Zen-no-yu

Zen-no-yu is a temple lodging (shukubo, 宿坊) run by a working Soto Zen temple, Jigen-in (慈眼院), in the hills above Kawazu on the Izu peninsula. The outdoor bath is a hinoki (cypress) tub looking out over green mountains with no other buildings in sight, and there's a large indoor bath plus two private tubs by reservation for families or couples. All of it runs on kakenagashi water from the temple's own spring on the grounds: nothing added, nothing recirculated, and clean enough to drink straight from the tap. It's a mild alkaline water, soft on the skin. Beside the baths is a lying-down stone-bed sauna (ganbanyoku, 岩盤浴), warmed rock mixed with tourmaline and other minerals, gentler than a regular sauna, meant to be alternated with a soak, a cup of the spring water, and a stretch on the deck chairs outside. The temple family drilled three times before they struck a flowing spring on the grounds, and now share it with overnight guests and day visitors alike. Rooms are plain tatami with a quiet, temple-like feel, and the kitchen skips formal vegetarian temple cooking (shojin ryori, 精進料理) in favor of everyday Izu ingredients.