沓掛温泉 満山荘

Manzanso is a small ryokan in the rice-paddy country of Aoki village, Nagano. Bathing is split across a garden bath, the outdoor Manyo-no-yu (万葉の湯), a separate outdoor bath called Kutsukake-no-yu (沓掛の湯), and two indoor baths; men and women alternate through them on a schedule rather than bathing together. The water is plain and smooth on the skin, one source a natural sulfur spring kept flowing straight from the ground unheated, the other a milder spring warmed before it reaches the tubs. What guests actually remark on is the temperature, lukewarm enough to sit in for what feels like forever. The inn says the spring here has been used for 1,200 years, and Kutsukake-no-yu in particular has long been valued as a therapeutic soak. It's a member of the Nihon Hitou wo Mamoru Kai (日本秘湯を守る会), the association for Japan's secluded hot-spring inns, and the old wooden building, since renovated room by room, has a separate guest lounge with complimentary draft beer until 6pm and self-serve wine, sake, and coffee. It's run by a family, and dinner leans on local mountain vegetables, river fish, and Shinshu beef rather than standard ryokan set menus.