"As a Foodie Traveler, my passion is to seek out extraordinary and distinctive tastes that are not simply delicious, but are part of a much larger story that inspires and delights. Enowa Yufuin Ryokan in Kyushu is one of those rare experiences that feeds not just the body but the soul. Of course the rooms had amazing views and private onsen. Beyond that, we savored three days at this botanical retreat where Chef Toshi san embraces his Tibetan roots as well as his Michelin experience in NY and Europe to create hyper-seasonal vegetable forward menus, most ingredients sourced from his own farm or Oita. The food on the main menu is decidedly not Japanese, but it is not exactly European either. Of the three nights we stayed, two days featured more western menus, one Japanese . All the meals transcend both, but to call it fusion would be doing a disservice. Toshi san’s Superpower is root vegetables. Beets, turnips, celeriac, sweet potatoes…more. He proudly showed off his many varieties of these plants during our private farm tour. His brilliant purées were silky, velvety, without a hint of bitterness. But these are not the butter/cream laden French approach, no sweeteners, nor was there the telltale bonito dashi undertone. Instead, there were vegetable stocks, fish and chicken consommé,, koji, Saikyo miso , and superlative technique. The fugu (blowfish) was prepared in many ways, sashimi, hot pot, tartare, and more. I’ve never been a fan until having it here. The uni chawanmushi was especially remarkable. So rich and thick it was if the custard had cream. The eggs from their farm (pictured in the fried egg photo) have extraordinary practically red yolks. Truly totemo tokubetsu. #thefoodietraveler #kuishinbo"

"In the peaceful countryside of Kyushu, Japan, the Enowa Yufuin Hotel is a paradisical sanctuary of well-being. Its geothermal hot spring pools, delicious meals prepared by a recognized, talented chef, gardens, spa and beautifully-designed villas and rooms make it a truly special experience of nature, serenity and Japanese traditions. Treat yourself to a magical, rejuvenating stay! My day began with a soak in my private Olsen pool of warm water and jacuzzi tub of hot water outside the sliding glass doors of my villa. Francine and trees made my backyard totally private. A stroll down a tree and plant-lined pathway leads to the restaurant/reception building. Breakfast was a multi-course, traditional meal prepared by chef Tashi Gyamtso who create farm-to-table cuisine at the Jimgu restaurant. I was lucky to enjoy a visit one afternoon to ENOWA’s farm with Chef Tasha to see - and taste - some of the herbs and vegetables they grow and use in the meals. Dinner was a tasting adventure of various delicacies during many courses. The hilltop spa offers outstanding massages, facials and a sauna. The massage and facial I booked were wonderful - by a caring, highly experienced, dedicated masseuse. She was great! I loved ENOWA and hope to return someday. Everything was outstanding - from the staff to my villa to the meals and botanical garden pathways. It is truly a serenity and wellness retreat."

"We had a wonderful stay at Enowa.The location is superb. The rooms (rooms and villas) are magnificent, new, and decorated in a very pleasant, minimalist Zen style. The staff are extremely welcoming. What's more, the dinner (and breakfast) we had at the restaurant was exceptional. It began with a tour and an aperitif in the hotel's vegetable garden, where the ingredients for the dinner were grown. It was a memorable experience with a very friendly team. Chef Tashi Gyamtso is attentive, friendly, interesting and discreet. He manages to convey his passion for the ingredients. His cuisine, inspired by Alain Passard, is unforgettable. A big thank you to the whole team."

