Last month I had a wonderful opportunity to visit the family-owned, traditional-style Japanese inn, Fujinoyu Ryokan, in the Asama Onsen (Hot Springs) area of Matsumoto. This particular ryokan is almost 200 years old (it’s been open since the 1830s!!) and has its own natural hot spring baths in the building.

There are few special things about Fujinoyu. First is its collection of antiques that include authentic samurai armor and formal wear, samurai swords, paintings and calligraphy by one of the Matsumoto Castle lords, and paintings by Kogetsu Saigo, who was one of the four most famous painters at the end of the 19th century. Kogetsu Saigo was born in the Matsumoto area and was one of the first students to attend the Tokyo School of the Arts in the late 1800s. The inside of the ryokan feels very much like a mini museum and some of the items were gifted to the family by the lords of Matsumoto Castle themselves!

Of course, one of the best reasons to stay at a traditional ryokan are the elaborate “kaiseki ryori” meals that consist of several painstakingly prepared, small dishes which could possibly be mistaken for tiny works of art. The food is usually served on equally beautiful plates, trays and dishes. The best ryokan will make everything from scratch and use local ingredients (Fujinoyu is no exception). Here is just some of the food that we got served at Fujinoyu and the amazing table presentation:

After the meal, we got to enjoy Fujinoyu’s hot spring. There are two large baths (one for men and one for women) and there is one special private bath that can be used by couples, families or individuals. This bath is unique in that instead of tiles around the bath, they used tatami mats! Also, the hot water comes directly from the hot spring (as opposed to being heated or being mixed with regular water to adjust the temperature).

Fujinoyu is just one of many hot springs and ryokan in the Asama Hot Springs area, each with their own characteristic atmosphere, baths, and food. The area has a long history dating back hundreds and hundreds of years and during the Edo Period (1603-1867), one of the lords of Matsumoto Castle built his own bathhouse here, so even back then it was known as a resort area to go and relax. Needless to say, it’s a great area to stay if you’re coming to Matsumoto and want to literally soak in its long history.

Here is a list of the ryokans and hot springs in Asama Onsen:
http://www.asamaonsen.com/en/yado

To learn more about the Fujinoyu Ryokan that I wrote about in this article, check out their website here:
https://fujinoyu.com/en/