Nishimuraya Honkan

Welcoming travelers for over 150 years, Nishimuraya Honkan is storied ryokan in the Hyogo's hot-spring town of Kinosaki. Built using traditional timber techniques, the low-rise complex wraps around a central Japanese garden where manicured pine trees overhang stone lanterns and koi-filled streams. Tatami-matted suites feature private outdoor hot-spring baths (rotenburo) carved from local granite or fragrant cypress wood.

Guests slip into soft cotton yukata robes to explore the property’s indoor communal baths or stroll through Kinosaki’s historic willow-lined canal streets. Dining is an elaborate, multi-course kaiseki affair served directly in guest rooms, centered on seasonal regional delicacies like melt-in-your-mouth Tajima beef and freshly harvested winter Matsuba crab.