Yamagishien

Yamagishien is a ryokan on a hill above Ito Station. It has two large baths that switch between men and women through the day: one pairs an indoor tub with a rotenburo, the other adds a sauna. Two private baths are free and open on a first-come basis, their walls lined with lava rock from Mount Omuro's ancient eruption, and some room types come with their own open-air tub. The bathwater is fully natural onsen water, kept flowing fresh rather than recirculated. Open since the 1950s, the inn cheerfully calls itself old-fashioned, sitting on a hill with a view over the town of Ito and out to the sea.