A sea of clouds embraces the Okitama Basin. Just a 15-minute hotel shuttle ride up the mountain in the early morning often rewards visitors with this ethereal view.

Akayu Onsen, a small hot spring town in Nanyo City, southern Yamagata Prefecture, has a history stretching back over 930 years. Today, it’s drawing attention both domestically and internationally as the birthplace of “Onsen Gastronomy.” At the center of this buzz is the newly renovated historic ryokan, Yamagata-za Takinami. Here we see President Hiroshi Minami flanked by Chef Makoto Harada on his right and Chef Tsuyoshi Nakagawa on his left.

The turning point came in 2017. Following the Great East Japan Earthquake, the ryokan faced challenging times. Minami-san, the third son of the family and a former career bureaucrat at the Ministry of Construction (now the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) who later served as president of a shipbuilding company, returned home to rebuild the business. He implemented a major renovation, reviewing not only facilities but also services and operations, successfully putting the business back on track.

In 2023, he renovated three separate villa buildings. Creating a cutting-edge hot spring auberge, he furnished them with Yamagata-made pieces from Tendo Mokko furniture and Hayashi Woodcraft lighting from Yonezawa, complemented by artistic chairs from Danish designer Finn Juhl.

The waters of Akayu Onsen, rich in sulfur, sodium, calcium, and chloride, are known as “warming waters.” The three auberge buildings have particularly gained popularity for offering “100% pure source spring water,” maintained at the perfect temperature 24 hours a day by dedicated bath attendants. This luxurious bathing experience delivers the hot spring water directly to each room’s bath without exposure to outside air.

President Minami’s next renovation focused on cuisine. Learning that Chef Makoto Harada, who had earned a Michelin star in Niigata Prefecture and was planning to expand to Tokyo, might have to abandon his plans due to the pandemic, Minami-san persistently recruited him. He also brought in Chef Nakagawa, who had served as sous chef under Harada. This created a luxurious two-chef system, with Chef Harada overseeing the three auberge buildings and Chef Nakagawa managing the 19 ryokan rooms.

Chef Harada named his osteria in the auberge “Sincerità,” meaning “sincerity” in Italian, reflecting his own name “Makoto” which means “sincerity” in Japanese. The restaurant design fully incorporates Chef Harada’s vision, featuring an open kitchen with a wood-fired grill and the top-of-the-line Berkel ham slicer.

Though Yamagata and Niigata share a border, their food cultures differ significantly. “In Niigata, carp are ornamental, but in Yamagata, they’re eaten,” notes Chef Harada. While initially surprised by such differences, he has playfully transformed this local specialty into his witty signature dish “Koi or Love” – making clever use of the dual meaning in Japanese – ‘koi’ for both ‘carp’ and ‘romantic love’ – featuring carp in a sophisticated red wine sauce.

Let’s glimpse some of Chef Harada’s exceptional dishes:

Meanwhile, Chef Nakagawa, with his background in Japanese cuisine, creates dishes closer to Washoku using local ingredients from the Okitama region, such as “dotare-imo” potatoes (a local heritage potato variety) and “kuri-kabocha” pumpkins.

Here’s a selection from Chef Nakagawa’s course menu:

While the Okitama region was initially unfamiliar to both chefs, they have now fully integrated into the community, falling in love with ingredients born from the harmony of people and nature. On this day, Chef Nakagawa visited farmer Yamaguchi-san in the Utsusawa district of Iide Town, about 90 minutes by car from the ryokan. The area’s “Utsusawa kabocha” pumpkins, known for their intense sweetness, are used in various dishes including soups. Chef Nakagawa learns about local food culture and traditional ingredient usage from Yamaguchi-san, incorporating this knowledge into his cuisine.

No discussion of Yamagata cuisine would be complete without mentioning soba noodles. In fact, President Minami has mastered the art of soba-making alongside his management duties. Don’t miss the opportunity to taste his soba when visiting Yamagata-za Takinami.

With two renowned chefs and the perfect combination of fine dining and hot springs, President Minami is strengthening his outreach efforts to promote the bountiful Okitama region nationally and globally, organizing food forums and collaborations with famous chefs.

Akayu’s “Onsen Gastronomy” scene is truly heating up, as President Minami continues to develop new concepts with his chefs and staff.

Yamagata-za Takinami
3005 Akayu, Nanyo City, Yamagata Prefecture
Phone: 0238-43-6111
Access: Approximately 3.3km from Nanyo-Takahata IC on Tohoku-Chuo Expressway via Nanyo Bypass

Text & Photography: Masashi Okutani
Translation: Yumiko Sushitani