I’m shocked by any reviews of this architectural treasure where it’s not being given it’s fair marks. No, it’s not a 5 star hotel, but it is 5 stars in a unique very Japanese experience teeming with history!! The rooms are simple but elegant and super clean. The provided dinner and breakfast are excellent and again — another experience in tradition of this culture. Don’t skip the history tour of the Ryokan. It’s very informative and gives you insight to all the unique floors, windows and lighting. It’s very easy to get lost inside this place!! It’s like a fun house wrapped in a tree house laid out like a maze and it takes a few (ok — a LOT) of trips around the horn to find your way anywhere. I felt a personal victory when I finally found my way back to my room! So let’s talk about the hot springs, cuz that’s probably why you’re here right? HOT is an understatement. The water in these baths is about 120ºF. That is really hot and if you are like me and find a hot tub at 104º a little too warm, good luck with these! After 10+ minutes, I managed to get halfway in, but I couldn’t take it very long. The interior baths of the Ryokan were beautiful, but we preferred the outside rooftop one just because the cold night air helped with the overall tolerability of that hot water. Venturing out about the town at night in your robe and wooden shoes is also part of the adventure. It’s so cute when the village is lit up. You get a public bath map and a master key from the Inn that lets you access any of those public baths as you walk around. After seeing the cool baths of the inn, the ***** ones were just OK. There’s a foot soak spot however that we loved. It has a cold water faucet you can turn on while in there to make the water temp just perfect for you!!! I just loved our stop here. It’s a 1 night/2 max stay if you’re on a travel itinerary around Japan.