Isawa Onsen Ryokan Dining Sekitei

Sekitei is the dining room of a traditional ryokan in Isawa Onsen, a hot spring town in Fuefuki City just outside Kofu, and serves a multi-course kaiseki dinner built closely around Yamanashi's seasonal produce, including Koshu beef, Kofu Basin vegetables, and, in their respective seasons, the prefecture's grape and peach harvests worked into the dessert courses. Each course is prepared to the reservation, following the traditional kaiseki format of small, sequential dishes moving from delicate starters through grilled, simmered, and vinegared courses to a rice dish and dessert, rather than a fixed a la carte menu. In summer, a course built around ayu, a river sweetfish, reflects the mountain-river ingredients found throughout inland Yamanashi rather than coastal seafood. The dining room itself is part of the ryokan's traditional architecture, with tatami seating and views over a small garden, and overnight guests typically pair the meal with a soak in the property's hot spring baths, drawn from Isawa Onsen's mineral-rich waters. Reservations are essential, since each course is prepared specifically for booked diners rather than held ready, and non-staying guests wanting to dine here should book at least several days ahead. Prices reflect the multi-course format, running from about ¥8,000 to ¥18,000 per person.