Hiratakan

Hiratakan is a family-run ryokan in Hirayu Onsen, part of Okuhida Onsengo. The indoor and outdoor baths are lined with hinoki (cypress) and fed straight from a spring the inn calls the oldest in Hirayu, kept flowing (kakenagashi) with nothing added and never recirculated. The water carries a faint whiff of sulfur and feels smooth on the skin. There's also a private reservable bath, and four of the rooms (the Shizuku and Hibiki types) go further with their own hinoki tub filled straight from the spring; the rest are ordinary tatami rooms with heated tap water. The same family has run the inn for about a century. It shows in small touches: seasonal flowers arranged by the proprietress, meals built around local Hida beef, and staff that reviewers describe as attentive and easy to talk to in English. It's a short walk from the Hirayu bus terminal, handy if you're heading on to Kamikochi.