Escape the people and bustling city to the small seaside town 15 minutes from Obama city center.
*scroll to the bottom for scoring.
15-6 Shitsumi,
Obama,
Fukui 917-0103,
Japan
Stay Style: Hideaway/relaxing
Price Point: ~ 14,000 – 30,000 JPY
(depending on room type and season)
(total: 30,000 for room + dinner and breakfast for 2)
Transportation requirement: rental/personal car
Room stayed: Kyubee (sea room)
Dear Readers,
Upon searching for a quiet, more unexplored area around the city of Obama in Fukui, Japan, we came across this seemingly small establishment located in a small coastal town not too far from the city center.
Our criteria for looking were simple: a good-looking place with a view of the sea and a meal offering using local ingredients.
For that reason, we have chosen a stay in a Japanese ryokan-style room with a direct view overlooking the sea, with additional breakfast and dinner.
After buying some chopsticks as souvenirs for ourselves from the Obama Chopstick Museum, we drove along the shore for around 12 minutes, arriving in the small town of Shitsumi. The turn for the town was small, and we almost missed the turn; luckily, no cars were coming, and we managed to turn in for the parking, which was right beside the road.
The hotel is located a little further down the hill; the road is tight with no parking area, so after we parked right at the roadside parking spot, we dragged our luggage down to the check-in area, which was not too far. (We recommend assorting your clothes into one backpack or small luggage for convenience.)
Following along the signs for the hotel, we enter a narrow passage and into a building where the check-in area is located, which in this case will also be where our room is, along with the bathroom and bathing area. Do note that some other room types are individual housing that will be a little detached from the main building, but as the town is tiny, they are not too far from each other, and will also have a private bath.
Our room is located at the end of the hallway way directly opposite the bathing facilities. By sliding the door open, a small, cozy Japanese-style room greeted us, with tatami mats for the flooring and wooden frames and textured walls surrounding us. At the end of the room, stretching full length on one side of the wall is a big sliding glass door overlooking the sea, along with it was a chair and a bean bag between a small coffee table. The part looks to be a balcony that is now turned into a part of the room, with the ability to close the door and separate the space, a feature we liked most about this room.
With that, we spent some time relaxing and looking out into the sea, with the glass door slid open, letting the cold sea breeze of early autumn hit our faces and refreshing countryside air rush through our noses. Before we knew it, it was time for dinner.
The Japanese-Western Fusion Cuisine Dinner Service
Dinner (Additional price)
The dinner is served in a dining space, which requires a small walk through the alleyways between buildings. The area was magnificent, with modern Japandi-style decorations and a big glass wall with a sea view.
The dinner is served in courses, a Japanese-Western fusion cuisine. Throughout the dinner service, we were served various dishes from steamed crab and sashimi to carpaccio and a pasta dish. The highlight of the meal for us was the locally sourced ingredients and freshly caught seafood that were used in each dish. As far as freshness in a restaurant goes, it was the highest possible quality for sashimi.
Overall, the food was good, and although none of the dishes stood out particularly, the fish was fresh, and a good balance of refreshing dishes and dishes that are heavier on the palate was served. However, the dinner service fell short after the first half, and the waiting time felt like it got longer after each dish. And without a course plan provided on our table on what dish would be coming next, it felt like forever waiting for the next one, without knowing what would be served, or how close we are to the end of the course. By the end, the dessert was served, and we, along with a few other tables, were left sitting without being told that it was the end of the dinner service until one table stood up after a long while, and the other table started following immediately.
This may have been an unusual complication in the part of the kitchen for the wait time between dishes, but in terms of service, there is still a big gap for improvement. We still think it is a good option to go for the hotel’s course meal, but we would not go so far as to say it is a must.
Experience of the Shared Bath
After dinner, we went back to our room, waited for a bit before deciding to go for a shower, as our room was directly opposite and only separated by a thin sliding door, we could hear if someone was occupying the room or not.
The bathing area is separated by gender and is a private one, meaning that there is a door lock for the shower, and only one group will use it at a time, perfect for those who do not like to shower with strangers. Although the lock could be said as optional, as some customers do not lock their doors, but seeing as the Japanese customer did we also went for the private bath function.
The bathroom was clean, modern, and felt like new, even after others had used the facilities before us, and overall, it was great, and there was nothing to complain about. For us, it was not a problem not having an en-suite bathroom. However, suppose you have a plan and are looking to stick to your schedule, you might have to make some additional time for it, just in case the bath is occupied, but even then, there are only a few groups at a time that would be using those facilities, so we do not think it would pose as much of a problem at all.
The Japanese Breakfast with a Sea View
Breakfast (Additional price) (Recommended)
For breakfast, we had saba and heshiko (fermented saba), which are famous in the region, and provided along with it was a grill with hot coals inside, for grilling the fish, and some side dishes, along with freshly cooked rice in a clay pot.
The tables were set prior to our allotted schedule, and side dishes were served quickly. The meal was great, the view was nice, and the option that allowed us to leisurely enjoy our stay, without having to look for a place to eat in the morning, is the best.
Our Evaluation
Sea-auberge Shitsumi delivers a good quality, relaxing stay. Although there are some downsides regarding the shared toilet, in which other places may have a private toilet at the same price point, and complications during dinner service, the hotel does offer a stay in a charismatic small town away from people and in a more unusual setting, which, in experience as a whole, balances out the trivial downsides.
This post is not sponsored in any form and is reviewed purely from our experience. The quiet, the ambience of the small coastal town, and the quality stay and experiences we had in one of their rooms are worth the money we paid.
Review Summary:
Style of review: Hideaway, Relaxing
Do note that under this criterion, our evaluation will assume a personal (rental) car as the default form of transportation, considering the location. The criteria will also be set for a quiet rural area, which will not mark the lack of a convenience store or nighttime activity as a minus.
Our scoring has also taken into account the price point: 14,000 yen per night (room rate)
Our recommendation: A Subjective Choice
A good stay for those who have to be in, or are exploring, the area, but a subjective choice that is highly dependent on your own preference!
*Hand-Picked → 1, Preferred Choice → 2, Selective Choice → 3, Subjective Choice → 4
The hotels that fall into these ratings are all satisfactory experiences; the categories capture how exceedingly it went over our satisfaction level, and are not a ranking that implies which hotel is good or bad. The rating is highly reliant on our preferences and personal experience.
Overall atmosphere:
Room type: Sea Room Kyubee（オーシャンビューの海側和室）
Accommodation capacity: 2-3 persons
Very Clean 9/10
Location 7/10
Convenience of the stay 7/10
Ambience 8/10
Concept 7/10
Additional scoring:
Onsen +
Enclosed balcony +
Thin wall –
Shared toilet –
With love for travelling,
Travel Tegami