Hinoharu Ryokan

Hinoharu sits right off Yunotsubo-gai (湯の坪街道), Yufuin's main shopping street, though the grounds are wooded and quiet once you're through the gate. The shared open-air bath, separate for men and women, is fed straight from the spring; the floor is lined with pebbles underfoot, and the water is clear and mild, with no strong smell, leaving skin feeling smooth after a soak. Guests can also use two more open-air family baths and a hinoki (cypress wood) family bath at no extra charge, just by checking the door sign, and most of the eleven guest rooms come with their own onsen tub or a private open-air bath. The ryokan has run this way since the Taisho era, and its main bath is still known here as the Sennin-buro (千人風呂).