Izura Kanko Hotel Annex Taikanso (Taikan-no-yu)

Facing the Pacific along the Izura coast in Otsu-cho, Kitaibaraki City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Izura Kanko Hotel Annex Taikanso stands on the very ground where Okakura Tenshin relocated the Japan Fine Arts Academy in the Meiji era, drawing Yokoyama Taikan, Shimomura Kanzan, Hishida Shunso, and Kimura Buzan to what became a cradle of modern Japanese painting. The hexagonal pavilion Rokkakudo, designed by Tenshin himself, is just a two-minute walk away, and the hotel's open-air bath, Taikan-no-yu, is named in tribute to Yokoyama Taikan, who loved this coastline throughout his life.

The water is a sodium chloride spring with a pH of 7.9 and a source temperature reaching 71C, with a total mineral content of about 11,700 mg per kilogram. Served free-flowing without dilution, the water has a faint yellowish tint, a subtle oily aroma, and a distinctly salty taste on the skin. It is traditionally regarded as beneficial for neuralgia, muscle and joint pain, frozen shoulder, chronic digestive conditions, poor circulation, and recovery from illness.

The bathing facilities comprise the open-air bath Taikan-no-yu overlooking the Pacific, a large indoor bath with expansive ocean-facing windows, and two private baths, Tsubaki-no-yu and Hamagiku-no-yu (2,200 yen per 45-minute session). Day-trip bathing costs 1,100 yen for adults and 600 yen for children, offered in two sessions from 11:00 to 15:00 and 18:00 to 21:00. Overnight stays start at 15,400 yen per person with two meals, and a special room relocated from Yokoyama Taikan's former villa is also available.