The three main elements of a ryokan or hotel are facilities, food, and service. In addition to these, what makes a Japanese inn many times more appealing are the hot springs and baths.
In this coming season, soaking in a famous hot spring will relax your mind and body and wash away the fatigue of the year. In the fifth installment, we will introduce two inns in Yamanashi Prefecture, "Bath-Proud Inns: Central Japan Part 1."

Shimobe Onsen is a hidden hot spring village associated with Takeda Shingen. Shimobe Hotel, which opened 95 years ago, is located in a natural forest spanning 33,000 square meters, and offers three hot springs in twelve baths, including seven open-air baths.

The hot springs are the Shimobe Hotel Hot Spring, a simple sulfur spring that gushes out from underground in the garden on the premises, the Shimobe Oku-no-yu High Temperature Hot Spring, a simple alkaline spring that draws water, and the Shimobe Onsen Public Spring. Each bath uses water of a different quality.

The "Minecone Bath" features an octagonal cypress bathtub and an octagonal cypress bath with a radial ceiling, a rustic rock open-air bath, a low hot spring, and two indoor baths. The "Firefly Bath" is set up around a corridor around the garden, and features a cypress bath, a rock open-air bath, a ceramic bath, a low hot spring, and two indoor baths. The "Bamboo Dragonfly Bath" is a private, barrier-free bath that can accommodate around 30 people.

In August of this year, two "suite rooms with open-air hot spring baths" were added to the guest rooms. The hotel's proud Satoyama cuisine, which uses local ingredients, is also highly rated. Inside the building, there is a gallery of photos and calligraphy from when actor Yujiro Ishihara stayed here for an extended period of medical treatment. Why not take a moment to reminisce about the days spent by this great Showa era star?

THE KUKUNA is a spa resort with 65 rooms overlooking Lake Kawaguchi and Mt. Fuji. The open-air bath at the Grand Spa on the top floor is highly rated for its design that creates a sense of unity with the lake. The rooms with water terraces are also very popular.

The Grand Spa "Ozora no Yu" is divided into "Hoshi" (Star) and "Tsuki" (Moon), which are alternated for men and women. Both are equipped with "Infinity Open-Air Baths" designed to give the feeling of floating in the sky, with the lake surface extending beyond the bath surface.

In addition, the indoor baths, "Hoshi" has a standing bath, and "Tsuki" has a half-body bath. Both face Lake Kawaguchi and Mt. Fuji, allowing you to enjoy bathing in a great location.

There are 14 rooms with water terraces in the observation deck, "Terrace in the Sky." Located on the upper floors, these special rooms offer a resort feel and a sense of openness.

The terrace is a reclining bath and foot bath, and the attraction is that you can enjoy the hot springs in a private space while gazing at Lake Kawaguchi and Mt. Fuji. Why not enjoy the changing views of Lake Kawaguchi and Mt. Fuji with the seasons and time while soaking in the hot water?

The food served at KUKUNA is carefully crafted to create a unique atmosphere. Yamanashi Koshu wine, which is gaining attention as a local flavor every year, and California wine are available, and you can enjoy creative cuisine that brings out the flavor of these wines.