It's been a lifelong dream to visit Japan, I hope someday I can visit and on multiple occasions throughout my life, I love everything about their culture, the language, the food, and of course the people!!
Wow this ryokan is legit. I am a local, but this vid blew my mind. Shirako as a starter is probably decadent enough, but man, then Ku-e? This is a catch so rare that goes onto the market and you would be extremely lucky to find a restaurant that can source this in the first place. Not to mention it’s REALLY expensive. Then there is the female Snow Crab. This is what we call Kobako Gani, which loosely translates to “crab jewelry box”. Because of the effort, time and skill of the chef that is required to prepare this dish, we only use this technique for the very best crabs sourced from the Sea of Japan. And this is one of the finest examples. I actually would not recommend you to try this dish, simply because it is SUPER expensive. There are a lot of Kaiseki restaurants in Japan where they show you a fancy looking/sounding menu, but actually don’t use much of the expensive ingredients. It’s not just the tourists, but we locals often fall into that trap as well. And that’s why I am saying that this ryokan stands out for me. Thanks to Mikey for showing us the best of Japan.
thank you so much for giving us this added information on a spectacular food culture. Hugely appreciated~I'm half way through wondering when Mikey gets hungry again tho!!!!!
Thank you for the insight. In regards to the Ryokan I think it is also on the pretty expensive side. I checked and the cheapest room was about $500 per night for two. With the more expensive ones going for over a thousand. I have never been to Japan (yet!) but I'd guess that this is already one of the more expensive options. What do you think?
@@TheCraftinator san Yes, I would say this is definitely high end. Here in Japan, these ryokan’s are meant to be a once in a lifetime experience. I’ve personally never been to one of these places. Sure, I have had opportunities to stay at some moderate establishments, but most of them lacked substance. Having said that, some of the new onsen=hot spring ryokans offers great meals and super ambience. Research is key. Guide books tend to stick with places where they have a long history, but that doesn’t exactly translate to good value for money. Nevertheless, if you have cash to burn a hole in your pocket, Mikey’s choice is an absolute winner.
@@TheCraftinator i checked and some rooms are up to 2k usd, may depend a lot on the dates too. I spent a night on a Ryokan in Kioto in October and it was like 350 usd, amazing place and food, but not near as high end as this. Still was an amazing experience.
@@TheCraftinator I live in resort town of Mexico and 1 room will easily cost over$500 per night, without food and you have to pay extra for expensive mediocre food which ends up way more than ryokans. My husband (Mexican) fell in love with ryokan culture when first visited Japan and he said its well worth the money, compare to what he is used to in fancy resorts around the world.
Wouldn't mind to wake up to that pleasant waterfall and pond everyday. Food looked amazing. Some people idolatrize Japan for its futuristic cyberpunk style cities. I idolatrize Japan for this and how these places work in perfect communion with nature. Thanks for the video, Mike.
Lesser known? From a foreign tourist perspective, may be yes. But for us Japanese nationals, Shuzenji is one of our top places we would want to go. And this ryokan is definitely high end!
I'm a tourist and I've heard of the place. It's true though that most tourists won't have heard of it unless they're interested in onsens. Would love to stay where Mike did, but it's above my price bracket. One day.
literally refreshed your page just to know theres a video to watch and there is! thakns for always keeping me company when i eat alone after work Mike!
Your videos have helped me introduce my family to foreign flavours!! We are from South Africa, obit even having KBBQ would be seen as different or strange😢 Your reviews on the different foods and ingredients has helped expand my family’s food culture
Squid sashimi might be my favourite sushi style dish. As a typical westerner, I was not keen on trying raw squid but once I did, I didn’t want the plate to end. Goes to show that sometimes trying something new can be extremely rewarding. Since then I have tried lot of things that I thought were disgusting. What’s the worst that could happen?!? It’s not going to kill me. I might have to chase it down with a sip of my drink, but at least I’ve tried it.
Absolutely stunning. And those shitakes looked amazing, I didn't even recognize them at first thinking they were some kind of bun because they looked too perfect.
I would like to see Mike try out the many Mom and Pop restaurants in Japan that have Chinese immigrant roots. There are many You Tube videos featuring these places. I think he would be fascinated how Chinese dishes have been adjusted to Japanese taste buds.
