Living in Japan as a vegetarian for many years I am used to having to tough it out at hotels. Although there are exceptions, the majority of these facilities in Japan are still in the dark ages when it comes to vegetarian food options and unfortunately this hotel is no exception. This was our second time to stay here and we had hoped in vain that the food selection would be better. Shame on us, yes, but shame on the hotel even more, in my opinion. First, the positives. It is in a great location: you step out of the hotel and you are practically launched on the Goshiknuma trail. If you have a car it is easy to drive to nearby starting points for various excellent hiking options. If you don't have a car you are very limited in how many hiking spots you can access. The staff is friendly and helpful. The previous time we stayed, during the pandemic, there was a near-fluent in English tri-lingual front desk staff member who was great. We don't really need that, however, so I cannot say that this time we encountered any English speaking staff. The room was clean and comfortable. On our previous stay we had a gigantic room for less than what we paid this time but that was during the pandemic when hotels were practically begging for business and we were also able to avail ourselves of the government subsidy program for travel, which has long been discontinued. Anyway, we were happy enough with the room. The onsen is good: spacious and properly maintained. This facility is actually two joined hotels and if you stay on this side (pricier and with nicer rooms) the onsen is less crowded and nicer. The food was another story. Both the first time we stayed and this time, we opted for the buffet meal package: breakfast and dinner. Breakfast is passable if you are lacto-ovo as I am and not super strict, meaning you can drink miso soup that will doubtlessly have at least some fish stock as part of it. Dinner is, frankly, pathetic. There is nothing of substance for vegetarians unless you consider a salad, rice, pickles, and a couple of fried vegetables to be a meal. I do not. Virtually every dish had some meat or fish in it. Why does the pasta have to have bacon? Why does the stir fry vegetables have to have chicken? This hotel is far from the only one that does this, but in 2023 is it not possible to have one or two entree type offerings entirely meat or fish free? The buffet is gigantic and has huge variety but all of that variety is thoroughly saturated with meat and fish. Total fail. We will not stay here again, regretfully. Note: the buffet was equally poor during our first stay and it was entirely on us that we hoped there would be some improvement a few years later. Like I said, shame on us. That does not excuse the hotel from not providing better food options for vegetarians.
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