Yunoyado Hakusan Shobutei

Two large baths at Yunoyado Hakusan Shobutei share the same name, Shobu no Yu (one written 菖蒲の湯, the other しょうぶの湯), and each has its own outdoor bath attached. The men's and women's sides swap between the two. Handrails and a shallow shelf in the tubs make them easy for kids, and there's a separate men's sauna. The water itself is smooth and gentle on the skin, kept close to its natural heat without being diluted. A reservation-only private hot spring bath is available for an extra charge, and quite a few of the guest rooms have their own indoor or outdoor tub, so you can soak without ever leaving the room. The inn stands a little apart from the busier stretch of Yamashiro Onsen, an old hot spring town in Kaga. Kutani ware (九谷焼), some of it made by the proprietress, is displayed throughout the lobby and hallways, and rooms look out over nearby mountains and rice fields. The service leans warm and homely, the kind of place returning guests come back to like a second home.