@nish221100 that's gotta be the case... wish I was a little more well versed in Japanese food, but there's no doubt that a lot of East Asian food traditions have heavily influenced one another. This talk is making me hungry 🤣
That is really common. Foods like ramen, gyoza/jaozi, pork buns, chashu, etc are all foods of Chinese origin/immigrant influence and I'm pretty sure Mike have tried at least some of them while in Japan. One of his videos is about eating a giant gyoza dumpling in Tokyo.
The best known onsen town is beppu! Hope you can visit my grandma’s hometown Beppu some day! Next time!!!! The whole town is steaming from natural onsen!
The typical thing is to put the radish on the fish and eat it. (so you don't get meat in the radish). Also most people put a bit of soy sauce on the fish.
Looks like this hotel is very picky about their pottery plate selection for table as well as their food.😄👍 I recognized Japanese traditional style potteries such as Arita, Kutani, shino, oribe and kyoyaki ... so on. Especially I loved the nezumi-shino plate used for the grilled mackerel and the cooking pot for rice (I think its maby bankoyaki) was also nice. I am not good at wood lacquer work but soup bowls might be the Wajima nuri, well known traditional lacquer work.
The best food/travel video so far. Thank you for sharing it with us. The culture of Japan shines through in those seemingly simple yet masterfully prepared dishes.
Dang, one of my fav videos that you've done in awhile Mike... absolutely baller meal, and I would so love to be relaxing in that peaceful setting. Way to get after it my man!
Mickey this is one of the best places you've visited. I could feel the Zen thru my cell. The food was exceptional and looked absolutely delicious. And it was nice to see u dressed in traditional style. Great job🤗♥️🙆♀️
Niigata is somewhat far from Tokyo. There are closer places like Hakone and Nikko which have onsen ryokan. Definitely worth it if you are visiting Japan.
Wow. Didn’t realize I was zenning-out by proxy with Mike relaxing with the green tea, until the scene cut and the music changed to upbeat and I was like “whoa oh yeah, right. I exist in the modern world 😑”
Looks like I got a good binge watch of " Strictly Dumpling and Mike Chen videos, as on the 16 January 2023 , The Higher Powers decided to give me a Heart Attack, of which I had to have 2 Stents fitted, so on the advice of cardiologist was to rest with a bit of walking exercise of between 5 to 15 minute walk but not too fast, the main thing I'm still here to watch future videos .Thanks to whoever it was watching down on me, I thank you for the 2nd chance . ( PRAISE THE LORD and AMEN ❤️❤️)
Mike. Love your videos and adventures. Been watching for awhile. Lately though…… I have one recommendation. You are using the word umami way too much 😂. To the point the Marines in my squad uses it as a drinking game. Mike says umami? Chug a beer! More detail in to what you are tasting please. Essence, salt/sweet/sour/bitter. Umami is a word. But I feel with your travel experience you should use other words to give your viewer more detail.
It's been a lifelong dream to visit Japan, I hope someday I can visit and on multiple occasions throughout my life, I love everything about their culture, the language, the food, and of course the people!!
I feel the same!
Mike when tasting anything delicious:
It has such a great umami flavor.
Wow this ryokan is legit. I am a local, but this vid blew my mind. Shirako as a starter is probably decadent enough, but man, then Ku-e? This is a catch so rare that goes onto the market and you would be extremely lucky to find a restaurant that can source this in the first place. Not to mention it’s REALLY expensive. Then there is the female Snow Crab. This is what we call Kobako Gani, which loosely translates to “crab jewelry box”. Because of the effort, time and skill of the chef that is required to prepare this dish, we only use this technique for the very best crabs sourced from the Sea of Japan. And this is one of the finest examples. I actually would not recommend you to try this dish, simply because it is SUPER expensive.
There are a lot of Kaiseki restaurants in Japan where they show you a fancy looking/sounding menu, but actually don’t use much of the expensive ingredients. It’s not just the tourists, but we locals often fall into that trap as well. And that’s why I am saying that this ryokan stands out for me. Thanks to Mikey for showing us the best of Japan.
thank you so much for giving us this added information on a spectacular food culture. Hugely appreciated~I'm half way through wondering when Mikey gets hungry again tho!!!!!
