Asaba

They’re all pretty traditional, but some ryokan are more traditional than others. Asaba has not only the tranquil atmosphere and the stunning natural setting you’d expect from a top country inn, but it’s got three hundred and fifty years of unbroken history behind it as well. In fact, if you wanted to calibrate your ryokan-sense using the most reliable possible instrument, then Asaba is your prototype — a bit like the meter-long platinum bar they keep in that museum in Paris, Asaba is as close as you’ll get in the physical world to the abstract ideal of the ryokan.

The setting is picture-perfect, facing onto a placid little pond, ringed with bamboo. The interior style is spare but far from modern — each of the 12 rooms comes in tatami style, with minimal furniture. They all face the courtyard, rather than the forest, but you’ll see why: at the center of the inn, in the middle of the pond, is a floating Noh stage, where the traditional drama is regularly acted out. Asaba’s cuisine is first-rate, with (blessedly) nothing modern about it. Baths, too, are absolutely traditional, including typical semi-public baths, private in-room tubs, and one hot spring pool separated from the main pond only by a ring of rocks.

Please note: Asaba welcomes children ages 7 years or older.

How to Get There: Asaba is 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) from Shuzenji train station (Izu-Hakone line) and 50 minutes by car from Mishima JR station. Mishima JR station is one hour from Tokyo station (Shinkansen).