Hasshoen Yumotokan

Hasshoen Yumotokan is an old ryokan up a steep road above Kakino onsen, a small hot spring hamlet in the Gifu hills. Its one bath, called Jangaru-buro (ジャングル風呂, the Jungle Bath), used to be a greenhouse and is still crowded with plants, an odd, humid room to soak in. Men's and women's baths are separate and both indoor only, with no rotenburo. The water itself runs lukewarm rather than hot, meant for a long soak, and leaves your skin feeling smooth and slippery, slow to cool once you step out. Local legend ties Kakino onsen's springs to Sengoku era warriors who came here to treat battle wounds, and later to an Edo period princess whose skin cleared and grew more beautiful after bathing here, which is why the spring still carries a reputation for good skin. The ryokan itself feels its age: corridors and fittings are old fashioned, though guests note the place is kept clean, and rooms open onto a veranda facing the forested hillside.