Nishimuraya Honkan

A dark-timber frontage on Kinosaki's willow-lined lanes, and behind it the Hirata-kan — a registered cultural property built by Kyoto sukiya craftsmen. Most rooms look onto the strolling garden at the centre of the house.

Fourteen room types across the old and new wings, from traditional tatami rooms to suites with their own open-air bath — Botan, Horai, Kangetsu, Kumoi and Honjin among them.

Three baths in the house — Kichino-yu, Shouno-yu and Fukuno-yu — plus a guest pass to all seven of Kinosaki's public bathhouses, the nearest a two-minute walk from the gate in yukata and geta.

Tajima-region cooking through the year: seasonal kaiseki from April to November, and Matsuba snow crab from November to March. Tajima beef, the bloodline behind Kobe, is served here at its source.

The corridors, lounges and lacquered interiors guests pass through between the bath and the evening meal.