Kouyurou Ikawa

This 28-room ryokan at Izu-Nagaoka Onsen is built on its own hot-spring source, the Ayame spring (あやめ温泉), water that runs soft and gentle on the skin. The men's bath, Yorimasa-no-yu (頼政の湯), looks out over the town and adds a rooftop open-air bath under the sky, while the women's bath, Ayame-no-yu (あやめの湯), faces the town and green hills. Guests on certain stay plans can also book one of several private baths, among them aromatherapy rooms scented with incense and a sento-style bath with a hand-painted Mt. Fuji mural covering one wall. Both baths are named for a Heian-era legend: Lady Ayame (あやめ御前), said to have bathed here morning and evening, and Minamoto no Yorimasa (源頼政), the warrior she later married. The ryokan is also set up for families, with a free supervised kids' room and nursery service.