What lies beyond the "deliciousness" I felt at Sake no Yado Tamakiya

Matsunoyama Onsen in Tokamachi, Niigata Prefecture.

Nestled quietly in the mountains,
there is an inn you should visit at least once in your lifetime.

On the Niigata Tourism Association'sTabikichisite,
we introduced it as "an inn where you can enjoy pairings of sake and French cuisine."
However, when I actually spoke with the people there,

I found a depth that couldn't be captured by that description alone.
This time, as a "behind-the-scenes look at that article,"

please let me talk about the "inn's philosophy"
that moved my heart during the interview.

If the inn thrives, the region thrives

I will never forget the moment
the owner, Mr. Yamagishi, said that so casually.

When I was a company employee in Tokyo,
I realized I was traveling in search of food and sake,
so I decided to "create the inn I wanted to visit myself" and moved to Tokamachi.

I felt a quiet passion in those words.

Matsunoyama Onsen is in a tough situation, with half of its 10 inns having gone out of business.

Even so, he revived Tamakiya with the desire to light up the region once again.

Now, including the sister facilities "Kamosu Mori" and "Ponshu Hotel Suimu,"
it has grown into a hub that connects the region through food and sake.

The craftsmanship behind the "sake pairing"

What surprised me during this interview was the thoroughness of their pairings.

Mr. Yamagishi has a background as a Japanese representative at sake competitions,
and by communicating directly with sake breweries,

he was sourcing limited-edition sake that can only be drunk here
and aged types of sake.

Of course, the sake and wine pairings backed by his experience and knowledge are amazing,
but I was surprised by his commitment to non-alcoholic options.

When I heard that, I almost blurted out,
"Wow, you're that dedicated!"
(No, I think I actually said it.)

True to his words, some of the non-alcoholic drinks
require several days of preparation.

Mr. Yamagishi's experience and sensibility overlap,
creating a drink you can only encounter here.

It is a drink shaped through a dialogue with the food,
while sensing the harmony of flavors and aromas.

Just like weaving music, he searches for the balance between ingredients
and completes it as a single work of art...

That is the Yamagishi-style non-alcoholic pairing.

When you take a sip, a quiet sense of wonder spreads beyond the taste.
It was less like a drink and more like an experience itself.

French cuisine born from fields and hunting

Chef Kuriyama, who is in charge of the cooking, is from Tokyo.

However, he now spends his days tilling the fields himself, having obtained a hunting license,
and engaging seriously with local ingredients.

His cooking seems to embody
the expression of the land itself.

In fact, most of the tableware used at Tamakiya
is also from Niigata.

Cutlery from Tsubame-Sanjo,
coffee cups by artists from Tokamachi,
and even the sake cups and chopsticks are from Niigata.

On every plate at Tamakiya, the stories of Niigata's artisans
seemed to be gently layered.

I truly felt it was French cuisine that beautifully arranges the blessings of the land.

The reason why you want to visit this inn again

The view from the windows of Tamakiya.

You might notice that the green tint feels a bit strong, don't you?

When I asked about it out of curiosity,
I learned that they change the color of the lighting for each season.

Blue in winter, green in summer, and orange during the autumn foliage season.

It is a thoughtful touch to have the light inside the building quietly correspond with the scenery outside the window.

Their attitude of never letting their guard down
could be felt even in details like this.

Hearing that,
the reason why I want to visit again made perfect sense.

A special place.

Yet, somehow warm.

A spirit of hospitality that cherishes people's memories
flows through this inn.

Toward a landscape where sake and food connect people

I heard that a craft sake brewery is currently being prepared next to their sister inn, 'Kamosu Mori'.

Three inns themed around sake
will eventually become a light that illuminates the small valley of Matsunoyama.

I felt that such a future
is just around the corner.

...

Changing a region
from the small stage of a ryokan.

The light of Tamakiya was shining quietly
in the mountains, but it was certainly shining.

It is a place that will make you love Niigata even more.

Click here for the official Tabikichi article ↓
An exquisite sake pairing experience at "Sake no Yado Tamakiya"