信州別所温泉 かしわや本店

Kashiwaya Honten spreads its bathing across three separate areas: a rock-lined indoor bath and a cypress rotenburo (露天風呂) in the main building, two all-cypress indoor baths in the annex, and a free private bath, a stone open-air tub paired with a cypress indoor one, that guests can reserve for a 40-minute soak at check-in. The water is sulfur-scented and known locally for leaving skin silky-smooth, and it can be sipped on request at the front desk. Four of the twelve guest rooms have their own open-air bath and two have an indoor tub, so a soak in private is possible without leaving the room. The ryokan stands right next to Kitamuki Kannon (北向観音), the temple traditionally paired with Zenkoji (善光寺) in Nagano, in Bessho Onsen (別所温泉), an old hot-spring town said to get a mention in the classical Pillow Book (枕草子). Run by the same family for over a hundred years, it keeps a quiet, old-fashioned feel around a small courtyard garden, with kaiseki dinner and breakfast served in private dining rooms.