Tofuya Resort & Spa Izu

Tofuya Resort & Spa Izu is a large ryokan resort spread across wooded grounds along a river at Yoshina onsen, on the Izu peninsula. The detached villa rooms each have their own open-air bath and terrace and are reached by a walk through the garden, while many rooms in the main and west buildings have a semi-open-air onsen bath. The property also runs two communal open-air baths that swap between men and women on a schedule and, in a separate building, one indoor bath each for men and for women, plus two private open-air baths that guests can reserve free of charge during their stay. The spring water is clear and feels soft and smooth on the skin. Yoshina onsen is said to have been discovered by the Nara-period priest Gyoki and has been valued for some thirteen centuries. It is known locally as a kodakara, or child-blessing, spring: legend holds that Tokugawa Ieyasu's consort O-Man-no-kata bathed here and later gave birth to the founders of two Tokugawa branch houses, and visitors still come to pray for children today. Day bathing is only offered as a reservation-only package with lunch and a spa treatment, not as bath-only entry.