Thank you for the insight.
In regards to the Ryokan I think it is also on the pretty expensive side. I checked and the cheapest room was about $500 per night for two. With the more expensive ones going for over a thousand.
I have never been to Japan (yet!) but I'd guess that this is already one of the more expensive options. What do you think?
@@TheCraftinator san
Yes, I would say this is definitely high end. Here in Japan, these ryokan’s are meant to be a once in a lifetime experience. I’ve personally never been to one of these places. Sure, I have had opportunities to stay at some moderate establishments, but most of them lacked substance. Having said that, some of the new onsen=hot spring ryokans offers great meals and super ambience. Research is key. Guide books tend to stick with places where they have a long history, but that doesn’t exactly translate to good value for money. Nevertheless, if you have cash to burn a hole in your pocket, Mikey’s choice is an absolute winner.
@@TheCraftinator i checked and some rooms are up to 2k usd, may depend a lot on the dates too. I spent a night on a Ryokan in Kioto in October and it was like 350 usd, amazing place and food, but not near as high end as this. Still was an amazing experience.
@@TheCraftinator I live in resort town of Mexico and 1 room will easily cost over$500 per night, without food and you have to pay extra for expensive mediocre food which ends up way more than ryokans. My husband (Mexican) fell in love with ryokan culture when first visited Japan and he said its well worth the money, compare to what he is used to in fancy resorts around the world.
Wouldn't mind to wake up to that pleasant waterfall and pond everyday. Food looked amazing. Some people idolatrize Japan for its futuristic cyberpunk style cities. I idolatrize Japan for this and how these places work in perfect communion with nature. Thanks for the video, Mike.
The pine needle blow my mind, so much atention to the detail, i love japanese culture.
The pine needle on the coaster is a perfect reprentation of japanese mindset. Minimal yet so efficient haha
Lesser known? From a foreign tourist perspective, may be yes. But for us Japanese nationals, Shuzenji is one of our top places we would want to go. And this ryokan is definitely high end!
I'm a tourist and I've heard of the place. It's true though that most tourists won't have heard of it unless they're interested in onsens. Would love to stay where Mike did, but it's above my price bracket. One day.
Most of his viewers aren’t Japanese nationals
@@peko7446 san
Same here actually.
Thought the same!
Thank you for commenting sonny
literally refreshed your page just to know theres a video to watch and there is! thakns for always keeping me company when i eat alone after work Mike!
Oh, wow, that hotel is really beautiful! The pond, the waterfall, and the food is so breathtaking! ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
Your videos have helped me introduce my family to foreign flavours!!
We are from South Africa, obit even having KBBQ would be seen as different or strange😢
Your reviews on the different foods and ingredients has helped expand my family’s food culture
I am Japanese. 🇯🇵😊I want people all over the world to know more about Japanese food and culture.👍🎍🍱
Squid sashimi might be my favourite sushi style dish. As a typical westerner, I was not keen on trying raw squid but once I did, I didn’t want the plate to end. Goes to show that sometimes trying something new can be extremely rewarding. Since then I have tried lot of things that I thought were disgusting. What’s the worst that could happen?!? It’s not going to kill me. I might have to chase it down with a sip of my drink, but at least I’ve tried it.
What wonderful food culture! Japanese food is Perfectly Elegantly . I would love to visit Japan & enjoy the food culture:)
Back to reality,
That says everything.
Ryokan always leads you to another world.
So, green ume is a Japanese green plum. Fairly sweet and refreshingly tart in it's fruit form, I imagine the juice is even more enjoyable!
Love the taste of ume! It's unique in the best way...
日本に来ていただきありがとうございます🍚thank you❤️
I'd just be sitting down on the dock watching the koi most of the time I think. What a beautiful spot.
Absolutely amazing video man. I was in awe the whole time.
For the first time i think ever i wish i was a famous food critic. Lolo what an expirience. Love your chanel!! God bless
Absolutely stunning. And those shitakes looked amazing, I didn't even recognize them at first thinking they were some kind of bun because they looked too perfect.
