Tobira Onsen Myojinkan was opened in June 1931 by Saito Takeshige as a small family inn that served what came from the mountains and its own fields, and writers and scholars soon came to stay for long spells to work. In 1964 the surrounding area became part of Yatsugatake Chushin Kogen Quasi-National Park. The ryokan stands in forested mountains about 30 minutes by taxi above Matsumoto, and its name, meaning an inn of the gods, comes from a local legend that a god once bathed here and left behind the rock door of the heavenly cave. Rooms are both Japanese and Western in style, with clean lines and floor-to-ceiling views of the forest, and some have a private open-air bath. The hot-spring baths are the heart of a stay: Setsugekka, a standing bath open on one side to the Wasabi-zawa gorge, in which guests stand waist-deep; Hakuryu, a large bath with an open-air pool; and a reclining bath. Dining includes French cooking and Shinshu dishes, and there is also a treatment room. The ryokan is a member of Relais & Châteaux and holds One MICHELIN Key.
- Nearest airport
- Not given on the sources read; Matsumoto Station is 30 minutes by taxi, and Shinjuku is two hours 40 minutes to three hours by the Azusa limited express
- Rooms
- 43 rooms (MICHELIN Guide)
Insider tip Reserve the free shuttle from Matsumoto Station in advance; it leaves from the Castle side (east exit) at 3:15 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Why I choose it A mountain ryokan founded in 1931 above Matsumoto, known for its standing bath over the gorge.