Izu Nagaoka Onsen Izumiso

This inn was founded in 1907. It is known as the ``Nagaoka No. 1 Hot Spring'' and ``Saneatsu's Inn.'' Although I arrived a little early, I was able to check in and get into my room. From the time I checked in, the landlady and waitress were very welcoming. From our room on the second floor, we could see a garden full of pink peonies. You can also see the turret from which the source comes out, and you can hear the sound of the source flowing like a waterfall. The room this time had three Japanese-style rooms, with a bed in the middle room, a low table in the garden, and a chair set in the other room. Now, regarding the bath, the hot spring at this inn is Nagaoka Onsen Motoyu "No. 1 Yu". The first generation of the inn discovered a hot spring gushing out in the center of the land they owned, and this became the first hot spring of Nagaoka Onsen, and the first inn opened in the same year, which is the beginning of Nagaoka Onsen. (Currently merged with Kona Onsen and became Izunagaoka Onsen). The baths are separated by men and women, and you can enjoy two types of private baths (free of charge), a large public bath, and two types of open-air baths. Hot spring water comes out from the bath faucet. The hot water in the indoor bath was just right, and I was able to relax in both the open-air bath and the indoor bath. In the larger public bath, the hot water gushed into the bathtub and I felt the breath of the earth. We also used the private bath called ``Haikara Bath''. At first, it was too hot at the source, so I couldn't get into it, so I filled it with water. It's semi-open air. I thought dinner would be served at the venue, but it was prepared in a private room for me. Appetizers, hot pots, etc. were set up, but after that, the freshly prepared food was brought out in several batches. It was a private room in an inn, so there was a sense of privacy, so I ate slowly and leisurely. Dinner looked beautiful and tasted good. It's Japanese food, but beef stew was also served, and the taste changed. The Kinmedai Kamameshi was also delicious. Local sake was priced from 1,100 yen for 1 go and 1,400 yen for 300cc. The meal looked like it would go well with sake, so I ordered local sake. After the meal, the hostess made tokoroten in the lounge. I had it with vinegar and mustard, and I had it with brown sugar syrup. Even though I was full, I ate it all in one go. Tsureai recalled the old days and said, ``When I was a child, my mother used to make tokoroten.'' We had breakfast in the same private room. It was a well-balanced Japanese meal, with delicious dishes such as freshly grilled dried horse mackerel and tofu made from soy milk. The waiter at dinner was kind and polite. After dinner, we had coffee at the lobby lounge. From the lounge, you could see double cherry blossoms, wisteria flowers, peonies, and white flowers blooming, and it was gorgeous and very beautiful. When I checked out, the landlady and Nakai-san saw me off. It was an inn with warm hospitality and kindness. Now, Saneatsu Mushakoji has been one of Japan's leading literary figures since the Taisho era. In the Showa era, Saneatsu Sensei was suffering from neuralgia, and he was recommended Nagaoka Onsen, so he came to the residence, and this was the beginning of a long relationship between Izumi-sou and Saneatsu Sensei. Over a long period of time (20 years), I spent nearly half of the year at Izumi-so and released many works. There is a Mushakoji Saneatsu Literary Museum within the building, and Saneatsu's words and paintings are displayed throughout the building (including the baths). My favorite is the one that is displayed in my room: ``You are you, I am Gaya, but we are good friends.'' Of course there was one inside the building.