Unzen Iwaki Ryokan

Iwaki traces itself to the Takaki Hotel, which opened in 1887 as a resort for foreigners only. It moved to its present site early in the Taisho era as Iwakiya Ryokan, became the Iwaki Hotel in 1965, and took its current name in 2002; the exterior was redone in April 2021. The inn stands beside Unzen Jigoku with its own spring rising on the property, an acidic sulfur, aluminum and sulfate water that runs through the baths without recirculation. There are separate large baths and open-air baths for men and women, but no private bath to book. The Japan Hot Spring Association gave it full marks in 2003, 2005 and 2010. Of the 35 rooms, five special rooms have their own source-fed open-air bath, and the regular rooms are roomy old-style ones with a kotatsu in winter. Dinner is kaiseki, with plans built around Nagasaki beef, spiny lobster or abalone. Surplus water fills a small finger bath by the entrance that anyone walking past can use for free. The website has not been updated since 2023, so phone to confirm details.