Tsukioka Hotel

Tsukioka Hotel is a long-established ryokan in Kaminoyama Onsen, with an indoor bath, an outdoor bath, and a sauna. The two bathhouses, Sakuranbo and La France, alternate between men's and women's use overnight, so guests staying more than one night can try both. The water is known locally as bihada no yu (美肌の湯), skin-smoothing water, and a few of the special Senkeien rooms come with their own onsen bath. Kaminoyama's hot spring is said to date back to 1458, when a traveling monk saw a crane heal an injured leg in the water, an episode still remembered in the old name Tsurusune no Yu (鶴脛の湯). The hotel keeps a warm, old-school feel, with rooms looking out toward Kaminoyama Castle and the Zao mountains, and it's well known locally for its seasonal Yamagata buffet dinners.