A Healing Time at the Traditional Yet Modern Mountain Lodge 'Tokusawa-en' | Day 2 (Part 2)

In this article, I will share how we spent our second day staying at Tokusawa-en.

Click here for the record of our round trip from Tokusawa-en to Karasawa Cirque, even though I almost gave up along the way.https://note.com/enjoy2023/n/n921a7c861757

A coffee float as a post-hike treat

We left at 6:00 AM and returned at 4:00 PM, meaning we were out for a total of 10 hours. We were thoroughly exhausted. So, to cool down, we had a coffee float at the cafe.

The soft-serve ice cream really hit the spot for my tired body; it was delicious. By the way, if you choose not to have your room cleaned on the second night, you get a ticket that can be exchanged for coffee or ice cream. If you can get ice cream, choosing no cleaning is the obvious choice, right?

Michikusa Cafeteria is open from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, and they have a wide variety of food like pizza and drink options. It has a retro-vintage atmosphere.
Tokusawa-en also has an attached campsite, so those camping can also eat and drink here.

It shows that people from all over the world are visiting Kamikochi in Japan.

A stylish shop that captures a woman's heart

In addition to the cafeteria, the Michikusa Shop is also so stylish!

There were many original Tokusawa-en goods. There are plenty of items like T-shirts and pin badges. I bought a T-shirt as a souvenir.

Besides that, you can also buy snacks and small daily necessities here.

The second dinner

They served us a different menu from the previous day. Sorry for the trouble, but everything was delicious! The dishes made the most of local ingredients.

Plus soup and rice. Once again, I polished off two bowls of rice 🍚🍚.
Thank you for the meal.

The gratitude I felt for a bath that soothed my fatigue

While mountain lodges often don't have baths, Tokusawa-en does.
There was rare 'Shinano white charcoal' fired using traditional methods inside the bathtub. It felt so refreshing to wash away the sweat!

Lounge surrounded by vintage decor

There is a lounge inside Tokusawa-en where you can take a break. It wasn't just here; there was antique decor throughout the building. I wish I had asked why these pieces were here. There were also books and manga.

About staying at Tokusawa-en for two nights

In a word, staying for two nights was a huge luxury! Haha. In the future, if I want to stay in Kamikochi for two nights, for example, it would be nice to treat myself to one of those nights at Tokusawa-en.

Each room at Tokusawa-en has its own concept and atmosphere, so I thought I'd like to stay in a different room next time.
By the way, it seems quite rare for a mountain lodge to have Western-style rooms in the first place. Since I usually sleep in a bed, having a Western-style room is a nice touch.

The guests staying there weren't just serious mountaineers; there were also a fair number of people who seemed to be there for hiking, so it's a recommended spot for those who want to enjoy nature.

I'm glad I fulfilled my three-year wish of 'wanting to stay at Tokusawa-en' and was able to spend time that exceeded my expectations!

Next time, I will share what happened on the final day, Day 3. Did the weather hold up during the rainy season? See you then.