Seiryuso

Prepare to zone out among the cedars, willow trees and bamboo forests at this traditional ryokan to the west of Tokyo. As well as a vast pool where you can have a torch-lit swim beneath the stars, you’ll find a thermarium, log sauna and a hammam. But the highlight is the quintessentially Japanese hot-spring baths. Men and women separate, strip off and wash, before wallowing in piping-hot outdoor pools with vintage Missoni-style tiling. In the silence of the verdant gardens, the art of bathing has never been more soothing.