Stay here for the food—Japan’s No. 1 hotel breakfast in 2017

By the MOOK Scenic Spots Editorial Department
 
With the Japanese yen continuing to depreciate and the Japan travel boom showing no signs of slowing down, the “Rakuten Travel Breakfast Festival,” organized by a hotel booking website, has recently announced its list of winners for the “2017 Japan’s No. 1 Hotel Breakfast” after rigorous screening including online public voting. Among over 1,900 hotels, Fukuoka Prefecture’s “Imperial Hotel” took the top spot; the runners-up were Awajishima Suma Onsen Sekizoukan Ryokan and Hakone Yunomoto Onsen Hakone Mon (Hakone Pattern) Ryokan.

The breakfast champion from Fukuoka’s “Imperial Hotel” features a vitamin-packed chawanmushi and a refreshing yuzu vinegar jelly, paired with chicken hotpot broth made from chicken bones and vegetables simmered in a rich French-style “white stock.” It also includes a unique Mont Blanc-style salmon roe potato salad developed by the patisserie chef. Judge Shunroku Kanda said: “The taste of the potato salad is truly moving.”

The second-place winner, Awajishima Suma Onsen Sekizoukan Ryokan in Hyogo Prefecture, elevated its menu by using local specialties such as Awajishima’s famous anchovies and onions to create fluffy and delicious chirashi rice, along with a clear and sweet chicken stew packed with Awajishima ingredients. The generous spread earned Judge Kanda’s praise: “The fish is tender, the vegetables are rustic and delicious, and the aroma of lemon is simply captivating.”

The third place went to Hakone Yunomoto Onsen Hakone Mon (Hakone Pattern) Ryokan, which served homemade chewy rice cakes alongside a fragrant “Mount Fuji spring water pork soup,” complemented by squid from Odawara and fresh vegetables harvested from the western foothills of Hakone. Judge Hamachi was full of praise: “You can really taste the handmade quality in the pork soup, and the rice cakes are soft yet chewy. I could deeply sense the deliciousness of the ingredients.”