Hita Onsen Hananoki River Terrace

Hananoki River Terrace is a hot spring hotel sitting right over the Mikuma River, so the upper floors look out over the water and the town. The men's and women's baths each have several indoor tubs plus one outdoor bath kept flowing fresh, a good-sized sauna, and a cold plunge fed straight from natural groundwater. The spring water itself is smooth on the skin with a faint mineral scent, and it's drinkable too. Day bathing is open to non-guests as well, not just hotel guests. The building is older and a bit old-fashioned in style, but it's well kept, and reviewers keep coming back for the bath and the kaiseki dinners.