Left on the beach
Full of water
A worn out boat
Reflects the white sky —
Of early autumn.– Akiko Yosano, Left on the Beach
Booking last-minute hotels in Japan made some of my trip more complicated and less comfortable, but I ended up with what I needed. Because I relied on a local friend in Sakata, I didn’t book in advance — this resulted in few available hotels. As I hadn’t planned all the dates, I ended up with the same situation in Murakami. With my friend’s help, I booked a room at Premium Shiomiso in Senami Onsen.
It was more than I expected to pay for a hotel for one night, but at least I knew I had something upon arrival. There weren’t many options in my price range.
After my day of wandering around Murakami, I decided to get a taxi to the hotel from the train station. As I asked the taxi driver about the approximate price, a friendly man interrupted. “Are you going to Shiomiso?” he asked. “Yeah.” “I’m going there too. The bus should be here in 15 minutes. You don’t need a taxi.”
That friendly man saved me about $20 as we chatted while waiting. He said he often comes to visit his family graves and stays the night at the same hotel before heading back to Kanagawa, not far from where I stayed outside Tokyo years before. He was excited to have someone to speak English with, and I was excited to have someone who could tell me more about the town and the onsen hotel.
Upon arrival, I found that my room was only slightly bigger than a closet (the hotel has larger rooms). I couldn’t fully open my suitcase. But I only needed the room to sleep. The room included slippers to wear around the hotel (I had to request the largest size at the front desk, and they were still too small) as well as two yukata. Premium Shiomiso also sold yukata in various designs, and I can’t say I wasn’t tempted. While I didn’t wear it around the hotel until later, it was much more comfortable for changing when visiting the onsen.
As I had a few hours before dinner, I went out for a walk along the beach and through the town. There wasn’t much to it — a few shops where I could buy some sake, beer, or local food. The view of the Sea of Japan was better from the balcony in the hotel lobby.
Before dinner, I walked out on the lobby balcony to watch the sunset over the sea. They set out the time for sunset, and a lot of guests sat around to enjoy it. There were also some free snacks and drinks — it was serve yourself beer and wine in tiny cups. This view made the price of the tiny room well worthwhile.
Considering I’ve never stayed at a hotel with such a view, I took in as much of the sunset as I could. I was in no rush to leave the comfort of the pleasant weather and snacks.
When I got upstairs for dinner, I found that it was a wait to enter the dining room. Included with the stay was a buffet dinner and breakfast — I only knew about the breakfast when I booked the room. As almost everyone showed up right after sunset, I had to wait to get a seat.
The food was good, but not nearly as good as what I could get a restaurant. That’s what you get with buffets. It was all fine as I stuck to more traditional Japanese dishes. Alcohol was not included, so I skipped it (I had a beer in my room from Yamagata Prefecture that I purchased while waiting for the train). I considered going outside again to the shop that sold a variety of local sake and beer, but opted to enjoy the accommodations instead.
After dinner, I headed back to my room to don the yukata and make my way down to the onsen — the main reason for my stay. I was excited for an outdoor onsen on the seaside.
It seemed that word had gotten around about the foreigner at the hotel (I didn’t see any others). Several people in the onsen were keen to talk with me, practice a bit of English, and ask why I made my way to Murakami. After a lot of time playing charades in Japan, it was refreshing to have a conversation. But the onsen was better when everyone else left and I could enjoy the sound of the tide as I sat in pool. The cool evening air on my face and hot water on my body was relaxing (and it would’ve been better after the little hiking the next day).
There was nothing else in the hotel in the evening, and the few shops and restaurants nearby were closed after dinner, so I took the opportunity to sleep early and enjoy the following day. While the room was tiny, it was comfortable enough for a good night’s sleep — all the walking plus relaxing the onsen certainly helped.
The next morning, bright and early, I donned the yukata and headed to the buffet breakfast in the huge dining room. I filled up on fish, vegetables, carbs, and, of course, all the coffee I could want. It wasn’t anything special, but it was enough to start the day and keep me going until a late lunch in town.
While I had plenty of time before checkout and the shuttle to the train station, I took my time to enjoy another soak in the outdoor onsen. Most of the hotel guests had either departed or were partaking in the breakfast buffet. The onsen was almost empty — just a few people at the indoor pools.
The quiet pool with the surf from the Sea of Japan was a wonderful way to end my stay at Premium Shiomiso. I could’ve stayed in the onsen longer, but I wasn’t sure what time it was, and I had to change and take my luggage to the lobby. But the two trips to that peaceful pool were worth the price of the tiny room.
As I still had time before the shuttle into Murakami, I wandered around the Senami Onsen neighborhood. I found a public foot bath nearby (there are multiple in the area, as well as some public onsen).
There is a foot bath just outside the hotel entrance that is dedicated to poet Akiko Yosano who visited the area in 1937. According to the sign at the foot bath, she was so inspired by the hot springs that she wrote 45 poems in one day.
If that’s not an endorsement to visit, I don’t know what is.
