Oshu is my wife’s hometown where she hasn’t lived since high school. We took a long holiday there in July-August, with our daughter, and stayed the whole time in the Plaza Inn. The hotel has one suite on the top floor, which we occupied. It has a spacious living room and a separate bedroom, with wonderful views over the town to the mountains beyond. It was a very comfortable stay of over two weeks. The place really felt like home. The only complaint I might have is that the hotel could use some renovation. Although it nowadays is a nonsmoking establishment, some of the public areas still have a faint odor of cigarette smoke from bygone years. The hotel has two restaurants, as well as a cozy coffee lounge. We’d eat breakfast at one every morning. It’s comfortable and the quality is good, although the Western style breakfast selection is somewhat limited. They also serve Japanese and Chinese breakfast. The Western style restaurant is a popular lunch spot, especially among local ladies. The Japanese restaurant, Kikusui, is one of — if not — the best in town and also very cozy, serving a variety of smaller and larger Japanese dishes, as well as a great selection of sake and shochu. Plaza Inn is located in what can be termed the “new center” of the rather sprawling town with a great variety of good restaurants and shops within a walking distance. There’s no doubt we’ll stay there again.
