Kagaya, Wakura-Onsen, Hot Spring in Noto Peninsula
A red morning glow in the sky of Tateyama mountain ranges:
Noto Peninsula is a peninsula that projects north into the Sea of Japan in Ishikawa Prefecture in central Honshu.
This photography was taken from the guest rooms on the 11th floor of Kagaya, Wakura-Onsen in January, 2015.
(L) An express train arrived at Wakura-Onsen station (R) A station yard of Wakura-Onsen
The Kagaya's hospitality policy is well-known throughout Japan. It is located in Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa
Prefecture.
Kagaya Rykan is a modern ryokan and it offers guests family-like friendliness and Japanese-style hospitality.
If you want to have experience of true Japanese 'Omotenashi', you would find it at Kagaya Rykan.
★A ryokan is a type of traditional Japanese inn that originated from the Edo period ( 1603-1868).
They typically feature tatami-matted floors, where a guest may wear Yukata.
How to get there from Tokyo:
(1) Take Hokuriku shinkansen super-express train to Kanazawa, the change a train to Wakura-Onsen.
It takes about 150 minutes from Tokyo terminal to Kanazawa station.
(2) Take airline flight by ANA from Haneda International Airport to Noto Airport.
A taxi service is provided from the airport to Wakura-Onsen, by appointment.
Ryokan's woman staff will welcome a guest in a warm heart.
(L) Kagaya in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan and Radium Kagaya International Hotel in Taipei Taiwan are the sister hotels.
This Twaiwan's hotel is the successor of the Japanese traditional hotel, providing a true hospitality, the heritage of the service sprit.
All rooms of this Radium Kagaya International hotel in Taipei are smoke-free. The hotel has received the 2016 TripAdvser Award.
(R) This is one of the traditional 'Omotenashi' supported by women staff, 'nakai' in aligned to welcome visitors to Kagaya Hotel.
(L) A photo-display of the Emperial family when visited to Kagaya (R) The Japanese-style entrance to a guest room
(L) Japanese style Tatami-mattered guest room (R) A wide view of Nanao Bay from a guest room
A fresh, delicious sashimi and crab cuisine
(L) Course dinner dishes (R) The room attendant, nakai-san, is serving a course meal on a Japanse-style low dinning table.
(L) For a guest who is not accustomed to sit on tatami, Kagaya provides a western-style table and chairs.
(R) A fresh shrimp and sashimi
The room attendant, Nakai-san, is put a light on the bisque cooking brassier.
(L) A western-style twin bedroom (R) A Futon is set on the Tatami when a guest goes to sleep.
Public Space of Kagaya
(L) Japanese-style playhouse, 'Shibaikoya' (R) Noh stage
(L) A seat in the Japanese-style playhouse (R) Men in a traditional style hit the drum.
A variety of entertainments are performed on the Japanese style stage with beautiful wood-grain patterns.
When sitting in the box-seat, you will be excited by the festival mood.
A Mexican dancer is singing and dancing passionately in the playhouse.
A part of tea ceremony room:
A lot of traditional handicrafts of Ishikawa-Noto are exhibited throughout the whole building.
A beautiful fabric, Kaga-Yuzen, and painting in Jppanese style on the wall
A Japanese-style room with a bridal Kimono, 'Hanayome-Noren'
A lounge, Hiten: The display under the ceiling shows Hiten.
Koto playing at the lounge. Hiten
(L) Lounge, Hanaikada (R) Bar, Shigure in the center hall: Smoking is allowed in this bar.
(L) This display shows a man fish the sea bream with shrimp. (R) A guide plate for Ebisu Hotspring
(L) A ryokan guest put their footwear here to keep it for an ultraviolet sterilization.
(R) A belongings locker with a key
A guide how to take a Japanese public bath
Ebisu Hot-spring: Left picture shows an indoor public bath, right shows an open-air bath.
Farewell greetings by Nakai-san attendants
(L) Nakai-san, room attendants are saying 'good bay, see you again' in a row.
(R) Vice landlady of Kagaya is greeting 'Thank you for staying Kagaya Rykan' in the front of courtesy bus,
before the departure for the station.
(L) Nakaisan ' room-attendants' are escorting a hotel guest to the station.
(R) Express train to Kanazawa and Osaka is waiting at the platform of the Wakura-Onsen station.
Nakaisan on the platform said good-bye to waving to the hotel guest in the train.
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喫煙客を重視する姿勢
(L) A tobacco-set at the left bottom of the accessory kit
(R) Smoking room: However, there is no wall between the lounge, Hiten and bar next door.
