お宿いちだ

Oyado Ichida is a small minshuku in Shin-Hirayu Onsen, one of the hot spring towns making up Okuhida Onsengo in the Japan Alps. The indoor bath, split by gender and big enough for five or six people at once, opens directly onto an outdoor rotenburo, and there's also a private outdoor bath included free of charge, with scenery that changes through the seasons. The spring water is kept flowing fresh from the source rather than recirculated; guests describe the indoor bath as quite hot and the outdoor one a touch milder. It has the feel of a small family-run inn rather than a hotel, and several guests mention a warm welcome that caught them off guard given how modest the place looks from outside. It's also a convenient stop for hikers heading into the surrounding mountains.