"Yufuin is home to the greatest concentration of luxury ryokans in the entire country. There are a wealth of top-notch accommodation choices that have their own unique selling points, and I doubt I'll ever be able to visit them all. Not to mention, in just the past few years more than a half-dozen new properties have burst onto the scene, among the fresh and innovative new entries is Enowa Yufuin. Its main calling card is the farm to table cuisine developed by Tashi Gyamtso, a Tibetan-born culinary whiz who was formerly served as the sous chef at New York's acclaimed Michelin 2-star restaurant, Blue Hill at Stone Barns. He has also apprenticed at Kikunoi Honten and has extensively studied the farming and cultivation techniques in Japan with the famous farm consultant Teruhisa Ishiwari helping as a consultant. For years, Enowa Yufuin's owner dreamed of opening a unique ryokan in Yufuin, but wanted to do something different. He had long been a farm-to-table advocate, and travelled throughout the U.S. to learn about the concept. That's when he ran into Tashi when visiting Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and knew Tashi would be the key to enabling a brand new dining experience with Japanese ingredients. After several years of recruiting Tashi to the cause, he finally won him over, resulting in the birth of 18-room ryokan Enowa Yufuin several years later (June 2023 to be exact.) Tashi himself runs a farm nearby, and tends to the fields every morning in search of the best produce, which influences what he chooses to concoct for that day's dinner. We found Tashi's creations extraordinary, and better than anywhere else that practices similar concepts. We found that Enowa's dining experienced eclipsed even that of SingleThread Farm - Restaurant in Sonoma, the previous benchmark in our minds (just barely, though.) I spent a great deal of time talking with Tashi, and he attributed the any difference to the superior Japanese ingredients, claiming that the cultivation ethos in Japan is "quality over quantity," and their meticulous approach, highly sensitive taste buds, and the fertile volcanic soil around Yufuin had a great deal to do with that. Regardless, I give him the highest of marks for creating flavors that bring out the best that Oita Prefecture has to offer and is reason alone to stay at Enowa. Meals are served in the restaurant, although we opted to pay a hefty surcharge for the privilege of dining in one of the two private rooms (we enjoy private interactions with our servers during meals.) However, the tables in the main restaurant are spaced out quite a bit, and the high lounge chairs enable a high degree of privacy. The rest of the Enowa experience was very nice but not as mind-blowing. As a new property, one would expect everything to be fresh, clean and amenity-filled, and for the most part, it was. We were puzzled at the choice of toilets, however... it was a lower-end Toto model that didn't have a sensor that allowed the seat to automatically raise and lower, nor did the control panel have buttons that allowed the user to do it manually. The seats were not heated, either. We also noticed the bidet nozzle was a bit less clean that we would have preferred - we notified the manager about this, and he vowed to train his housekeeping staff to clean the bathrooms more vigorously in the future. The room aesthetic was ultra modern, which was fine given the young age of Enowa. Our 165m² "Hilltop Sky Pavilion A, Yufudake View" Villa was one of the two top rooms, with a panoramic view of the valley below and both an Onsen and pool on the deck. The villa had vaulted ceilings, two sinks, heated floors in both the living area and bathroom, a real closet, electronic blinds and an array of bathroom amenities, each of them travel sized and individually packaged. On top of that, the down comforter was very light, fluffy and warm. One nit to pick had to do with the room description - yes, we were able to see Mt. Yufudake, but only if we stepped out onto the deck and turned 90 degrees to the left; given that Yufudake is located on the far end of the valley, and the room was looking towards the other side of the valley, I definitely would not market the room as having a Yufudake view. I noticed that most of the other rooms did not offer views or a pool, by the way. Still, even the entry level accommodations have 78m² of space, and all rooms offer Onsen baths. Service was polite and professional, but in no way did it remind us of the proactive, intimate and enthusiastic service experience we had at Sanso Murata. We had to call the front desk for the same request several times, for instance, and it took at least 15 minutes buggy drivers to show up each time we requested a ride. The assistant manager (the GM was on leave during the time we stayed at Enowa) seems to be trying hard, but even he appeared to be a bit on the inexperienced side from what I can gather. On the plus side, the towels were refreshed several times a day, including while we were at dinner. If you're into great cuisine that is mainly vegetable-based, it doesn't get any better than Enowa Yufuin and Satoyama Jujo. I'd give a slight nod to Enowa, but be aware that they're quite different - Tashi's cuisine is mainly based on farmed produce, whereas Keiko Kuwakino gets many of her ingredients from the mountains in Northern Japan, meaning she serves a relatively higher concentration of foraged fungi, ferns and root-based plants. And the resulting dishes reflect the difference, making each of them uniquely different. Yes, service is not as refined as many luxury properties with longer histories, but the modern and spacious rooms, in-room Onsen and the view of the valley all contributed to an overall satisfying stay."

"We stayed for three nights in one of the pool villas at the top of the hill. It was a wonderful experience that we hope to be able to do again. We booked on the 30% discount rate for paying 90 days in advance and we thought the price for the experience(I suppose close to $2k a night) was a bargain. The room itself was spacious and very private. We never felt the need to put on our suits as we used the outdoor bath and pool. the indoor bath was also a great feature that my wife used many times during our stay. the staff was very friendly and efficient. They would take us up the hill to our villa in a buggy and pick us up for dinner or excursions. Of course the food was a highlight of the stay with the Chef doing some special things with his farm to table style. We had three dinners during our stay and each was unique. the quality of the food is one thing that makes a stay at Enowa a bargain even at the prices they charge. Enowa is a very modern Inn that has few peers in Japan. We have stayed at Zaborin in Hokkaido and at Amanemu is Ise, both of which could be peers of Enowa. Its not a traditional japanese inn but a modern take on the genre with incredible food and service."