In Maeno, Kyoto's Kyotango City, there is a ryokan called "Kaiunkan" where you can enjoy the famous "Tora Crab" in winter. Tora Crab is a brand crab selected by Mitsuru, the president of Marunaka Suisan, who has been in business for 100 years, with his own discerning eye among the Maeno crabs (Matsuba crabs). Mitsuru, who has seen countless crabs, has set multiple selection criteria specialized in Matsuba crabs to discern them. He confidently provides Matsuba crabs with firm flesh and rich crab miso, and brands them as "Tora Crabs". This time, I visited the ryokan with the owners of my favorite restaurant in Kyoto, "Motsunabe Rikou". The owner, Daisuke, has been trading with Mitsuru, the president of Marunaka Suisan, for several years, and this time we were taken to the special accommodation on the 1st floor of Kaiunkan! The room was spacious and elegantly renovated, with an indoor open-air bath and a breathtaking view of the sea. From 6 pm, we were guided to the special dining area "Goyu", limited to guests staying in the special room on the 1st floor! When we opened the door, we were greeted by a sophisticated and luxurious space that felt like a different world, where we could enjoy a course of the finest Tora Crab at the counter seats! On this day, we enjoyed various dishes using Tora Crab weighing around 900-1,000 grams, along with one serving of snow crab, prepared in various ways. This time, as acquaintances, Mitsuru, the president of Marunaka Suisan, also came to the counter himself, sharing interesting stories and passionately talking about crabs, and serving dishes! The Tora Crab had excellent firm flesh and rich miso, with an incredibly delicious flavor and aroma. Among them, the "Kani Max" using Yamagata beef champion Sotohira, which is also used at "Motsunabe Rikou", had an exceptional taste. The dishes we had this time were the special room course, Devil Shrimp and Karasumi, Snow Crab with Sauce, Tora Crab Fried Rice, Tora Crab Miso Soup, Tora Crab Sashimi and Broiled, Yamagata Beef Champion Beef Outside Hira and Tora Crab Kani Max Mitsuru x Motsunabe Rikou, Tora Crab Claw Shabu Ponzu, Tora Crab Miso Shabu Shabu, Grilled Tora Crab, Tora Crab Tempura, Tora Crab Rich Zosui, Tofu Pudding. It seems that you can also make a reservation for accommodation by phone, so please go and try it! And be sure to try the Tora Crab full course! If you think it's a good restaurant, don't forget to save it ☝️

While I'm alive, I want to try eating Matsuba crab... To fulfill that dream, I finally made it to Matsuba! The inn here allows you to eat Matsuba crab in your favorite way, such as sashimi, grilled crab, crab hot pot, tempura, and more. I was particularly impressed by the raw crab miso! Furthermore, when you put that crab miso in a pot, it creates a fluffy texture and the taste changes again. Of course, we finished with grilled crab miso. The crab was truly elegant and delicious, and I was very satisfied ✨

Located 30 minutes along the coast from Ano Station in Kyotango City, Kyoto Prefecture, this inn offers a stunning view of Maeno Port. Maeno Crab, known for its high quality, can be enjoyed at a reasonable price due to the inn's proximity to Maeno Fishing Port. The crab can be eaten raw, including the legs and crab miso. It can also be enjoyed grilled or in a hot pot. We opted for the hot pot, which was delicious with ponzu sauce and included tofu, enoki mushrooms, Chinese cabbage, and green onions. The dinner also featured boiled horsehair crab, sashimi, and tempura. After the crab hot pot, we had crab porridge, which was very filling. The breakfast included rice, miso soup, assorted side dishes, dried fish, and pickled fish roe. The pickled fish roe was particularly tasty, so we bought some to take home. If given the chance, we would love to visit again.

Breakfast was just right, not too much and not too little, the perfect amount!♡

We visited this inn on a family trip to fulfill my father's wish to try Matsubagani crab. Matsubagani crab is a super high-class food for common people, so we searched for a place where we could enjoy real Matsubagani crab at a reasonable price, and ended up at this inn. My parents' room had a room with an open-air bath, while the children stayed in a regular room. The view from the window overlooked Matsunin fishing port! The room with the open-air bath was very clean, spacious, and comfortable! This room is new and nice. The public bath was average. At night, we had Matsubagani crab in the room - crab sashimi, grilled crab, crab tempura, boiled crab - a full course of Matsubagani crab! The taste was so different! It was incredibly delicious! The crab meat was so fresh and fluffy when eaten raw. When eaten as sashimi, the sweet and rich crab meat spreads in your mouth... I was amazed at how different it was! I wondered what I had been eating as frozen crab... But most of all, I was impressed by the Matsubagani crab miso! It was very mellow, had a creamy richness, and wasn't at all fishy! I actually used to dislike the regular crab miso because of its fishy smell, but my perception has changed! It was so delicious that I even had some of my father's portion... It's expensive and I thought it would be a one-time thing, but I am definitely planning to come back again!