Nosegawa Onsen Hotel Nosegawa

Hotel Nosegawa is a secluded hot spring hotel in Nosegawa Village, Yoshino District, Nara Prefecture, the least populated village on the Japanese mainland excluding remote islands. Established in 1980, the hotel stands along the Kawarabigawa River at an elevation of approximately 700 meters. The spring water is an alkaline simple sulfur cold mineral spring with a pH of 10.4, the highest alkalinity in Nara Prefecture, and its colorless, odorless, tasteless, silky-smooth water is celebrated as a beauty spring.

Nestled in a hidden valley between the sacred Mount Koya and the Kumano Kodo Kohechi pilgrimage trail, both UNESCO World Heritage sites, the hotel offers indoor baths, an open-air bath, and a private bath overlooking the Kawarabigawa gorge and the forested mountainside beyond. The signature dish is kashiki-nabe, a soy-based hot pot featuring three game meats: duck, wild boar, and pheasant, a culinary tradition unique to this remote mountain village. All 30 guest rooms face the river, and the hotel is known for its warm, ryokan-like hospitality despite its hotel classification.