IHG Hotels & Resorts operates 19 hotel brands with more than 6,400 hotels in over 100 countries. In Japan, IHG Hotels & Resorts currently operates approximately 47 hotels under seven brands from Hokkaido to Okinawa (as of June 30, 2024). For this interview, we asked Mr. Masazumi Yamashita, General Manager of ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel Matsuyama, about the attractions around the hotel.
Name: ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel Matsuyama
Location: 3-2-1 Ichibancho, Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture
–How did you come to work at the ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel Matsuyama?
I joined the former ANA Hotel Matsuyama in 1983 as a fourth year employee. At that time, the main accommodation options in Matsuyama were inns and business hotels, but the first full-fledged city hotel opened and I was attracted by the high quality service and elegant facilities that I could not experience anywhere else, so I jumped into this world. After joining the company, I gained experience mainly in the food and beverage and sales departments before assuming the position of general manager in June 2013.
–What kind of hotel is it?
Located in Matsuyama City, the central city of Ehime Prefecture, the hotel has since its opening been favored by many people in Japan and abroad as a representative guesthouse of the region, serving as a base for sightseeing in the Shikoku area and as a banquet venue for local companies and organizations.
–What is the unique experience of the ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel Matsuyama?
The hotel is located on the side of a small mountain where Matsuyama Castle was built and is rich in nature. From the rooms, you can enjoy the seasonal changes of the castle mountain and the view of Bansuiso, a Western-style villa of the former lord of the Matsuyama domain and a rare Western-style building at that time.
The hotel also has Japanese, Chinese, and teppan-yaki restaurants, and many guests appreciate the variety of dishes using fresh seafood from the Seto Inland Sea and locally grown vegetables.
–please let me know if you have any personal favorites tourist spots or restaurants in the vicinity of the hotel.
Dogo Onsen, a famous sightseeing spot, is only 10 minutes away by tram and is a popular spot for strolling. Also within walking distance from the hotel is Matsuyama Castle, one of Japan’s 12 existing castle towers and a must-see attraction. The castle tower commands a panoramic view of the Matsuyama Plain, and has been awarded a star by the Michelin Green Guide Japon, making it a popular destination for visitors.
In addition, we also recommend the “Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum” based on Ryotaro Shiba’s masterpiece “Saka no Ue no Kumo” (“Clouds over the Hill”). It is a personal favorite of mine to see how three men from Iyo Matsuyama embraced their ambitions for the world and ran through the turbulent period after the Meiji Restoration.
–What restaurant menu do you recommend?
While we recommend any of the dishes, we especially recommend you try the “tai-don,” a typical local dish served at “Japanese Cuisine Unkai. The dish consists of thick slices of sea bream sashimi dipped in sweet sauce and served on a bed of rice. The rich flavor and texture of the fresh sea bream make it an exquisite dish.
At Chinese Restaurant Momoyuan, we have many fans of our tantanmen, and visitors from outside the prefecture have told us that it is their favorite and that they look forward to it when they stay with us. We hope you will enjoy the rich sesame flavor, which is rarely found anywhere else.
Teppan-yaki Ishizuchi offers carefully selected Japanese black beef from Ehime Prefecture. Please enjoy the original flavor of the beef and the view from the top floor of the hotel.
–What souvenirs do you recommend?
I myself have a sweet tooth, so I recommend the “Kiri-no-Mori Daifuku” from the Kiri-no-Mori Confectionery Workshop. The texture is melt-in-your-mouth, and the perfect harmony of the moderate bitterness of the green tea and the red bean paste and whipped cream inside is exquisite. There is a store near the hotel, but there is always a long line of people waiting to get in.
There are many other recommended souvenirs in Ehime, so please do not hesitate to ask our staff when you visit us.
© Source travel watch
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