"You could take a trip to Ten Thousand Waves Spa which is attached to this upscale izakaya with dreamy views of the alpine forest. But even if you skip the soak, this is still a destination restaurant worth visiting for delicious and creative Japanese food. They do things you wouldn’t normally find at an izakaya, like apple kimchi salad, parsnip-pear puree on wagyu short ribs, and croquettes stuffed with beet and shiso. Servers here are ready to tell you what makes their unpasteurized sake different from the rest of their huge collection (it tastes extra bright and fresh) or why they fly in ice from Japan (it’s engineered to melt slower and avoid diluting the high-end whisky)." - Nina Katz