Ōmiya Ryokan

Omiya Ryokan is an old wooden ryokan in Zao Onsen, its corridors floored entirely in tatami, walked in bare feet or tabi socks. There's no elevator, only stairs, since the spring water here is acidic enough to corrode metal fittings over time. The baths run on milky white sulfur water piped straight from the rock and kept flowing fresh, split into two rooms that swap between men and women on a schedule: one has a square tub with a jet bath plus a small open-air pool, the other an egg-shaped wooden tub. The outdoor bath and footbath close through the snowy months, roughly late November to early April. Tattoos aren't allowed, and children need to be of elementary-school age or older.