Japan's Top Luxury Hotel and Buffet!
Let me take you to see a luxury hotel and a top-tier buffet in Japan!
A buffet that serves branded A5 Wagyu beef steak.
A buffet featuring Echizen crab, the most renowned snow crab from Fukui in Japan.
A buffet loaded with grilled seafood, ranging from freshly grilled scallops with soy sauce and butter, Saikyo-yaki Gindara (sablefish), to yellowtail collar from the Chubu region.
As for the raw seafood, sushi, and sashimi, there's Otoro sushi, bluefin tuna, yellowtail belly, famous sweet shrimp with roe, straw-roasted bonito, and even pressed grilled mackerel sushi that has absolutely no fishy taste.
The Western dishes are equally impressive, featuring caviar, Iberico ham with melon, and a huge variety of Japanese seafood ceviche.
The desserts are absolutely spectacular—a macaron tower, Häagen-Dazs, fresh-squeezed orange juice, cakes, and crepes. There was so much that I couldn't photograph it all!
The beverage selection ranges from sweet drinks and matcha to beer and Japanese sake. You can definitely get your money's worth here!
There are so many dishes that what I photographed only represents about half of the total menu.
Most importantly, despite the massive selection, everything is genuinely delicious. It truly lives up to the reputation of the master chef who oversees JAL's First Class meals.
All of this is part of the dinner buffet at a premier hotel in Awara Onsen, Fukui Prefecture.
Hotel Grandia Housen.
This is a famous, over 140-year-old clear water hot spring town in Japan, renowned for having over 70 onsen sources. This means each ryokan has water with different properties, and Grandia Housen exclusively owns three of these onsen sources.
Speaking of the location, this area is the Echizen region of Fukui Prefecture, close to Nagoya, Toyama, and Kanazawa. It might not be super popular among Thai tourists yet, but did you know it’s a major hub for gourmet food in Japan?
Echizen crab is the male snow crab, celebrated for being of the highest quality in Japan, just as famous as Tottori's Matsuba crab. Additionally, the country's number one specialty crab restaurant is also located right here in Echizen.
Wakasa beef is the local branded A5 Wagyu of this place. It has an incredible aroma and flavor. Production is very limited, and it's rarely exported out of this region, making it both exceptional and rare.
The Honmaguro (bluefin tuna) and yellowtail from this area offer excellent, bouncy textures. Moreover, the hotel uses large yellowtails weighing over 10 kg, which feature beautiful fat marbling.
The Amaebi (sweet shrimp) served with roe is incredibly sweet.
The grilled mackerel sushi is a must-buy for everyone because it's so tasty and not fishy at all. Try it, and you'll be amazed by how good it is.
All these premium ingredients are gathered in one place and featured in this hotel's buffet. Crafted by the Head Chef of JAL's First Class, it truly elevates the culinary excellence here.
If you are traveling to Toyama, Kanazawa, Nagoya, or Gifu, I highly recommend making a trip here. This is genuinely the best of Japan, guaranteed by the locals and by myself, having tried many famous dinner buffets across various regions.
Honestly, compared to a well-known place like Ginza Happo, I personally think this is on an entirely different level.
The hotel also boasts a stunningly beautiful Japanese garden, a footbath onsen, and three different styles of onsen pools offering views of the Japanese countryside. The service is authentic ryokan style—so attentive that you almost feel bad! Haha.
Plus, there's a free-flow buffet of beer, wine, sweet drinks, ice cream, snacks, chocolates, and coffee where you can just grab a treat, sit back, and relax for free at a scenic viewpoint overlooking the beautiful Japanese garden.
The location is also close to scenic spots and the most interactive aquarium where you can watch the penguin parade, pet a giant octopus, and interact with seals. It's fantastic.
As for the price here, we booked a room with a private viewing bathtub, which included breakfast and dinner, the snack buffet, onsen access, a game room, and karaoke. We booked via Trip and got it for 9,800 THB for two people.
If you choose a standard Japanese-style room and catch a promotion, it could be even cheaper. I also recommend checking direct booking prices.
This price is an incredible value. You can't even get just an A5 Wagyu steak anywhere else for this price, not to mention the crabs, onsens, and all-day snacks. I highly recommend checking in right at 3:00 PM to fully enjoy everything for a long time.
Okay, let's take a look at the menu photos in the post. I apologize that they aren't complete and not professionally shot—I only managed to capture half of the entire menu! But I guarantee that every single dish is incredibly delicious.
In conclusion, this is a phenomenal hotel. The dinner buffet here is the absolute best in Japan. I really want everyone to come and try it!