Kaga, JapanYamashiro Onsen
Beniya Mukayu Ryokan
Modernist forest ryokan
Yamashiro Onsen Kaga, Japan
Renovated
2023
Price
$$$$
Rated for
Design Wellness LocalOutside the door
Modernist forest ryokan
Light filters through timber-framed glass across quiet reading libraries overlooking an ancient red pine and mossy garden grounds.
“Beniya Mukayu, which is part of the Relais & Château group, has luxurious facilities, including a spa and private onsen in each room.”
What it’s good at
Remarkable
Modernist timber architecture framing forest gardens, with site-specific works by Kenya Hara.
Remarkable
Private forest rotenburo on every terrace and herbal ball therapies at Spa Entei.
Remarkable
Seasonal Kaga kaiseki and traditional tea ceremonies hosted by owner Kazunari Nakamichi.
What they say
One Michelin Key
Michelin
Also in Condé Nast Traveler and AFAR.
That classic experience means a serene immersion in a tranquil natural setting, along with a more literal immersion in the onsen baths…
Somewhere quiet
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
Set on the forested slope of Yakushiyama, the ryokan is steps from the ancient bathhouses of Yamashiro Onsen.
The rooms
Every room opens to a private terrace with its own open-air hot spring bath facing the mossy forest canopy.
The water
Bring a swimsuit.
The onsen
Soak slowly.
Communal baths finished in pale hinoki cypress and dark stone open toward the trees, filled with local mineral spring water.
The spa
Treatments at Spa Entei apply steamed medicinal herbal balls to acupressure points, drawing on Yakushiyama botanical remedies.
At the table
Kaiseki Horin serves seasonal multi-course dinners with Hashidate Port seafood and Kaga heirloom vegetables on Yamanaka lacquerware.
An elegant, refined 17-room inn a little over two hours from Takayama, near the Yamashiro onsen(hot springs); every room comes with its own open-air bath.
How it began
The inn stands on sacred hillside grounds where Buddhist monks once used local hot springs and botanical remedies to treat travelers.
Kaga
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Our shorthand
How we rate hotels.
The medals
Gold
Extremely rare. Sets the global standard.
Silver
Brilliant execution. And we’re picky.
Bronze
They did this well. You’ll notice.
Listed
A defining trait. Makes the hotel what it is.
The eight vibes
Design
Built around a vision. Even the door handles have a designer.
Luxe
Cared for at every turn. The bath is drawn before you ask.
Local
It could only be here. You wake up knowing where you are.
Social
Where the city goes out. The bar is full and the night is young.
Heritage
A building with a story. Once a palace, a monastery, a station.
Wellness
You leave feeling new. Rest, sweat, soak and sleep like a stone.
Classic
The city grew up with it. Same rituals, same regulars, same bar.
Resort
A world of its own. Something to do from breakfast to nightcap.
The scene
Lively
Where things happen: restaurants, shops, people.
Central
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Quiet
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
Secluded
A place apart: the property is the destination.