Iwaiya

Iwaiya sits in Iwai Onsen (岩井温泉), a spring the inn claims has run for 1,300 years and is the oldest in the San'in region. The building itself is 150 years old: a three-story wooden structure where every room is laid with tatami. There are three baths to move between. The signature indoor bath, Gensen Choju-no-yu (源泉長寿の湯), is unusually deep, designed for standing chest-deep while spring water rises through pine boards underfoot. The bamboo-fenced outdoor bath, Sedo-no-yu (背戸の湯), sits in a small pavilion garden. The second indoor bath, Iwai-no-yu (祝いの湯), has a calmer feel; the two main baths swap between men and women late at night. A private reserved bath, Yoimachi-gusa (よいまち草), is also available by reservation. All the water is free-flowing from the natural spring. The inn is a member of Nihon Hito o Mamoru Kai (日本秘湯を守る会) and preserves an old bathing custom called yukamuri (ゆかむり) associated with this spring.