Tamba Sasayama Kinmata

Located within day-trip range of both Kyoto and Osaka, Sasayama is a beautifully-preserved Edo period town nestled in the mountains of Hyogo Prefecture. Located near its center is Tamba Sasayama Kinmata: a traditional ryokan inn with centuries of history, and a strong culinary pedigree. Since the Edo period, their kitchen has produced high-quality traditional cuisine, utilizing ingredients gathered from the local valleys and rivers. Their claim to fame is as the originators of botan nabe — a rich hot pot of boar meat, miso, mushrooms, and root vegetables. They offer a menu celebrating this signature dish, as well as a traditional kaiseki course meal. Across several dishes, guests enjoy a plethora of ingredients harvested from the local region. Depending on the time of year, this can include locally-caught venison, wild mushrooms and vegetables, conger eel, wild boar loin, sweetfish, and more. In true kaiseki style, each dish is prepared exquisitely, and plated with the utmost attention to detail. The heartiness of their mountain cuisine combined with this delicate presentation makes for a memorable kaiseki experience which is deeply rooted in, and unique to, the region of its creation. All of this is enjoyed within the tranquil surroundings of the Edo-era inn, with centuries of history soaked into its beams. Throughout the years it has even played host to royalty: Emperor Naruhito himself stayed at Tamba Sasayama Kinmata in the 1970s, when he was still a young crown prince.