Shorenkan Yoshinoya

Shorenkan Yoshinoya sits above the harbor in Taiza, a small fishing town on Kyoto's Tango peninsula, and its bathing comes in three parts: an indoor bath, a sea-facing open-air bath, and a private bath open free on a first-come basis for up to 45 minutes. The spring water itself is clear and has no smell. The indoor bath, Shoren-no-yu (昭恋の湯), is a single tall room with the roof beams left exposed, a small garden beside the tub, Mexican floor tile and stained glass, all built around a nostalgic mid-century Japanese look designed by an American sculptor. One floor up, the open-air bath, Bidoro-no-yu (ビードロの湯), looks straight out over the Sea of Japan, close enough to watch the fishing boats. The ryokan has run for a long time as a working inn in this quiet fishing town rather than a resort strip, known these days mainly for kaiseki built around the crab caught in Taiza's own harbor.