Not a mountain lodge, but a mountain hotel. For the best Oze hiking experience, go to LUCY Oze Hatotohatai by Hoshino Resort.

Oze, which is well-known for "remembering when summer comes," underwent a change this early autumn. This is the birth of "LUCY Oze Hatohatai by Hoshino Resort" operated by Hoshino Resort. What is the first accommodation facility of "LUCY" with the concept of "heart-stirring mountain hotel" like? So, we headed for a relaxing overnight hike in Oze.

Photo_Masashi Ura

A mountain hotel, not a mountain lodge.

About three hours after leaving Tokyo, we headed for Oze, a sacred mountain for hikers, which was established in 1890. The destination this time is Oze, a sacred place for hikers, which was opened in 1890.

Oze National Park, which spans four prefectures, is vast, covering an area of approximately 43,200 hectares, and has three representative entrances. The most famous of these is Hatotai Pass, located on the Gunma Prefecture side. On September 1 this year, "LUCY Oze Hatotai" opened at this location, known as the gateway to Oze.

This facility, which replaced Hatotai Sanso after 43 years of operation due to aging, is the first accommodation facility under Hoshino Resort's new "LUCY" business model. Hoshino Resort, realizing that tourism in Japan is concentrated in urban areas and cultural tourism, has created this new brand with the hope that people will enjoy nature tourism more easily and with less anxiety and burden.

The term "mountain hotel" was used for this "LUCY," which is different from a typical mountain lodge. The hotel is different from ordinary mountain lodges in that it is a mountain hotel, with "private bedrooms," "usual hot water toilets," "shower and powder room," "luxurious meals of meat, fish, and eggs," "last convenience store in the hotel," and "unlimited charging and Wi-Fi. and eggs," "last convenience store in the hotel," and "unlimited recharging and Wi-Fi.

Indeed, the interior design and the lights that dim according to the time of day are hotel quality in every way. The interior is not inorganic, but rather in harmony with the natural surroundings. Usually, hiking and mountain climbing requires an early morning departure, but this time we decided to arrive in the afternoon to prepare for a leisurely hike in Oze on the following day.

The "Last Convenience Store" is located in the dining room on the first floor and is open 24 hours a day. Please note that payment is cashless only.

In addition to food and beverages, there are many goods available only here.

The two-story building has a lounge/cafeteria and a 24-hour "Food & Drink Station," commonly known as the "Last Convenience Store," to the left of the reception area.

In addition to original inari sushi, udon noodles, cup noodles, donuts, snacks, and other food items perfect for breakfast, there is also a wide variety of beverages on standby, including coffee, sports drinks, original drinking anko (red bean paste), and even craft beer by Katashina Brewing. The lineup is fun to browse and includes many original goods that can only be found here.

We stayed in a twin room for ~2 people.

〜The four-room suites are ideal for groups or groups with children.

Dormitories for single occupancy also provide a solid private space. It is fun like a hideout.

Rooms are located on the second floor, and three types of rooms are available: twin, force, and dormitory. While in a mountain lodge, you may share a room with a stranger and sleep together, at LUCY Oze Hatotai, each guest has his/her own private sleeping room.

Moreover, unlimited power and Wi-Fi are available. The twin room we stayed in had air conditioning, two bedside power outlets, and a USB-A port, and Wi-Fi is common to all Hoshino Resorts, so if you have stayed somewhere before, you can use it from the moment you arrive.

Freshly colored trays, showers & powder rooms are shared. All are well spaced, hot water washing as usual, and the showers have good warm water.

While some mountain lodges do not allow the use of soap and other products, here we had three shower rooms with original toiletries from "Hoshino Resort" and had a comfortable time without any complaints.

Inside the spacious restaurant, visitors can dine and purchase souvenirs.

A clean eating space with a relaxed atmosphere.

Even if you forget something, there is a space for "The North Face" so you don't have to worry. Some items are only available here.

Montbell's items are also available, and it seems that if you just wear shoes, you will have everything else you need.

