This traditional ryokan inn in Kyotango has a style that's a mix of contemporary designs and the modern style of the Taisho era (1912-1926). Kitsu Onsen uses the water of Kyoto's oldest hot spring, and is mildly alkaline and soft on the skin, earning it a reputation as a "skin-beautifying hot spring." The spring was first discovered in the Nara period (710-794) by Buddhist monks who noticed egrets using the hot spring to heal their wounds.
The famous writer Matsumoto Seicho stayed here for two months in 1965 as he wrote the mystery novel “D no Fukugo" ("D’s Compound"). His study and the room in which he stayed are open to visitors. Meals are served in a restaurant filled with greenery that suggests a bamboo forest, and made using seasonal ingredients local to the Tango area. In winter, you can dine on a famous Tango treat, matsuba kani crab. In the hallways, you can look out and see a 100 year-old cherry tree, and every year in late June and early July fireflies visit the creek at the hotel.
- Address
- 196-2 Kitsu, Amino-cho, Kyotango City, Kyoto Prefecture
- Access
- Train: 2 minutes on foot from Yuhigaura Kitsu Onsen Station on the Kyoto Tango Railway
Car: Get off at Kyoto Jukan Expressway Yosa Amanohashidate IC exit onto National Route 312, then proceed to Prefectural Route17, and then to National Route 178 (about 45 minutes). - Check-in/Check-out Times
- 3:00 p.m. / 10:00 a.m.
- Foreign Language Support
- Foreign language explanations/displays are mostly in Japanese with some English.
- Muslim Friendly Information
- Not available