Yunishigawa Hakuun-no-yado Yamashiroya

A big, old-fashioned riverside inn in the Heike village of Yunishigawa, with three free private open-air baths above the gorge and charcoal irori dinners at value prices — if you can live with dated rooms and a chilly winter building

Yamashiroya is one of the larger inns in Yunishigawa, the remote mountain valley north of Kinugawa where, by local legend, survivors of the defeated Heike clan went into hiding. Its 32 rooms all face the river, and the reason people come is twofold: three private open-air baths on the riverbank — a round iron-pot tub for two, a granite tub for three or four and a pair of hinoki tubs side by side — free to use on a first-come basis, and dinner around a charcoal irori hearth, the 'Heike falconry' cooking of skewered char, yuba, deer and miso-coated ichishō-bera. Japanese guests rate it 4.4 across 915 reviews on Jalan (dinner 4.5, service 4.6) and 4.12 across 556 on Rakuten Travel. Only a couple of first-hand blogs exist, most recently a September 2022 stay, so most recent evidence comes from booking-site reviews; those from 2026 praise warm, attentive staff, slippery-smooth water, the sound of the river and enormous meals. The catches are consistent: an old Shōwa-era building (cleanliness 3.9 on Jalan, facilities 3.71 on Rakuten), some rooms with only a fan instead of air conditioning, a cold lobby, dining room and rooms in winter, and dinners some found rushed or too large. In May 2026 one family never managed to get into a private bath. Two-meal plans reviewed in August–October 2026 cost about ¥10,000–23,000 per person.