TY for your awesome review of the area and meals ! I can’t travel but thanks to you , I get to pretend I have enjoyed it with you
Same. Can’t travel anymore either and am living vicariously through people like Mikey.
I would like to see Mike try out the many Mom and Pop restaurants in Japan that have Chinese immigrant roots. There are many You Tube videos featuring these places. I think he would be fascinated how Chinese dishes have been adjusted to Japanese taste buds.
I would love watching him check out those places. The intersection of food cultures is where so much tasty stuff goes down! 😅
Actually, Mikey has visited both Kobe and Yokohama.
@@FlavorofMind True. Much (Most?) of Japanese food is actually from that.
@nish221100 that's gotta be the case... wish I was a little more well versed in Japanese food, but there's no doubt that a lot of East Asian food traditions have heavily influenced one another. This talk is making me hungry 🤣
That is really common. Foods like ramen, gyoza/jaozi, pork buns, chashu, etc are all foods of Chinese origin/immigrant influence and I'm pretty sure Mike have tried at least some of them while in Japan. One of his videos is about eating a giant gyoza dumpling in Tokyo.
3:25 that place is beautiful 😻 with a waterfall and koi pond
My mouth watering the whole time...Mahalo's for this awesome post bro!
A winner vlog. today. Seriously enjoyed the ambience and food. For indepth exposure to local foods kaiseki is the best. Thank you enjoyed.
Great video Mikey. Watching from Trinidad and Tobago. Nice content
Word of the day: ‘Snappy’….I love when you learn new words! Drink!
So nice to see a video where we get to see the sites with you. Beautiful location
Miss those.
The best known onsen town is beppu! Hope you can visit my grandma’s hometown Beppu some day! Next time!!!! The whole town is steaming from natural onsen!
Video starts at 2:06
New drinking game. Take a shot every time Mike says "umami"
He says Persimmon in a weird way! Lol! As long as he liked it!
Your video makes me miss Japan so much!
The typical thing is to put the radish on the fish and eat it. (so you don't get meat in the radish). Also most people put a bit of soy sauce on the fish.
I’ve been watching for years and happy to see you still improving the videos and all. Thank you for the amazing content all the time
Beautiful scenery and the food looks amazing.
Great stuff, Mike. One of my must go places!
Wow! They are so respectful! Bowing when he left at 18:46.
Mmm this fish is snappy. This eel is snappy. This chicken is snappy. This pudding is snappy.
Love how Mike shakes his head every time he takes a bite out of something.
I guess Bokksu isn't doing as well these days since Sakuraco and Tokyotreat took over.
Chickeny?LOL...😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣
Looks like this hotel is very picky about their pottery plate selection for table as well as their food.😄👍
I recognized Japanese traditional style potteries such as Arita, Kutani, shino, oribe and kyoyaki ... so on. Especially I loved the nezumi-shino plate used for the grilled mackerel and the cooking pot for rice (I think its maby bankoyaki) was also nice. I am not good at wood lacquer work but soup bowls might be the Wajima nuri, well known traditional lacquer work.
That dinner looked amazing but I really want that breakfast.
Yum. Seafood. The snacks look very good. It looks like you fed the koi really fancy people bread.
Yay! : )
The best food/travel video so far. Thank you for sharing it with us. The culture of Japan shines through in those seemingly simple yet masterfully prepared dishes.
You’ve never seen Best Ever Food Review. That channel makes Mikey look like an amateur. Basically on Ken Domick’s level.
The Japanese food looked incredible. Thank you so much💗
Dang, one of my fav videos that you've done in awhile Mike... absolutely baller meal, and I would so love to be relaxing in that peaceful setting. Way to get after it my man!
This video is BADASS!!!!!!
👍🏻👍🏻🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Amazing!!! A Definate must do!!
Thank You Mikey!
Glad mike overcome the "No raw food" thing he had!
You’re so lucky to have experienced that.
Perfect setting for a detective connan episode
Mickey this is one of the best places you've visited. I could feel the Zen thru my cell. The food was exceptional and looked absolutely delicious. And it was nice to see u dressed in traditional style. Great job🤗♥️🙆♀️
Wow that meal looked insanely amazing!! This will have to be on my must travel list, and great to see you out exploring again.
