Mt. Taihei

Kashintei Shirahama is definitely one of the best Japanese ryokans we have visited. Location wise it's perfectly located right by Lake Tazawa, 30 minutes from Kakunodate, ski resort, Dakigaeri Valley, Tatsuko statue. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful, especially Nori-san and Minori. Whenever we hit a snag with our communications, Google Translate would hop in. The first floor is where the private onsen and public onsen are located. The rooms are on 3rd,4th and 5th, with 5 units on each floor. We got the room with 2 double beds. We ordered the half board option so we have Japanese breakfast and kaiseki dinner for 2 days. There's no duplicate dish, and we got to enjoy many Akita specialty such as Kiritanpo, Hinai chicken, Inaniwa udon. Every single dish is exquisite in taste and is a piece of art. The meals are served at a private dining room. You can also use the private onsen free off charge, it's first come first serve for 40 minutes max. There's a free parking lot across there street and elevator, so it's not of a concern with moving the luggage to the room. The bed is very comfortable, we slept like a baby. It's very relaxing vibe.