Keiunkaku

Keiunkaku sits in the Oku-Shiobara Ninoyu area of Tochigi, a small hot-spring district that still feels like an old healing village. The water is a milky white sulfur spring, gentle on the skin rather than sharp, and it runs kakenagashi (free-flowing, no recirculation) through every bath in the house. The panoramic indoor bath looks out over the mountain forest, and two private garden open-air baths are available to overnight guests at no extra charge on a first-come, first-served basis. Guests can also walk to the nearby communal baths (sotoyu) as part of their stay. Keiunkaku is a member of Nihon Hitoyo wo Mamoru Kai (日本秘湯を守る会), the society for preserving Japan's secluded hot springs.