YOKI MATSUSHIMA, a slow luxury hotel in Matsushima — one of Japan's Three Views — operated by Granvista Hotels & Resorts Co., Ltd. (Matsushima-cho, Miyagi-gun, Miyagi Prefecture; General Manager: Yukiko Hashimoto), is launching a guests-only stay plan built around a special nighttime viewing of the national treasure Zuiganji temple and a Full-Moon Kaiseki dinner, designed as a special experience for guests to immerse themselves deeply in Matsushima's scenery and history. After general viewing hours end, the temple grounds — normally closed to the public at night — are reserved exclusively for guests, who are guided by a monk through the main hall and other buildings, taking in the quiet moonlit stillness and the character of its historic halls. After this encounter with history, guests can savor "Full-Moon Kaiseki," an autumn dinner inspired by the "moon road," in a special stay experience available on two days only.
Matsushima, one of Japan's Three Views, has long been known as a place to view the moon, having once captivated figures such as Date Masamune and the poet Matsuo Basho. The sight of moonlight beautifully reflected on the calm waters of Matsushima Bay, illuminating the islands at night, is a view unique to this place. This autumn, with the cooperation of Zuiganji temple, YOKI MATSUSHIMA is offering a special program centered on this beautiful moon and cultural heritage of Matsushima.
After the viewing, guests can unwind at leisure in Taikotensen Matsushima Onsen — a hot spring often called a "beauty bath" — and enjoy "Moon Road Full-Moon Kaiseki," a dinner built around the Wabishungo concept and themed on the blessings of Miyagi and Sanriku, to be savored on a moonlit night. With the night's special experience flowing directly into the stay itself, guests can take in the whole of a day in Matsushima without missing a moment. This special kaiseki course is offered with input from Professor Hiroko Sasaki of Sendai Shirayuri Women's College, an expert in regional food culture and health, as a meal experience that lets guests savor Matsushima's character and story with all five senses.
The "Local Focus" perspective — staying close to the nature, history, and food culture that a place has woven over time — sits at the core of the stay experience YOKI MATSUSHIMA aims to offer. Through journeys that bring guests into contact with Matsushima's essential appeal, from Zuiganji's historic halls and beautiful moon to the seasonal bounty of Sanriku, the hotel will continue to propose time with a depth found nowhere else.
The hotel plans to keep expanding its seasonal programming and collaborations with local producers and artisans, continuing to organize events that follow the rhythms of nature, such as the waxing and waning of the moon.
National Treasure Zuiganji Night Viewing and a Full-Moon Kaiseki — September 27 and October 26 Only
Available Dates: Sunday, September 27 and Monday, October 26, 2026
Night Viewing Time: 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Price: One night with two meals plus the Zuiganji night viewing, from ¥81,900 per person (based on two guests sharing a room; tax and service charge included)
*The rate above is a sample price for a Japanese-Western twin room with a private half-open-air hot spring bath (46 to 51 sq m).
Reservations: Book online
What's Included
National Treasure Zuiganji Night Viewing
The sight of Zuiganji's stately halls, founded by Date Masamune, set against a full moon rising over Matsushima Bay, is something guests can only encounter on these limited dates. A monk leads the viewing and speaks directly about the temple's architecture, history, and the tradition of prayer passed down at this site. Guests can also step inside special rooms that are normally closed to visitors, for a rare chance to experience the depth of this cultural property enveloped in nighttime stillness.
Dinner: Moon Road Full-Moon Kaiseki
A special gastronomic dinner for the night of the full moon, expressing the beauty and power of the waxing moon. The course is inspired by the "moon road" — the path of moonlight reflected across the water's surface — and built entirely around this image. It brings together carefully selected ingredients from Miyagi, Sanriku, and the wider Tohoku region, with the bounty of the sea, the mountains, and the season served across each dish.
(Sample menu)
Sashimi: Miyagi Salmon (Cured With Black Pepper and Salt, Wasabi, Parmesan Cheese)
A special dish where the rich flavor of Parmesan cheese draws out the melt-in-the-mouth richness of Miyagi salmon, accented with wasabi and black-pepper-cured salt.
Grilled Course: Charcoal-Grilled Sendai Wagyu
Sendai wagyu fillet, charcoal-grilled until fragrant, is served with foie gras coated in a special sauce. Guests enjoy it alongside seasonal vegetables in a rich, concentrated katsuo (bonito) dashi broth — a refined pairing of premium wagyu and Japanese dashi.
Breakfast: "Morning's Seasonal and Local Blessings"
Centered on glossy white rice — made from carefully selected rice grown by contracted local farmers and cooked in a traditional iron pot — the breakfast includes miso soup made with Matsushima Awase miso from a long-established miso brewery, charcoal-grilled fish, rolled dashi omelet, and rice accompaniments such as freshly shaved bonito flakes and nori seaweed from Omagari Beach in Higashimatsushima. Working with local producers and artisans, the meal reflects the character of Matsushima's food culture.
About YOKI MATSUSHIMA
Matsushima, one of Japan's Three Views, captivated even the poet Matsuo Basho and holds internationally recognized landscape and cultural credentials, including a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide and membership in the Most Beautiful Bays in the World Club. Even so, there have been few places offering an extended stay experience that lets visitors fully take in its appeal, and many tourists have historically only passed through on a day trip. With the opening of YOKI MATSUSHIMA, guests are invited to immerse themselves in Matsushima's beautiful passage of time.
Under the keyword "Local Focus," YOKI MATSUSHIMA is rolling out initiatives that deepen collaboration with local ingredients, traditional crafts, and regional producers and artisans, positioning itself as a hub connecting Matsushima with the wider Tohoku region.
What Is a Slow Luxury Hotel?
Rather than material extravagance, this style of travel is about relaxing deeply through experiences that connect guests with local traditions and abundant nature, savoring the calm flow of time itself. It offers a quality of time spent immersed in the local blessings and culture of a place, connecting with the region while being filled with both physical and mental restoration and intellectual joy.
YOKI MATSUSHIMA's "Local Focus" Initiative
Working together with the local community, YOKI MATSUSHIMA offers a Matsushima-specific "slow luxury" experience. The hotel calls its effort to serve as a hub connecting the surrounding area and the wider Tohoku region through experiences, food, and space "Local Focus." Rather than only offering Matsushima's charms within Matsushima itself, the hotel sends that appeal out in every direction — from Matsushima to the region and from the region back to Matsushima — creating new value for guests by taking on a role akin to a media outlet for the area.
YOKI MATSUSHIMA Property Information
Every guest room offers an ocean view over Matsushima, one of Japan's Three Views, along with an open-air or half-open-air bath fed by natural hot spring water. Guests can give themselves over to Matsushima's calm passage of time, filled with the blessings of the sea and land, as a new way of staying in Matsushima begins.
*YOKI MATSUSHIMA is part of the Granvista Hotels & Resorts group.
- Name: YOKI MATSUSHIMA
- Address: 5-3 Higashihama, Matsushima, Matsushima-cho, Miyagi-gun, Miyagi Prefecture
- Opening: August 10, 2026
- Structure: 5 floors above ground
- Rooms: 26
- Phone: 022-355-0022
- Website: yoki-matsushima.jp
- Facebook: facebook.com/people/YOKI-Matsushima
- X: x.com/YOKI_MATSUSHIMA
- Instagram: instagram.com/yoki_matsushima
