can be rented - free of charge - by guests. It's obviously larger than the Onsen bath in the guest rooms, so it was a nice change of pace to try it out. Our first night's meal was otherworldly. This ranks among the top 10 meals we've had in a Japanese ryokan. Sure, they have the advantage of getting access to the bounty of seafood, vegetables and meats from the area, but the kitchen staff then take it and make it truly memorable. Yes, it's technically Kaiseki (like at most ryokans), but Migiwatei Ochi Kochi's dinners are exquisitely presented, uniquely prepared and flavored, and meticulously explained (in Japanese to us, mind you) by the servers. We loved the Conger Eel sashimi, which was a first for us. Conger Eel is a delicacy in Japan, but not so unique that it's not offered in many restaurants. But to be served Conger Eel Sashimi, along with the raw liver of the Conger Eel, was definitely a privilege... often in Japan, along with Sashimi comes the liver of the seafood (especially Eel, Abalone, Octopus, etc.), which means that it's FRESH. One seafood that I generally do not like is Mantis Shrimp, but here, it was pretty darned good, which is saying a lot - I've tried liking it before, but never had one that didn't gross me out. Here, it didn't. Even less exotic ingredi