Arimasanso Goshobessho

My third stay at Gosho Bessho after a long time. I was surprised at how much the food has improved—it was already delicious when I stayed about two years ago, but it’s been upgraded even further! Since it was early spring, the course featured plenty of seasonal mountain vegetables. I was especially happy to be able to enjoy so many wild plants like bracken and zenmai (royal fern), which are a hassle to prepare at home. Even with the sashimi—where you’d normally pair it with soy sauce—they served a sauce made from the fish’s liver, and for the shrimp they prepared a shrimp-based sauce as well. I was truly impressed that they put this much care into each plate. Overall, you can tell every dish is thoughtfully and carefully prepared, and every single plate was genuinely delicious. Breakfast has also leveled up—the bread and French toast were on par with specialty shops. Even at high-end Hotel breakfast venues, it’s rare to find bread dough this good—especially considering Japanese cuisine is the main focus here!It looks like the bath area has been renovated too; it felt almost ceremonial in an innovative way.Arima can be crowded, but once you step onto this property, you’re soothed by birdsong and the sound of running water. When I’m tired, I’ll come back again to Clear my mind.

This was my second stay. It was in the building next door to last time and felt a bit more compact. More than that, I felt the taste of the Watanuki artwork displayed in the Room, as well as the bathroom layout and the view from the tub, were better during my previous stay.For dinner this time, I had the Tajima Gen course. Since everything other than Tajima Gen was fish, I enjoyed again the delicious white wine I had last time. The tempura served as a surprise before the course was an exquisite taste of early spring. The fish from Akashiura was just as wonderful as before—dishes that made the most of excellent ingredients. The broth in the clear soup was delicious and paired perfectly with the wine. The warabi mochi that didn’t absorb any broth, though—I wasn’t sure about that.I’ve also had Tajima Gen by delivery before, and once again this time I found the fat quite heavy, to the point that it left me feeling so full it affected my enjoyment of the bamboo shoot rice and dessert afterward.The bamboo shoot rice also felt like spring. It was a clay-pot rice with only cubed bamboo shoots; lightly seasoned, elegant in flavor, letting you taste even the richness of the rice itself—truly delicious.All of breakfast’s breads were excellent. Aside from the croissant they were miniature-sized, yet I was surprised they still kept that same balance between crisp exterior texture and fluffy interior. The French toast looked beautiful, and since even the baguette itself was delicious, it was outstanding.Also, perhaps because it suited such a lovely lobby so well, even the financier served at check-in tasted especially good to me. I also loved—and use every day—the wonderful zodiac-themed plate we received as a surprise.At lunch we went to your affiliated SABOR and had a Tajima Gen burger there. It became my personal best—I could really taste how it brought out all of meat’s natural umami while making full use of what makes Tajima Gen special.It was such a happy day. Thank you very much. We’ll be back again.