A hotel that only accepts one group per day, Hotel, OTTABIO (Momosazawa, Hirosaki City, TEL 090-2980-2908), opened near Iwakisan Shrine on April 23rd.

The facility rents out an entire lodge with three bedrooms, a living room, and a library. It is run by two women, Mikami Mikami and his wife Kankazu, who were high school classmates. The site area is 2,168 square meters.

Mikami returned to Hirosaki in 2021 after studying at a hotel school in Switzerland and other countries. He has been preparing to open a hotel in Hirosaki. Tsumagami studied soccer in Spain and was active as a soccer player, including playing for a women's soccer team in Hirosaki. The two began aiming to open a hotel when they were 19 years old. They began to think about how they wanted to boost tourism in Aomori.

The two launched the website "Aomori & You" in 2020 to promote the charms of Aomori, and began conducting interviews and disseminating information. They say that this was preparation before the hotel opened, so they could introduce Aomori to guests. They found the property while doing some interviewing, and fell in love at first sight because of its resemblance to the Swiss mountain hut "Chalet." "The building was being used as a vacation home, but we conveyed our feelings to the owner and acquired the property in July last year," says Mikami.

As they prepared to open, they appealed for support through crowdfunding in September last year to cover start-up costs, raising over 5 million yen from nearly 300 backers.

The amenities, furniture, and fixtures in the facility will be made with the work of local artists. "We want to give back to the local area as much as possible," says Mikami. "We will act as a travel concierge, handling requests such as restaurant reservations, catering, and visiting chefs, and we hope to welcome guests as a base for connecting with Aomori."

Mikami is confident that he has finally reached the starting line, having realized his dream of "building a hotel." He is enthusiastic, saying, "The area around Mt. Iwaki is an area with great potential for culture and nature. I want to create a hotel that not only conveys the charm of Aomori to guests, but also helps to boost local tourism."

The accommodation fee is 50,000 yen per night (up to 4 people). Each additional person costs 7,000 yen. The maximum capacity is 8 people.