Hotel Dengan spa di Aomori Prefecture, Japan

Right above Aomori Station, this hotel's location is super convenient, with direct access to JR from the lobby. It's often fully booked, so the hot spring is usually quite busy no matter when you go, but they do have real apples in the onsen! There's a hot bath and a slightly cooler one, both very comfortable. The spa, yoga, and dining are mostly extra charges, but there are plenty of activities. The rooms don't have bathtubs, which makes sense since everyone's expected to use the large hot spring. The facilities and equipment are quite new, the bed is very comfortable, and you can see all the best parts of Aomori from your window, including the bay and the bridge.

I tried the Japanese-style room. The location is very close to central Hirosaki, and there's a shuttle service to JR Hirosaki every morning, though you need to book it in advance. The open-air onsen was a novel experience! After soaking, there were ice cream and ramen available. The front desk offers fully self-service check-in and check-out, which was very convenient, and the service was excellent.

Service was good. There was a staff who is stationed at the entrance, checking with guest who arrived by car. They will ask for your name, provided clear instructions of where to park. Unfortunately, I have accidentally left the lights in the car switched on. A few moments later when I was doing my check-in, the front desk staff quickly informed me about it. The facilities are good. Food is really good, very different from the other Hoshino resorts in Aomori that I have stayed. At KAI Tsugaru, it is Kaiseki instead of the usual buffet style. The staff took pains to explain and share the reason for each dish that was served. There are only 41 traditionally-furnished and generously-sized rooms offering both Western and Japanese-style designs which gives a very unique and dedicated experience as compared to other hotels which has many rooms.

It's best to be prepared for power outages. Public toilets and water rooms are standard features of traditional Japanese B&Bs. The Japanese breakfast is good. Please note that the check-in time is before 9 pm. If you can't arrive, be sure to contact the owner in advance. The B&B is on the mountain, so be careful when driving at night. There are no street lights.

The hotel is directly opposite the aquarium and next to Asamushi Onsen. It's a 5-minute walk, and after a soak, there's a market selling all sorts of apple juice and fruit souvenirs. There weren't many guests staying at the hotel, probably due to the heavy snowfall in Aomori. Both breakfast and dinner were Japanese set meals. The sukiyaki and sashimi were excellent. It was just us and one other couple dining. In the evening, there was a Nebuta performance and sanshin (three-stringed instrument) music. Even with so few guests, the performers were incredibly dedicated and put on a great show. The large public bath is on an upper floor facing the sea, and the island and bay opposite are beautiful. The open-air bath also has two barrel-shaped tubs.

Overall, I'm pretty satisfied. The transportation here is much more convenient than Oirase. Most of the hotel's facilities and activities come with a fee. Also, the dinner menu was exactly the same for both nights. We experienced an earthquake during our stay, and the hotel staff seemed quite accustomed to it. Thankfully, the front desk offered excellent Chinese-speaking service. P.S. We registered for the hotel's airport pick-up service, but no car ever showed up to get us. In an airport where even taxis are scarce, this was a really bad experience. However, given the attentive Chinese-speaking service we received later, I'll let it slide.

The staff always treats you politely. I had coffee after breakfast, but I thought I would have a paper cup and a lid.