Hiroshima Prefecture’s Onomichi is a hilly port town of sloping streets that has long prospered as a Seto Inland Sea shipping hub. The coastline along its leg of this waterway, known as the Onomichi Channel, is a national heritage site brimming with gorgeous scenery from hillsides lined with houses to landscapes dotted with shrines and temples.

Onomichi is also renowned as a setting for literature, film, and television, characterized by alleys and cobblestone slopes which preserve an early 19th Century atmosphere. It is also a mecca for cyclists, as the gateway to the Shimanami Kaido – a seaside roadway connecting the major island of Honshu to Shikoku and many smaller islets along the way, and a perfect spot to take in the beauty of the region.

Nishiyama Bekkan was the name of a ryokan that opened in 1943 and has served as a popular lodging for visitors to Onomichi ever since. Today, the newly renovated inn stands reborn as Ryokan Onomichi Nishiyama, retaining the classic traditional touches of the structure, furniture, lighting, and interior design while melding them seamlessly into modern comfort for a space that combines the best of both worlds. Awarded One Key by the 2024 Michelin Guide Hotel Selection, the ryokan’s elegant service and unique stay experience are world class.

One of the inn’s central concepts is taking up the modern mantle of the legacy of “tea garden” culture, creating and cultivating a place for social interaction, cultural exchange, and hospitality through tea ceremony. It seeks to cherish and preserve the art and culture of Onomichi – and the interpersonal connections fostered thereby – while supporting up-and-coming young artists. This is why its interior is decorated with ceramics and paintings with an atmosphere reminiscent of an art gallery.

The Korin Lounge is where new arrivals check in, and it is imbued with this heritage of tea garden culture, designed as a place for relaxed gatherings. Matcha and traditional tea snacks made in-house are served in welcome upon arrival, and the space lined with warm wood is designed for guests to slow down and catch their breath after the commotions of travel. The ryokan’s service is all-inclusive, so feel free to return to the lounge in the evening for a luxurious nightcap.

Eight guest rooms in six separate structures, along with three in the main building, loosely ring the central garden. Guest rooms in detached wings are designed around various evocative traditional themes and allow guests to enjoy ryokan service in the privacy of their own separate spaces. Soak up the traditional atmosphere of Onomichi in these gorgeous guest rooms through atmospheric design and various unique local amenities – such as aroma diffusers of hassaku orange (a local specialty). (Room type is chosen by the inn according to availability.)

So-called “sake capital” Saijo City is a mere hour’s drive away, accessible by optional private car service offered in this plan (only on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday). Blessed with a cool climate and abundant groundwater, Saijo has been producing high-quality sake since the 17th century. It reached its zenith as a national center for brewing in the Meiji period (1868-1912), and today historic breweries still line its Sakagura-dori (literally “Brewery Street”) complete with iconic red brick chimneys and white walls that lend themselves to an atmospheric cityscape.

This experience includes a visit to Saijotsuru, one of Saijo’s seven iconic breweries. Through a brewery tour led by Masako Inomoto – the wife of the fifth generation head of the brewery – learn all about the process of brewing sake. “We are a boutique brewery, which is why craft is among our top priority,” she explains. Saijotsuru employs traditional methods in the pursuit of unique local sake that pairs perfectly with Saijo’s local cuisine.

Get an up-close look at the meticulous methods of the brewery inside its recently-restored Meiji-era brewhouse and main building, a registered tangible cultural property whose features and history are included in the guided tour.

Watching the brewmaster make fine adjustments to temperature and fermentation conditions is a window into the true essence of sake brewing craft. If your timing is lucky, you may even be able to listen to a comment or two from the brewmaster himself, gazing deep into the intricacies of sake brewing in a space filled with the sweet aroma unique to the sake brewing.

Delicious Sake from Local Ingredients and Craft Tradition

At the end of the brewery tour, enjoy a comparative tasting of three of Saijotsuru’s most characteristic brews, along with a talk on pairings and how best to approach sake.

One such example is the junmai daiginjo genshu “Shinzui,” one of Saijotsuru’s flagship labels which has won the Monde Selection award for 25 consecutive years. Recommended as an aperitif, it features a mildly dry and crisp flavor. Sample also a variety of other sakes considered perfect pairings for cuisine made from Seto Inland Sea ingredients, and purchase bottles of whichever you like to take home with you. Let Inomoto be your guide into Japan’s sake and food culture, and discover a sake that’s perfect for you.

Find yourself back in Onomichi just in time for dinner, and sit down to gourmet French cuisine made from the rich ingredients of the Seto Inland Sea region at restaurant Yosoro. A lovingly curated selection of drinks is available including wines from Hiroshima Prefecture’s Fukuyama city, sakes from Saijo and other parts of Hiroshima, and craft beer made from local regional ingredients. Pair these with your main dish, followed by your own choice from the dinner menu for a satisfying personalized experience right down to the last bite.

As dusk settles, move to the garden to revel in the changing faces of the beautiful Seto sky. Onomichi’s townscape and sea are sure to become lifelong memories.

Start off in the morning with a nourishing breakfast of local ingredients such as clay pot rice. If you have the time, a walk in the fresh morning sea breeze is highly recommended. Climb the slopes, see temples and shrines and old houses, soak up the ambience, and lose yourself in the history and culture of Onomichi.

Using a historic ryokan inn in Onomichi as a home base, this luxurious plan features a trip to Saijo, one of Japan’s leading sake production regions, for a foray into the world of sake brewing. Enjoy the Seto Inland Sea region with all five senses through its gorgeous scenery, delightful climate, delicious sake, gourmet food, and tremendous natural bounties. Relax and enjoy the rich culture and countryside of Hiroshima in the care of those who have devoted themselves to protecting and passing on this cultural and natural heritage