[Hot spring inn with history] Luxury to stay at cultural property: Arai Ryokan, Shuzenji

The Arai Ryokan, located at Shuzenji Onsen, the gateway to Izu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, is known as an inn where the literary ink customer (Bunjinbokaku), who is so, has been registered as a cultural property. You can stay in a room where you can feel the beauty of Japan. You can't miss a fancy bathroom or a meal with local seasonal ingredients.

Arai Ryokan, a hot spring inn registered on cultural property

Shuzenji Onsen at the gateway of the city of Izu, located in the northern part of the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture. The Arai Ryokan near Katsuragawa, which runs through the middle of the hot spring town, is a number of literary artists, including Ryunosuke Akutagawa, and Taikan Yokoyama, a famous Japanese painter. Taikan) it is a historic inn that is known for having a large number of literary ink guests staying there. The tawny building, which is elaborate while blending into the nature of Shuzenji, is registered as a national tangible cultural property. It is attractive that you can spend a luxurious time in the hall where you can feel the eternal history and feel the time when it flows slowly.

The access to Shuzenji is to get off the Shinkansen at Mishima Station and transfer to the Izu-Hakone Railway to Shuzenji, which is about two hours from the Tokyo metropolitan area, a perfect distance for excursions. It is also a fun hot spring resort to wander through the town.

The lobby is equipped with a soft atmosphere unique to wooden architecture and a feeling of Japanese style, and sofas are laid out to heal the fatigue of the trip. You will be healed by the written books and the atmosphere with a sense of openness that allows you to see the green of the garden through the glass.

There are a total of 16 buildings, 15 of which are cultural objects

The interior of the hall is decorated with various tastes. The corridors of the snow wing are black tiled so that the green of the garden stands out, and the beauty is breathtaking. Then, when you come out into a space full of light from the dusk of the hallway, the "Hua no Pond" spreads. The pond, which is built so that the flower wing and the paulownia wing are set up on both sides, is provided with the Oto-himejima (Oto-himejima) in the center, and the colorful brocade fish swim. It will look like a beautiful Japanese painting.

A "wing of flowers" with a window overlooking the small diameter of a bamboo forest

There are 31 rooms at Arai Ryokan, but 27 of them are located in a cultural property building with 15 buildings. Among them, the "building of flowers" is particularly popular. This room faces the Katsura River, and the windows overlook the small diameter of the bamboo forest and the beautiful contrast with the red Katsura Bridge. In the fall, the trees will turn into a burning color, attracting people who spend time with the sound of the river's babbling.

Take a bath at the elaborate Tenpyo Daiyakudo

If you include an open-air bath or a rented bath, the Arai Ryokan has six bathhouses, but you are overwhelmed by the scale of the "Tenpyo Daiyudō". It is designed by Yukihiko Yasuda, a Japanese painter, to mimic the architecture of the Tenpōjidai period. The high ceiling is reminiscent of the temple and shrine gagaran, which is a wooden structure that uses over 2000-year-old cypress from Taiwan. The lighting, which softly illuminates overhead, serves as the hand of Katori Hōtsuma (Katori Hōtsuma), who is also a leading figure in Japan as a caunter.

Another specialty inner bath is "Ayame no Yu". One of the two tubs has an adorable atmosphere in the shape of an Ayame flower, after "Ayame Gozen", which is considered to be a beautiful woman in the Heian period. There are three other bathrooms, such as an open-air bath and a rented bath, but all of the bathrooms are at the source.

A peasable meal where seasonal taste comes together

The dinner is filled with seasonal and beautiful dishes, with plenty of seasonal palates. You can feel the four seasons of the world as you taste a little bit of delicious food for your eyes and tongue to your heart's content.

There are a number of delicious side dishes that complement the rice, like white rice at breakfast. I want to enjoy a variety of dishes that feel the hospitality of an inn.

An inn that nurtures artists, loved by many literary ink customers

Another face of Arai Ryokan can be said to be that a number of literary ink customers have stayed and created and nurtured many works. Although the third generation master of the Meiji era aspired to be a Japanese painter, he had a past in which he gave up his dream, and he was a strong person in his mind for art. The thought changed to supporting young artists and fostered interaction with a wide range of artists, including painters, writers and Kabuki actors. Not only is Sanyoso, which was built solely for Taikan Yokoyama, now liberated as a museum, but it also has a cultural scent, with a picture exhibition center set up near the lobby.

Experience the history with the "Cultural Property Guide" where guests can participate

The Arai Ryokan provides a "Cultural Property Guide" to provide commentary on the cultural property within the museum. While looking at photos and materials, many travelers are familiar as an invaluable opportunity to be exposed to the structure of Arai Ryokan. If you imagine that a writer who only knew by the name of the work was traveling back and forth in this space, it is sure that it will feel a little closer.

Spend time with cultural treasures, feel extraordinary

"Arai Ryokan", an inn where guests can stay in a building known as the National Tangible Cultural Property. While respecting history and tradition, it is an inn filled with such charm that you want to regularly visit and feel the appearance of incorporating new ideas that customers can feel comfortable and spiraling up little by little. If you stay at Shuzenji, let's take a special moment that you can only taste here.

■ Arai Ryokan

Transportation: [Train] About 10 minutes by bus from Izu-Hakone Railway "Shuzenji" station. Get off the bus stop "Shuzenji Onsen" and walk about 3 minutes. [Car] About 30 minutes from Tomei Expressway Numazu IC to Shuzenji IC. Parking is also 40 cars
Address: 970 Shuzenji, Izu City, Shizuoka Prefecture
Phone Number: 0558-72-2007
Price: 1 adult (2 people, 1 room) from 23100 yen per night