Myojinkan

Japan is justly famous around the world for its first-class luxury hotels and for a couple of very inspired boutique hotels. But there’s another, much more traditional side to Japanese hospitality, which few foreigners, up to now, have experienced: the ryokan, the traditional country inn, of which Myojinkan is as classic an example as any.

You’ll surely recognize the style, especially in those rooms which feature the tatami-and-shoji look of old-fashioned Japanese residences — in fact more than a few Tokyo hotels come with tatami rooms. But the setting is the polar opposite of those metropolitan high-rises — here in Nagano Prefecture, a half hour from Matsumoto, in the midst of the Yatsugatake National Park, you’re surrounded by nothing but forested mountainsides as far as the eye can see.

And you thought the New York boutique hotels of the 1990s were minimalist. Traditional and Western rooms alike show off clean lines, classic craftsmanship, and a near-total lack of ornament — in these surroundings, with floor-to-ceiling views of the lush mountain forest, there’s no place for design fireworks.

What’s to do? Naturally the emphasis is on the quieter pleasures. There are three natural hot spring baths with a widescreen view of the forest, open day and night — and certain room categories come with a small private open-air bath as well. It’s the perfect idyllic antidote to the stresses of the city.

How to get there: Myojinkan is 2.5 hours by train from Tokyo. Complimentary shuttle transfer to and from the train station is available.