I haven’t seen many reviews of Nemu Resort by people from the U.S., so I tried to be as descriptive as possible. Sorry if this is a bit long. My partner and I stayed at Nemu Resort in July for 2 nights and enjoyed it. This was our fifth work trip to Japan, and we wanted to find a quiet place that felt secluded and also had an outdoor swimming pool (outdoor swimming pools are not so easy to find in Japan). We arrived by taking the Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to Nagoya, and then a limited express train from Nagoya to Ugata station. The whole trip took about 4 hours from Tokyo. The hotel will pick you up in a free shuttle if you go one more stop to Kashikojima station. But the shuttle comes only once an hour and we didn’t want to wait, so we took a taxi that cost around 4000 yen (around $30 USD). Upon arrival at the hotel, a friendly staff member was waiting outside and helped with our baggage. The lobby is very pretty, and looks to be recently redone. Everything felt very modern and stylish, with lots of places to sit. We were brought a refreshing welcome beverage and someone from reception came over to help us check in. During this time they asked what kind of breakfast we would like and at what time. I should note that we have been studying Japanese for about a year, so we can understand basic conversation. However, she was speaking a very polite, formal and fast version of Japanese so we struggled to understand everything she said. I think that the staff probably has a formal script that they are supposed to follow when people check in, but if they want more foreign guests, it would be much easier if she just said the word for breakfast (which is “Asa Gohan”), and then pointed to the two options. In any case, this hotel seemed geared towards local Japanese couples and families (which is the experience we wanted). Anyway, back to breakfast. You have your choice of western or japanese breakfast. The western breakfast is served in the lobby area, whereas the japanese breakfast is served in their restaurant and has table service. We tried both and preferred the western breakfast. The western breakfast had a nice selection including eggs, various breakfast meats, salads, teas, coffee, fresh juices, pastries, breads, and cereals. The japanese breakfast is a very elegant set menu and consists of a series of dishes including miso soup and rice, grilled fish, pickled vegetables, etc… If you like japanese breakfasts then you will love this, otherwise I would stick with the western one. The hotel room on the 4th floor was lovely. Spacious, with two full sized comfortable beds and a seating area. However, our room was facing the parking lot which was not our preference. We asked if they could give us a room facing the ocean, and after a few minutes, they were happy to switch our room. The view on the other side is similar, with floor to ceiling windows showcasing lots of trees and forest, but on this side you can see the ocean in the distance on your right, and no parking lot. Other reviewers mention that you can see the roof of the lobby if you look down, which is true. This is true of most hotels that were built in the 1960’s, and it didn’t bother us. When laying in bed, all you see is a beautiful, tranquil green forest. I would definitely recommend staying on the 4th floor if possible so you can see more of the forest view. After checking in, we decided to rent a golf cart to see the property. I highly recommend doing this at least once, it was really fun to explore. The property is really big and almost feels like a sprawling old resort or summer camp. The golf cart cost us 1000 yen for an hour, but you can also have it for 5000 yen for 24 hours. As soon as we started exploring, it became clear that this huge property had a real history to it. We drove by a bunch of old bungalows that seemed like they had not been in use in a long time, and then we passed what appeared to be an old outdoor amphitheater where concerts used to be held. We drove a little further and saw a huge outdoor sporting complex with soccer fields, tennis courts, and stadium. We passed under a pretty bridge that was covered in vines. We found their private beach which is beautiful and offered a lovely view of the mountains in the distance (this would be a perfect spot to watch the sunset). The grounds are lush and surrounded in beautiful trees and flowers everywhere. There is a large flower meadow with tons of flowers and an old, wooden boardwalk to explore. The owners are clearly updating and renovating the property, but it is massive and a very large scale project to undertake. Because of this, there are some spots outside where you can see the way this place used to be. We drove up to the marina which has some tables and chairs set up near the dock. It’s really more of a boat dock than a marina. There was no one there, so we got back in our golf cart and kept driving. This hotel seems like it was first built in the 1960’s, and the owners showcase this in cool and interesting ways. For example, there are old black and white photos in the hotel elevators showing various parts of the property back in the 1960’s. It’s very cool to see how vibrant and lively it was, especially after driving around those same spots in the golf cart. The pool was refreshing and enjoyable to swim in. However, it is very shallow (about 3 feet deep throughout). It was also very peaceful, with almost no other people there except for 2 employees. On the first day there was a young Japanese couple swimming with their little girl, and on the second day there was a couple swimming who looked like they were on a romantic getaway. Other than that, we had the entire pool to our selves. They do offer light meals and drinks by the pool during the day, which is nice. The onsen is really pretty, with three different pools to choose from. I also liked that the temperature was hot, but not nearly as hot as other onsen we have visited. I spent about 10 minutes in each pool and left feeling very relaxed. We had the kaiseki (chef’s choice) dinner in the hotel on the first night. It was expensive but absolutely delicious and beautiful, and it took at least 2.5 hours. The cost was around $250 for two set dinners and a bottle of white wine. On the second night, we both agreed that we wanted something more casual and less time-consuming. They do have an a la carte menu if you would prefer to order individual dishes. However, this is the only restaurant that is open on the property so you don’t really have a choice of where to go. We took the free shuttle into Kashikojima, thinking we could find a place to return for dinner, but we quickly discovered that there are almost no restaurants there. If you do try and find a restaurant outside the hotel, I would suggest taking a private taxi to Ugata Station instead, as there were more restaurants around that area. But in the end, the cost of the round trip taxi might make it more logical to just eat in the hotel. We figured out (based on our limited Japanese skills) that the hotel lobby served a limited lunch menu from 12:00pm-6:00pm. Without any other options, we decided to have an early dinner in the lobby, which was quicker and much more affordable than the main restaurant. However, once we arrived it turned out that the lunch menu stops at 4:00pm, and they only had one option that you could order between 4:00pm-6:00pm. We arrived at 5:45pm and ordered the only option they had, which was a fried egg, cheese, and ham sandwich with fruit side dish. It was tasty, but we wish there could have been more options later in the day. In terms of sightseeing, there is really not much around this hotel to explore other than Ise Shrine, which is about 50 minutes each way. Overall, we enjoyed the hotel. I would recommend this if you are looking for a quiet and relaxing place to rest and rejuvenate. If you are a couple looking for a romantic place, you will love this. Since this was our 5th trip to Japan, we have already seen many touristy spots and were happy to come here to just relax.…