Shiniya Onsen Shin-Iya Onsen Hotel Kazurabashi

Shin-Iya Onsen Hotel Kazurabashi is a hot spring inn nestled deep in the Iya Valley of Nishi-Iya Village, Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture -- one of Japan's three great secluded regions. Located near the nationally designated Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property, the Iya Kazurabashi vine bridge, the hotel opened in 1988. Its signature attraction is the Sky Open-Air Bath, reached by a charming bonnet-bus-style cable car added during the hotel's full renovation in May 2000. From the open-air bath crafted from local Awa blue stone, guests can enjoy panoramic views of the Iya mountain village and valley. On fortunate mornings, a sea of clouds spreads below, truly earning the bath its name as a bath in the sky.

The spring water is classified as a simple sulfur cold mineral spring (hypotonic, alkaline, cold mineral spring) with a source temperature of 17.9 degrees Celsius and a flow rate of 30.8 liters per minute. As a cold mineral spring, the water is heated for bathing use and passed through a circulation filtration system. The water is colorless and transparent with a light, refreshing bathing sensation, known for its fatigue recovery and skin-beautifying properties. The dissolved mineral content is 493.3 mg/kg with 41.4 mg of metasilicic acid.

The facility offers a large indoor bath, the sky open-air bath, a private open-air bath called Takenoko-no-Yu, three private cypress baths named Sagiri-no-Yu, Yugiri-no-Yu, and Asagiri-no-Yu, and a footbath with observation deck. With 22 guest rooms including suites and rooms with private open-air baths, the hotel provides comfortable accommodation. Dining features Iya regional cuisine served around a traditional irori hearth, including dekomawashi skewered grilled potatoes, Iya soba noodles, and soba rice porridge. Day-trip bathing is available for 1,200 yen for adults from 10:30 to 16:00.