Yuhigaura Onsen Kaikatei Hanagozen

Kaikatei Hanagozen is a cuisine-focused inn (ryokan) standing on the Tango Peninsula in northern Kyoto Prefecture, facing the Yuhigaura (Hamazume) coast famed for its sunsets over the Sea of Japan. The beach before it is counted among Japan's 100 Best Sunsets, and in the 2022 national Onsen Election it ranked second nationwide in the scenic-view category, cementing its reputation as a premier place to watch the setting sun. Yuhigaura Onsen is a relatively young spring, opened around 1980 when local operators drilled to a depth of about 950 meters; the inn, run directly by a seafood wholesaler, prides itself on fresh seafood cuisine and refined Kyoto-style sukiya architecture, presenting itself as a calm hideaway for grown-ups.

The waters of Yuhigaura Onsen are a gentle alkaline simple spring, long cherished as a bijin-no-yu, or beauty bath. Hanagozen advertises free-flowing water drawn from its own source without dilution, offering a colorless, transparent, and mild soak to be savored in quiet.

The two-story, fully tatami-matted inn has many guest rooms with private open-air baths, in addition to a large public bath and open-air bath. Some rooms even come with a private sauna, and in winter the kaiseki cuisine centered on matsuba (snow) crab from the Sea of Japan is a signature. Parking is free for 30 cars and Wi-Fi is available throughout. The nearest station is Yuhigaura-Kitsuonsen Station on the Kyoto Tango Railway Miyazu-Toyooka Line, with a shuttle service from the station.