Semi Onsen Shiki-no-yado Magoroku

Shiki no Yado Magoroku is a small ryokan with just nine rooms at Semi Onsen, on the Oguni River (小国川) in Mogami, northern Yamagata. Its fourth floor holds two indoor hot-spring baths, Kamewaka-no-yu (亀若の湯) for men and Kitakata-no-yu (北方の湯) for women, each behind wide windows facing the surrounding mountains; past guests describe the water as faintly sulfurous and warming, good for a long soak. There's no outdoor bath, but the women's changing room keeps a baby bath and crib for families with small children. Local legend ties the spring to Minamoto no Yoshitsune's flight north with Benkei, and it's still known locally as a spring for couples hoping to conceive.