Kurama Hot Spring

This small ryokan sits in the hills above Kyoto, built around an iron-rich sulfur spring valued for its effect on skin. The indoor bath sits behind a glass wall facing the mountain greenery, with a well-chilled cold plunge that sauna regulars come back for, and an open-air bath set higher on the hillside looks out over the forest, especially good during the autumn leaves and fresh spring greenery. Bathing is separated by gender, not mixed. The five guest rooms are named for trees, pine, maple, cypress, ginkgo and cedar, and each opens onto birdsong in the morning and insects at night. The inn is close to Kurama-dera temple and the hiking trail up from Kifune Shrine, and its restaurant, run by a chef trained in Kyoto's Gion district, serves river fish and mountain vegetables from the area. There's also a meditation program with an indoor room and an outdoor tea garden.