Sarugakyo Hotel

The hotel's indoor bath is a bright, high-ceilinged hall split into separate rock and hinoki cypress tubs, fed by kept-flowing spring water. Outside there's an open-air rock bath surrounded by greenery with a view over Akaya Lake, plus four reservable private baths (each booked in fixed 50-minute slots) and a small sauna. Some rooms come with their own open-air bath. The spring water is a clear, colorless sulfate spring that's gentle on the skin and said to warm you through. Sarugakyo Hotel sits above Akaya Lake in Minakami, Gunma, with rooms looking out over the lake or the Tanigawa mountains. It was long known for a tofu-kaiseki (豆腐懐石) dinner built around house-made yuba (湯葉), but the hotel joined the budget Itoen Hotels chain in 2026 and no longer serves that signature meal.