We thoroughly enjoyed our six nights at Espoir Misawa. I have rated it as 10. It is a three-star hotel in rural Japan but Aya and her staff did such a fabulous job in making us feel at home that for what it is how could I say it did not measure up. Aya is a bubbly energetic welcoming host having a great sense of fun on the go from before breakfast until well past dinner and it was not surprising that she had assembled a great crew for the winter. The dining room presents a wide range of Japanese and western options in its breakfast buffet that one is spoiled for choice, made all the better by being situated right on the slopes. Dinners were good too so much so we ate in for the six nights and the chef, who spoke very good English with a great sense of humour, would explain what was being served for us westerners. It was a very relaxed environment and I understood why a couple of guys on solo ski vacations appreciated it. In between breakfast and dinner there is a very nice lounge area in which to relax and have a drink or coffee etc. There is a laundry nook near the communal bath rooms with a washing machine, no charge (except detergent if needed), and it may have been one which also acted as a dryer. This was a true ski-in / ski-out hotel where we stepped from the slopes into the ski storage / boot locker room, through an automatically opening door. A great vacation spot.