Dinner starts at 5:00 p.m. at Hatomachi Base Cafe & Shop by Hoshino Resort, located across the street from the hotel. This facility, which is open to non-guests, opened earlier in August and serves soba noodles until 3:30 p.m. and soft-serve ice cream until 4 p.m.

Leaving the rest for the next day, we toured the store and found not only food and beverages, but also original souvenirs, local souvenirs, and items from The North Face and MontBell. Time flies when you are checking to see if you have forgotten anything and thinking about the souvenirs you will take home tomorrow.

Dinner starting at 5:00 p.m. is "LUCY Pork Soup Gozen".

Dinner is "LUCY Pork Jiru Gozen" which is available only for guests staying at the hotel. Centered around the pork miso soup, this menu is nutritionally balanced and includes meat, fish, and eggs.

The pork miso soup, heated up in time for seating, is hearty with scooped tofu to be eaten while crumbling and large pieces of vegetables. Moreover, since the rice can be refilled or served in large portions, one bowl of pork miso soup, one bowl of grilled and soaked mackerel, and one bowl of fried half-boiled egg are all very much appreciated.

After finishing the meal with great satisfaction, the evening is free. You can read a book about the mountains in the lounge, have a drink on the terrace or in your room, or use the Wi-Fi to work. You can spend your free time where and how you like, and relax.

We recommend making bear bells using paracord and "LUCY" original bells. You can choose your favorite color of paracord and actually weave it yourself, creating a great memory. It may sound difficult, but it is surprisingly easy for anyone to make it while reading the instruction manual.

There is also an Oze hike in the autumn rain!

The concept of LUCY Oze Hatotai is "the hotel where the best Oze hiking starts. In other words, Oze is what makes a great hike possible.

However, you never know the weather in the mountains until you get there. We went to bed early to prepare for the hike, but when morning came, it was raining. After a hearty breakfast at the "Last Convenience Store," we were ready to go hiking in Oze.

Oze has bear bells in many places. But don't forget the bear bells.

There is a course via Mt. Shitsubutsu, but this time, fearing the rain that has been falling since last night, we took the most orthodox one-day hike, the Ozegahara course, as a piste. This route starts downhill, crosses Yamanohana, and turns back at Ryugu.

One of the advantages of using "LUCY Oze Hatotohatai" as a starting point is that you can leave your unnecessary belongings in a locker and leave before the first shuttle bus leaves. It is very easy to walk, as you can move lightly and rarely get overtaken or passed by others. If you are careful not to fall down in moderate rain, you can walk surprisingly easily without the harshness of direct sunlight.

The "Ryugu Hut" is listed as a turnaround point for day hikes.

Even in the rain, the walking packs are still there, carrying more than 70 kilograms of food and other supplies on their backs to the lodge.

The wooden paths in Oze are less undulating like mountain climbing, and everyone can enjoy them, even encountering elementary school students on field trips. The Oze scenery with clear blue sky is nice, but Oze in the rain was also fantastic and tasteful.

Despite the difficulty of the final climb, we returned before 12:00 p.m. and took a break to dry our wet mountain gear in the drying room before heading to lunch at the Hatomachi Base.

Soba noodles with yuba and mushroom sauce, topped with beef stew and an onsen tamago (egg).

Oze's famous "Hanamame soft-serve ice cream" is very milky with little roughness.

The "Yuba Mushroom Ankake Soba" is served for lunch and includes two types of yuba and mushrooms in a three-component soup stock. The combination of the warm, deep-flavored broth and the juwari-soba noodles will easily penetrate your tired body. Be careful, it will be gone in no time.

And when you come to Oze, you cannot help but order "Hanamame Soft Ice Cream," a specialty of Oze. The salty-sweet and milky-sweet taste soothed me, and I was very satisfied as I headed home.

LUCY Oze Hatotai, a "mountain hotel" that offers a sense of comfort not found in mountain lodges, is a great place to stay at the beginning of a hike like this one, or on the way back after the walk is over. Reservations for this year are almost full, but the opening date of the hotel will be decided after the opening date of Hatotai Pass is announced. After all, the scenery of Oze from early summer to summer is also the best.

Scenery of Oze at the end of June.