Kyukamura Shonai Haguro, a resort hotel on the mid-slope of Mt. Haguro in Bandai-Asahi National Park (Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture), will offer a winter-limited special kaiseki called "Yamagata Nikuzukushi – Kiwami – Nidai Meigyu Kyoen" (山形肉づくし～極み～二大銘牛饗宴). The course lets guests compare Yonezawa Beef and Yamagata Beef, two leading beef brands of Yamagata Prefecture. It is available from December 1, 2026 (Tue) to March 31, 2027 (Wed).
A New Dinner Built on Local Ingredients
The Shonai region is known for its rice, and it is blessed with a wide variety of ingredients, including heirloom vegetables and branded beef, that stands out even by national standards. Tsuruoka City was designated a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2014, and its traditional food culture and diverse ingredients are still strongly carried on today.
To let guests enjoy these abundant local ingredients more fully, Kyukamura Shonai Haguro has increased its cooperation with local suppliers. The result is a new kaiseki course made with ingredients personally selected by the head chef.
Meat Selected by Chonan, a Butcher Shop Over 100 Years Old
Chonan Gyuniku-ten (株式会社長南牛肉店) is a long-established butcher shop in Hiyoshi-cho (日吉町), Tsuruoka City, which has been in business for 119 years. Rooted in the community since its founding, it has stayed close to local dinner tables. It handles all kinds of meat, from Yamagata Beef and Yonezawa Beef to pork from the Shonai area and its own brand of processed hams.
Using skill and judgment built up over many years, Chonan buys its meat while assessing the characteristics of each production area and each animal. In the hotel's new "Yamagata Nikuzukushi – Kiwami – Nidai Meigyu Kyoen" course, guests can enjoy this carefully selected, high-quality meat.
The shop is a place where Shonai's food culture can be felt up close, and visitors to Tsuruoka may want to stop by.
Winter-Only Kaiseki: Yamagata Nikuzukushi – Kiwami – Nidai Meigyu Kyoen
This special kaiseki lets guests compare Yamagata Prefecture's two leading beef brands, Yamagata Beef and Yonezawa Beef. Each meat is prepared with a cooking method suited to its qualities, bringing out the umami of the finely marbled meat and its tender quality.
The menu is deliberately not fixed. The ingredients are used differently from day to day, so each day's kaiseki is unique to that day.
Period: December 1, 2026 (Tue) to March 31, 2027 (Wed)
Price: From ¥17,500 per person for one night with two meals (tax included, bathing tax not included)
- Price is per person based on two guests sharing one room on a weekday
- An additional ¥3,000 applies when one guest uses a room alone
- Contents may change depending on supply
A Select Half Buffet Alongside the Kaiseki
Guests can also enjoy Yamagata farm products nurtured by the abundant water flowing down from the mountains, including the Dewa Sanzan. The buffet includes a salad corner with colorful vegetables, a comparison of three Yamagata branded rices bought directly from local farmers (Yukiwakamaru, Tsuyahime and Haenuki), and a fruit corner fitting for "Fruit Kingdom Yamagata."
The half buffet is available only to guests on dinner-included plans.
About Kyukamura Shonai Haguro
The hotel is about a five-minute drive from the stone steps of the Mt. Haguro cedar avenue, which was awarded three stars in the Michelin Green Guide Japon, and from Dewa Sanzan Shrine at the summit of Mt. Haguro. It is a base for sightseeing in the Shonai region, which includes the Mogami River, the "mother river" that supported the economic development of Yamagata Prefecture, Sakata City, which retains an elegant atmosphere, and Tsuruoka City, a town of historical literature and food culture. In summer, it is also a base for climbing Mt. Gassan, one of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains.
The large communal bath uses the hotel's own hot spring source, "羽月の湯", which contains metasilicic acid, known as a natural moisturizer, so guests can experience its skin-beautifying effect.
- Address: 8 Haguroyama, Toge, Haguro-machi, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture 997-0211
- Official Website: https://www.qkamura.or.jp/haguro/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kyukamura_shonaihaguro/?hl=ja
