"The charming seaside town of Kinosaki Onsen, home to Nishimuraya Hotel Shogetsutei, lies 2.5 hours northwest of Kyoto, and is set along the willow-lined Otani-gawa River. The eighth-century town’s seven mystical-feeling onsen each have their own individual appeal, and it’s common to hear the sound of wooden geta sandals on the pavement, worn by visitors who are hopping from onsen to onsen. Nishimuraya has two properties: the new Hotel Shogetsutei, and the older Honkan, which has 32 rooms, some built in the Sukiya style modeled after tea houses, with wooden terraces, sliding screens, and big windows facing Japanese gardens with karikomi, sculpted shrubs and trees. The private onsen at Nishimuraya Hotel Shogetsutei are the most dramatic in town. They look out onto a 30-acre mountain forest and are ideal for families who want privacy, or tattooed travelers who can’t access the hotel’s normal onsen." - Keith Flanagan, Sanjay Surana, Jennifer Flowers, Adam H. Graham