Unseen Japan: A 2 Day Itinerary to Tour Matsumoto in Winter

"Grand Mercure Yatsugatake Resort & Spa" rebranded highland resort in Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture

This service includes sponsored advertisements.
article thumbnail image

Grand Mercure Yatsugatake Resort & Spa was rebranded and reopened in April this year. It is a hotel surrounded by nature. The chic interior is relaxing. It has a lounge, restaurant, shops, hot springs, all-weather activity facilities, a table tennis table, and a rooftop observation deck where you ca...

Written by

It is located in the northwest of Yamanashi Prefecture, on the border with Nagano Prefecture. It is a vast area surrounded by 3,000m-class mountains such as the Yatsugatake Mountains, the Southern Alps, and Mt. Kinpu, and overlooking Mt. Fuji to the south. It is about a two-hour drive from Tokyo, about an hour from Mt. Fuji, and about an hour from Matsumoto, and is easily accessible, so many tourists visit throughout the year. It is also known as a "village of famous water," and three places have been selected as one of Japan's 100 famous water sources. This bounty of water is loved as natural water, and the area boasts one of the largest production volumes of mineral water in Japan. Sake is also produced from the pure water, and you can enjoy beautiful natural scenery and rich food.

more

Hotel Introduction

In April of this year, 22 Grand Mercure and Mercure hotels operated by Accor, one of the world's largest hospitality groups based in Paris, France, were rebranded and reopened across Japan. One of these hotels, the Grand Mercure Yatsugatake Resort & Spa, is a hotel that offers a high-quality experience that can only be found in Hokuto City, including cuisine made with local ingredients.

The hotel's information is written in English, Chinese, and Korean, so foreigners can feel at ease and comfortable.


〒409-1501 8240-1039, Oizumichonishiide, Hokuto-shi, Yamanashi

There is a lounge in the lobby where you can relax on sofas. After checking in, you can spend some time relaxing.

You can enjoy beverages such as tea, coffee, wine, beer, soft drinks, and herbal water, as well as light snacks such as cookies and marshmallows, and Shingen Mochi from Kinseiken, a long-established Japanese confectionery shop in Hokuto City.

The lounge service changes its concept every hour to keep you entertained.

Evening Social : 15:00 - 18:00

Toriwatari/Night Cap : 21:00 - 23:00

Toriwatari/Night Cap has a wide selection of alcoholic drinks, including whiskey, gin, vodka, and brandy. They also have alcohol from Hokuto City on offer.

We recommend using Toriwatari/Night Cap after a soak in the hot springs. You can spend some luxurious time before falling asleep.

You should definitely try Kinseiken 's Shingen Mochi. It's delicious. Please also visit the store in Hokuto City.

ROOMS

The design of the renovated guest rooms was inspired by "Koshu Inden," a traditional Yamanashi craft that has been passed down for over 400 years, which involves tanning and dyeing deerskin and painting patterns with lacquer, and the Yatsugatake mountain range, which can be seen from the hotel.

The rooms are spacious and equipped with bathrooms. Amenities such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, conditioner, hairdryers, and yukata robes are also provided. The fluffy beds are extremely comfortable.

*There are also rooms with unit baths.

DINING

A buffet-style restaurant on the second floor. The name "LE SENSORIEL" means "sensation" in French.

A restaurant with gorgeous interior design and a cozy atmosphere. It has high ceilings, an open atmosphere, and a variety of seating options, including sofas and chairs. Both breakfast and dinner are served here. It can accommodate a maximum of approximately 330 people.

Breakfast buffet 7:00-9:30 (Last in 9:00)

Dinner buffet 17:30-21:00 (Last in 20:30)

Dinner Menu

There is a wide selection of local dishes and cuisine made with locally sourced ingredients.

Monaka sushi is a unique combination of sushi and the traditional Japanese sweet monaka. It looks beautiful and is delicious!

In addition, there are a variety of delicious Japanese dishes such as sushi, sashimi, and shabu-shabu. There is a wide variety and they all look delicious. It's hard to decide what to eat.

Besides Japanese food, they also have Western dishes such as the "Grafois Beef Burger," a hamburger with a beef patty and foie gras. Each dish is freshly made and smells amazing.

There are countless desserts, including Mont Blanc, donuts, mousse cake, tiramisu, pudding, etc. Of course, there are also fruits.

A must-see for alcohol lovers, with a wide selection of alcoholic beverages including beer, wine, sake, whiskey, gin, vodka, and brandy.

They also have local wines and sake from Yamanashi Prefecture and Hokuto City. You can pour your own drink of your choice. It's so luxurious.

Breakfast Menu

A buffet style with both Japanese and Western food, including pancakes, hot dogs, bread, desserts, and a wide variety of drinks, including tea, coffee, various juices, and smoothies.

Hot Spring

Opening hours: 6:00-10:00 (last entrance 9:30) / 15:00-23:00 (last entrance 22:30)

You can also use the indoor and outdoor baths and sauna. The hotel provides a full range of facilities, including shampoo, hair conditioner, soap, cotton swabs, and hair dryers. Please bring your own towels from your room.

The hot spring lounge is very spacious and relaxing, allowing you to relax in peace and tranquility.

They offer a wide range of teas and vinegar drinks from Yamanashi Prefecture, which is a great service.

All-weather activity facility "Mori no 8"

A spacious indoor playground of about 1,400 square meters on the first basement floor. There is a kids athletics "Ant Nest Tower", a kids zone for preschoolers from 0 to 6 years old, and a drift tricycle circuit for elementary school students and above (height 120 cm or more). Adults can also enjoy riding here.

It's great to have activities that the whole family can enjoy.

It's the perfect place to have lots of fun with your kids.

Hours of operation: 9:00-12:00, 14:00-20:00

FACILITY

Stargazing activities are also available on the outdoor observation deck.

During the day, this observation deck offers a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains, including the Yatsugatake Mountains, the Southern Alps, and Mt. Fuji.

At night, you can experience observing the sky full of stars. It's also nice that there is a telescope set up for stargazing.

On clear days, we hold a stargazing event from 20:00 to 21:30.

The moon seen through a telescope. (Taken through a telescope with an iPhone!)

There is also a tennis court and a table tennis table.

Rest assured even when you need to come to work suddenly. A workspace is also provided.

Located at the foot of the Yatsugatake Mountains, surrounded by nature, this hotel offers activities for both adults and children, delicious food, and a relaxing space, so please spend a relaxing time here. It is sure to be a blissful experience.

Additional Information

Written by

It is located in the northwest of Yamanashi Prefecture, on the border with Nagano Prefecture. It is a vast area surrounded by 3,000m-class mountains such as the Yatsugatake Mountains, the Southern Alps, and Mt. Kinpu, and overlooking Mt. Fuji to the south. It is about a two-hour drive from Tokyo, about an hour from Mt. Fuji, and about an hour from Matsumoto, and is easily accessible, so many tourists visit throughout the year. It is also known as a "village of famous water," and three places have been selected as one of Japan's 100 famous water sources. This bounty of water is loved as natural water, and the area boasts one of the largest production volumes of mineral water in Japan. Sake is also produced from the pure water, and you can enjoy beautiful natural scenery and rich food.

The information presented in this article is based on the time it was written. Note that there may be changes in the merchandise, services, and prices that have occurred after this article was published. Please contact the facility or facilities in this article directly before visiting. Some of our articles contain affiliate links. We kindly ask our readers to exercise careful judgement when making a purchase or booking a service online.

The contents on this page may partially contain automatic translation.