Yummy video Mike!💖thanks!
Niigata is somewhat far from Tokyo. There are closer places like Hakone and Nikko which have onsen ryokan. Definitely worth it if you are visiting Japan.
Wow. Didn’t realize I was zenning-out by proxy with Mike relaxing with the green tea, until the scene cut and the music changed to upbeat and I was like “whoa oh yeah, right. I exist in the modern world 😑”
Man I would love to see Mikey on Trash Taste
Always looks like just woke up 😂 thank you for keeping up with us lol
Take a shot every time Bear Face says Umami, Jooooshi, or Super
Ok I'll do it. If you don't hear from me again, you'll know what happened.
one stay must be over 5man yen.
so luxurious ryokan.
That food looks great
Happy Chinese new year 🎉❤
Hey Mikey, would you share which room did you book particularly, and if the room comes with the kaiseiki? Its really fancy
Hey what’s up Mr Chen I’m wondering if or when will be the next time you check out houston or Katy Asian town. Love your videos BTW
Looks like I got a good binge watch of " Strictly Dumpling and Mike Chen videos, as on the 16 January 2023 , The Higher Powers decided to give me a Heart Attack, of which I had to have 2 Stents fitted, so on the advice of cardiologist was to rest with a bit of walking exercise of between 5 to 15 minute walk but not too fast, the main thing I'm still here to watch future videos .Thanks to whoever it was watching down on me, I thank you for the 2nd chance .
( PRAISE THE LORD and AMEN ❤️❤️)
as much as I love the video and would love to stay here someday I can't help. but continuously think "mikey is def still very hungry" lol
Planning a trip to Japan for October! Thank you for this video! My mom really wants to visit a ryokan while we visit.
2:50 to get to the good stuff.
this is my husband and I bucket list places to go !
Their chickens are more chickeny than other chickens
Didn’t even watch the video yet but this is the first time I’ve seen Sakuraco promo! I’ve been a subscriber since their first month! ❤
Mike. Love your videos and adventures. Been watching for awhile.
Lately though……
I have one recommendation.
You are using the word umami way too much 😂. To the point the Marines in my squad uses it as a drinking game. Mike says umami? Chug a beer!
More detail in to what you are tasting please. Essence, salt/sweet/sour/bitter.
Umami is a word. But I feel with your travel experience you should use other words to give your viewer more detail.
That is so cool and beautiful!
The chef has had 500 years to perfect their recipes!
this is gorgeous!!! what a dream
That looks awesome mike , you think my white personal could go there, thanks in advance
Definitely,but you have to get used to the different textures and tastes cause, like traditional meals are not for everyone, haha.
London calling keep up t he good work
OMG that looked amazing! How much was the dinner?
Hey!!!! I love your show 🤓🤓🤓🤓, I would like more information on the snacks from Japan 😊😊😊😊😊, I would like to try it
word of the episode "SNAPPY"
And UMAMIIII.. got sick listening on how many times it's been said over and over.
Argh, Mike, yer killin' me, here! Someday I will return to Japan and if I can experience a proper ryokan, then I'll do it!
I'm having white rice watching this, it works.
When your inn has more history than most countries today
I love your mug. Where did you get it? Please
No freaking way Mike I just was there…. Just got back home from Japan two nights ago and stayed in the same hotel during Christmas!
Nvm thought it was the same!
Never been this early 😂
wow, just starting the video, but you have made it! wow!
Mike I been watching you since 2018 for once i think you have almost lost words in the beginning of the video the food is that good
Yummy
A real restaurant that serves real food
Honestly salivating watching this. Beautifully presented food, with all aspects considered (including the location)
James Bumlick
So?
That’s your Lunch also Dinner… 🍽🙃😋
ココの旅館の料理は、すごい豪華な料理だな。１泊５万円以上しそう。そんなに安くないって？ｗ
Great video Mike!
What’s a weekend at that place goin’ for? I need to budget for this trip.
My gf & I love your videos.
Once again everything looks yummy😋
What a beautiful place.
100%... now I wanna go!
Mike Chen has THE Best "JOB" in the World!!!!