Air cleaner is on the floor in the smoking place; however, it is no use to prevent a cancer-causing harmful side-smoke.
A designated smoking place on the fourth floor: No wall exists between the banquet and convention halls and open ceiling space.
The total number of guest rooms is 232. In almost all guest rooms, smoking is allowed, except for a bedside.
During the two-day stay, the writer did not experience a tobacco smell. However, this fact does not
prove that a hotel guest is not exposed to the harmful side-smoke.
No no-smoking signs are observed throughout the Kagaya building. If there is this kind of the prohibition
sign, it may be against to the Kagaya's hospitality policy. It is desirable that it is an unspoken rule.
It is hard to find the extraordinary hospitality by an exclusive female servant ( Nakaisan-attendant ) at traditional Kagaya.
However, smoking guest room is their standard, and no smoking room is set on the special floor of Setugekka and
Notohonjin wing only. If we desire the non-smoking room other than above, they sprinkle deodorant spray, when necessary.
Therefore; from a point of health view, it is very careful to reserve the accommodation in Kagaya.
The hotel, Kagaya appears not paying a big attention to the hazard of toxic tobacco smoke.
Smokers preferential policy：in Japanese
加賀屋の喫煙取り組み:
「トラベルボイス」に掲載されていた以下のコメントと他の1件は一旦掲載された後、コメンテーターの了解なしに削除されました。
喫煙者の多かった20世紀末までの喫煙者優遇の考え方を加賀屋は全く変えていないことを表しています。
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
削除された投稿：
タバコの煙は「好き」「嫌い」の問題ではありません。「タバコの臭いが残っているかどうか」で判断する向きもある
ようですが、臭気の有無ではなく、健康傷害を引き起こす毒性の強いタバコの有害物質の付着した施設を利用するか
否かの問題です。「全室禁煙ホテル」の宿泊者から寄せられた印象は良いものが多く、TripAdvisorですばらしいとの
評価を得る確率は、「全室禁煙のホテル」では非常に高いのです。台湾、北京、上海、北欧、北米でのホテル全面禁煙化
の歴史を顧みれば明らかですが、日本でもその方向性は、はっきりと見えています。
私共は2015年1月に禁煙室指定で、3日ほど加賀屋旅館に滞在しましたが、仲居さんたちの対応は世界でも屈指であり、
日本の「おもてなし」文化の意味を本当に体験することの出来たトップクラスのホテルです。ただ、今回のニュースを
見て非常に落胆したのは、タバコを顧客の健康を大きく損なう物質と捉えるのではなく、喫煙者同士の心地よい社交の
場を提供することが、「おもてなし」精神だと加賀屋の方々が考えていることです。 台湾にも加賀屋の姉妹ホテルが
ありますが、台湾のホテルには法律で例外的に屋外喫煙室が認められているものの、完全禁煙です。
私は2006年以来、海外主要国の一流ホテルの禁煙状況を調査しており、2015年に出版した「一匹狼の国」（完売）にも
その一部の情報を掲載しておりますが、2012年に、サンフランシスコの最高級ホテルのコンンシェルジュが「ホテル内で
喫煙を禁止することがステータス・シンボル（地位の象徴）」と述べていたことが、今でも忘れることが出来ません。
今や欧米、オセアニアを含め、多くの国と地域が分煙を完全排除して屋内全面禁煙を実行しており、日本を訪れる外国人は
全館禁煙のホテル、旅館を求めて検索しております。世界で唯一、新幹線車内に喫煙室を認めている日本ですので、旅館内
に小さな専用喫煙室の設置は不本意ながらも必要悪かもしれませんが、分煙を良しとする風潮は、あくまでも日本独特の
ものであり、飲食店の全面禁煙化と並行して、今後は消滅して行くものと思えます。
Hotel Ae-no-Kaze, a sister hotel with Kagaya:
A courtesy car will take a hotel guest of Kagaya to Ae-no-Kaze, a sister hotel of Kagaya, upon request.
This special express train has been abolished and is not operating at present.
Smoke-free Hotels in Japan
H
Smoking Restriction at Hotels in the World: Actual Survey
The ratio of a smoking guest room to the total hotel rooms was calculated,
based on-the-spot investigation.
加賀屋旅館
執筆 医学博士 宮本順伯
★This Web site is link-free.
This information was provided by the Smokefree Hotel and Travel.
The photograph was taken and the article was written in January 2015,
and information was added in September 2016, by Junhaku Miyamoto, M.D., PhD.
Copyright (C) 2015 Junhaku Miyamoto, PhD. All right is reserved.
