Iyanoyado Kazuraya

Iyanoyado Kazuraya is a small ryokan built into a mountainside in the Iya Valley, a ten-minute walk from the Kazura-bashi (かずら橋) vine bridge. Its stone-built open-air bath sits among trees and is lit up after dark, and the indoor bath looks out on the same forested slopes through big windows; there's a cold-water tub but no sauna, and the men's and women's baths are separate. Some rooms have their own bath with a valley view, others are simple tatami rooms. Meals, served in a dining hall with mountain views, center on local river fish and mountain vegetables, with an irori (囲炉裏) hearth room for grilled ayu and other regional dishes.