Yama no Yado Shinmeikan

PRESERVE Selected

The inn whose third-generation owner Tetsuya Goto — called the father of Kurokawa Onsen — carved its famous 30-meter cave bath by hand with hammer and chisel; an atmospheric, old-world ryokan that helped make the whole village a national treasure.

Regarded as the heart and origin of Kurokawa's revival; a pilgrimage spot for onsen aficionados rather than a generic resort.