Auberge Tosayama

Enjoyable stay. Very nice food but style. gets repetitious after a couple of meals.

We were in the area to tour Kochi's sights and sounds, and while Auberge Tosayama is about a 45 minute drive from the city, we had our own car and felt that relaxing in a remote oasis would be better than staying at a bland, large hotel. After staying at this retreat, we felt that we made a good choice. It's a stylish small resort (only 16 rooms total) that blends in nicely with its mountainous surroundings. It has a mostly earthly tone in muted colors that really soothed our soul and made us feel one with nature. The reception area has floor-to-ceiling windows with great views of the lush greenery and rolling hills all around. Our Villa was accessed by crossing the river via a suspension bridge (it's sturdy, not to worry) - an interesting way to get to the room without it being too far to be an arduous task. The Villa itself is one of a few that on the other side of the river, and each are detached units that are reminiscent of a mountain hut. The Villa was tastefully furnished and well appointed. While we generally prefer larger rooms with bedrooms that are separate from the living room, the junior suite-style layout was adequate. Two nits to pick, however. First, no Onsen (natural hot springs) bath in the room, as is the case with many top-end ryokans. Secondly, internet speeds were terrible... that is, if we could even get connected (it was intermittent.) While I understand that the purpose of staying in a place like this is to unwind and disconnect from the civilized world, it would be nice to have the option to get online should we so choose. Oh, one more thing... the nearest electrical outlet is FAR from the only table in the room; we borrowed a long extension cord, but even then, it was literally a stretch for the cable to reach my laptop. At least they have a communal Onsen, which is gender segregated (like 99% of public ryokan Onsen baths) and offers both an indoor and open-air bath. It's not very large, but given the small number of rooms on site, it's doubtful that you'll have to share it with too many people, save for late afternoons (just before dinner) and late mornings (after breakfast and just before check-out time.) Auberge Tosayama's supposed calling card is its food offerings - after all, it has "Auberge" in its name. We enjoyed the meals, and it's probably as good as it's going to get in Kochi. It won't be on our "10 best ryokan meals" list, but it doesn't have to be. Not everything was spectacular, but there were a few memorable dishes. The Foie Gras "Joyo Mushi" was a dish consisting of Foie Gras mixed with grated Yam that was steamed into a ball shape, topped with Uni (Sea Urchin) and doused with Ankake sauce. Even the simpler dishes, including a salad that contained locally-sourced vegetables such as Komatsuna (Japanese Mustard Spinach) and Japanese Turnip was excellent. We were in Kochi after all, so we really wanted to try some of the indigenous dishes... and Auberge Tosayama did a great job introducing us to many lo