Ryokan Maruei

A small old-style ryokan at Shirahone Onsen in the Japanese Alps, with a mixed outdoor rotenburo (露天風呂) fed by a sulfurous calcium-magnesium bicarbonate spring that runs milky white. The water is also drinkable at the source. The food leans on freshwater fish and mountain vegetables, and the inn's homey, slightly ramshackle warmth is a big part of the draw.