Top 5 Best Hotel Breakfasts in Japan 2015 – No. 1 Kobe Harborland Suite Hotel

▲ Japan’s champion breakfast: Le Pan original baked bread. (Photo courtesy of Rakuten Travel, same for all below)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Rakuten Travel announced the results of the "2015 Breakfast Grand Prix Top Showdown", wherethe Le Pan original baked bread from "Kobe Harborland Suite Hotel" in Hyogo Prefecture won the championship, and was even praised by judge Katsuhiko Kobe as "a breakfast that will make your whole day better."

Rakuten Travel holds the "Breakfast Grand Prix Top Showdown" annually for Japan’s hotel industry to find the best breakfast in the country. The first stage involves netizens selecting 35 hotels from thousands, which then compete in seven regional tournaments across Japan. The final seven chefs then battle it out in the Tokyo finals in November, where a panel of professional judges selects the winning breakfast. This year’s top winners are as follows:

Champion: Kobe Harborland Suite Hotel (Hyogo Prefecture)
The "Le Pan original baked bread" that claimed Japan’s breakfast championship includes a basket of various artisanal health breads, red snapper and vegetable soup, and refreshing yogurt. The bread is baked using homemade natural yeast and carefully selected ingredients. Judge Katsuhiko Kobe said: "Not only is there a wide variety of bread, but the aroma of freshly baked bread, along with the refreshing yogurt, creates a naturally flavorful breakfast that will lift your spirits all day!"

The accompanying soup is made primarily with wild red snapper from the Seto Inland Sea, combined with smoked ham and locally sourced fresh vegetables. Judge Nakamura Takayuki said: "The combination of vegetables and wild red snapper usually doesn’t work well, but the chef has made the pairing delicious. The added smoked ham is the perfect touch, and the colorful presentation shows a high level of professionalism."

▲ Second place: Colorful vegetable smoothie paired with white squid from local waters and daikon radish mash.<.

Runner-up: Kaike Onsen Umiro 0? (Yamaguchi Prefecture)
The colorful smoothie, which delights both the eyes and the palate, is a Japanese-style breakfast created by the chef so guests would exclaim, "You can only get this here."/>

The menu is simple and easy to read, featuring à la carte options for both cold and hot soba noodles, and you can also pair them with small rice bowls to form combination meals, with prices under 300 New Taiwan Dollars. Rice bowls can also be ordered individually. Additionally, there are Japanese fried items as well as other side dishes and drinks.

▲ Third place: A hearty yet simple breakfast featuring a soft and fluffy fish ball soup made with vegetable stew and homemade miso, plus shark fin chawanmushi, evoking a sense of home and family.

Third place: Shiobara Onsen Shiki Aji Tei Fujiya (Tochigi Prefecture)
A bowl of tender and silky shark fin chawanmushi, paired with a vegetable stew grown by Fujiya’s owner himself, and a homemade fish ball miso soup. Though the presentation is simple, the layers of flavors are rich. Food researcher Hamanouchi Chiharu said: "The fish ball soup uses an exceptionally refined broth base that skillfully brings out the textures and flavors of the vegetables and fresh fish. The fish balls are fluffy and soft, providing a gentle and comforting taste from the core." Another judge, Chef Chen Jianyi, commented: "The silky and sweet chawanmushi reminds one of mom’s cooking, while the owner-grown vegetables, when expertly prepared by the chef, showcase a rustic yet refined homey flavor."

▲ Bell Inn Breakfast

Fourth place: Bell Inn (Fukushima Prefecture)
The secluded Bell Inn offers a breakfast of refreshing black cod served Kyō style, luscious sea bass also cooked Kyō style, and Japanese-style shumai dumplings.

▲ Sapporo Champagne Castle Spa Hotel Breakfast

Fifth place: Sapporo Champagne Castle Spa Hotel Chateraise Gateaux Kingdom Sapporo Hotel & SPA Resort (Hokkaido)
A white pudding made with Hokkaido vegetables, served alongside seafood from Hokkaido.

▲ Judges’ Special Award: Haus St. Anton Hotel in Nagano Prefecture’s Nozawa Onsen serves jam with a “luxurious start to the day” and fluffy scrambled eggs.

▲ Judges’ Special Award: Hotel Nikko Alivia in Okinawa Prefecture offers gently sweet Okinawan black sugar French toast and Okinawan bitter melon juice with an Okinawan-style salad.

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