Hoshino Resort Kai Kawaji in Tochi Prefecture is a hot spring ryokan located on the edge of the Ojika River valley, approximately two and a half hours north of Tokyo. Passing through the long ridge's main gate, the waterwheel evokes the atmosphere of a bygone mountain village in Japan. It includes a room with a large window where you can enjoy the view of mountains and valleys changing with the seasons, a Kaiseki dish with the taste and wisdom of a Tochi, an open-air bath along the mooring, and an activity where you can experience the ancient wisdom born in this area. Additionally, from the jurisdiction's travel libraries to books on Kawaji's history, culture, nature, and crafts to stories that enhance the travel atmosphere, books you want to read and delectable coffee are prepared, so let's enjoy them freely prior to traveling.
There are seven different room types, and each one has a large window with views of mountains and valleys. A comfortable sofa has been prepared for your enjoyment of the scenery. While rolling around on the sofa and gazing at nature, you will experience a sense of luxury, as if you were taking a forest bath. Additionally, all rooms are equipped with beds and are Hwayang rooms (Japanese + Western). Furthermore, there is a "Yashu Hemp Paper Room" in Kawaji that utilizes "Yashu Hemp Cloth" grown in Kanuma, Tochi Prefecture. Depending on the room, various mountain villages' four-season scenery is depicted.
At KAI Kawaji, guests are invited to learn about the creative innovations that the Japanese developed in the past to make life comfortable even in the deepest mountains, such as rotary querns and hibachi braziers.
Spacious indoor bath halls and two riverside outdoor baths fed by Kawaji Hot Spring —known for its waters' skin healing effects—provide the perfect location to comfortably enjoy the vibrant surrounding scenery, which changes dramatically through the seasons.
Meals are enjoyed in semi-private booths, where guests are served dishes prepared with locally sourced ingredients, such as river fish and konjac—a type of yam that is grated and then jellied to create a local delicacy.
The address of Hoshino Resorts KAI Alps is [22 Kawaji, Kawaji-onsen, Nikko-shi, Tochigi, Japan].
It takes about 3 hours and 30 minutes by car from Haneda Airport, and you can use the free shuttle bus from Kawaji-Yumoto Station.