IHG Hotels & Resorts operates 19 hotel brands with more than 6,300 hotels in over 100 countries. In Japan, IHG Hotels & Resorts currently operates about 47 hotels under seven brands from Hokkaido to Okinawa (as of March 2024). For this interview, we asked Mr. Gentaro Asanuma, general manager of Hotel Indigo Inuyama Yurakuen, about the attractions around the hotel.
Name: Hotel Indigo Inuyama Yurakuen
Location: 103-1 Inuyama Kitakoten, Inuyama City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
–How did you come to work at Hotel Indigo Inuyama Yurakuen?
I joined IHG Hotels & Resorts in 2020 and was assigned to ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel TOYAMA as General Manager before being transferred to Inuyama in June 2023 due to a personnel change within the company. I have been repeatedly transferred from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the south, but this is my first assignment in the Tokai area.
–What kind of hotel is it?
Opened in March 2022, it is a lifestyle boutique hotel with 156 guest rooms, banquet facilities, restaurants, bars, and a natural hot spring. Surrounded by the adjacent national treasure tea ceremony room “Jyoan” and the national treasure “Inuyama Castle” towering in front of the hotel, this is a hotel where each and every one of its guests can regain their individuality and stay as they wish.
We invite you to experience “Hakutei no Yu,” the only natural hot spring in Inuyama City. The simple yet sufficient alkaline simple hot spring water with a slightly thickened taste can be enjoyed in the indoor and outdoor baths, as well as in the sauna. After taking a bath, you can enjoy your own time on the balcony of all the rooms. You can read a book, sip a glass of wine, or simply enjoy the view of Inuyama Castle or the Kiso River.
–please let me know if you have any personal favorites tourist spots or restaurants in the vicinity of the hotel.
First of all, the castle tower of Inuyama Castle. From the top floor of the open-air castle tower, you can enjoy a panoramic view of Mount Ibuki and the Nobi Plain to the west and Komaki Castle and Nagoya City to the east. The IMASEN Inuyama Karakuri Museum, located under the castle, is also a recommended spot to experience the karakuri doll culture of Owari.
–What restaurant menu do you recommend?
In keeping with the Hotel Indigo brand concept of illuminating the character of the city, we offer a variety of neighborhood menus. In addition to the many local vegetables planned with local farmers to be enjoyed throughout the year that adorn the menu, the “Inuyama Tea Pasta,” made from dough at the hotel, is a must-try. The pasta dough kneaded with matcha green tea from the tea fields of Zenshino, Inuyama City, and the sauce made with local tomatoes and prefectural pork bacon with Inuyama craft beer as a secret ingredient create a dish of exquisite harmony.
–What souvenirs do you recommend?
It is a bit of a walk from the Inuyama Castle Town, but you will find Komatsuya Shoten’s tokoroten and konnyaku. The konnyaku has been produced by a konnyaku shop since the Keio era, and the ingredients are carefully selected and kneaded by hand, giving the konnyaku a unique depth of flavor. Tamakonnyaku (ball konnyaku) can be enjoyed in winter, and sashimi konnyaku in summer. Tokoroten is made from carefully selected amakusa seaweed and cooked in a feather oven, and is a product of the owner’s passion. It is a popular item that inevitably sells out, so we recommend that you purchase it early in the day.
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