Investigating popular hot springs around the Tokyo area tends to turn up the usual suspects: Hakone, Nikko, locations holed up in the mountains like some curmudgeony hermit. But what about the traveler that longs for the fresh ocean air? The sound of waves gently lapping at the shore? The sight of a boundless blue vista, glistening waters melding into a cerulean sky as their body melts away into the hot spring and their mind drifts off into the horizon?

For that discerning traveler, there is the Izu Penninsula.

Ryokan (traditional Japanese hotels) dot the coastline, offering fresh seafood and breathtaking ocean views from luxurious outdoor hot springs. There guests can finally find the complete relaxation they have been searching for.

Shimoda Yamatokan Tsuruya Kisshotei Honkan Chikurinan Mizuno

Senoumi Kayutei Onyado Kimuraya Tsuwabukitei

Adrift amidst an ocean of beautiful white sands lies Shimoda Yamatokan, the beach resort ryokan. Here, every room's terrace has an open-air bath with an ocean view where guests can watch the sky painted polychromatic as the sun makes its daily trek. On the top floor rests a large shared bath, an open-air bath, a whirlpool bath, a hinoki bath made of Japanese cypress and other assorted splendors. When the time comes for dinner, guests are treated to a variety of delicacies prepared on a charcoal grill and served Izu's boundless bounty of fresh seafood.

[Access] From Izukyu Shimoda Station on the Izu Kyuko Railway: pick-up bus service available from 14:00 p.m. to 17:00 p.m.

Every room boasts an ocean view. Overlooking the island of Izu Oshima, the sun can be seen rising from its oceanic bed every morning. The water filling the guestrooms' open-air baths flows directly from the source, granting guests the chance to enjoy a natural hot spring while surveying the beauty of the pristine coastline. Blessed with an abudance of pure, gushing water this ryokan has been able to create nine types of baths, including one constructed of stones and two types of whirlpool baths. The ryokan's spa also offers thalassotherapy.

[Access] From Atagawa Station on the Izu Kyuko Railway: an approximately ten-minute taxi ride. The ryokan also provides free busing to and from Atagawa Station ten times daily from 13:25 p.m. to 17:45 p.m.

Guests have to like the odds. 12 of this ryokan's 11 rooms feature open-air baths that simultaneously offer a soothing sense of privacy. Guests can also savor the flavor of the day's catches from the comfort of their own rooms. And when venturing outside, guests can relax amidst this ryokan's serene surroundings.

[Access] From Ajiro Station on the JR Ito Line: an approximately seven-minute taxi ride. Transportation to and from Ajiro Station may be available upon request.

Fresh, mineral-filled water flows directly from this ryokan's own hot spring. Every room offers gorgeous glimpses of the ocean, and the open-air bath on the top floor boasts a view that must be seen to be believed. Tatami carpets the interior of this ryokan, giving it an imminently Japanese feel. Dinner is served with seafood recently reeled in and dropped onto the roaster, grilled to mouth-watering perfection.

[Access] From Izu Kyuko Railway Izu-Inatori Station: pick-up service available.

The shores of Kawazu, where the first blossom of the cherry tree blooms. There stands Kayutei. All twelve meticulously prepared rooms offer stunning ocean views. These outdoor baths are each crafted from Japanese cypress. The view of the Pacific Ocean unfurls before guests' very eyes. Evenings bathed in the moonlight, mornings soaked in the sunrise-the principal players in the perfect vacation all make an appearance.

[Access] From Izukyu Railway Kawazu Station: an approximately six-minute walk. Transportation to and from the station is available.

Located on the western side of the Izu Peninsula, Onyado Kimuraya Tsuwabukitei boasts Japanese cypress baths where guests can bask in the beauty of Suruga Bay. This hotel has devised 11 different baths for guests to enjoy, including an outdoor bath that can be reserved for private use. It is only a five-minute walk to an ocean water bath where swimsuit clad guests can dive right in.

[Access] From Mishima Station on the JR Tokaido Shinkansen Line: Take the Shuzenji-bound train on the Izu Hakone Railway for approximately 30 minutes. Get off at Shuzenji Station and board the Heda-bound bus. After approximately 50 minutes, get off at the Heda bus stop. The hotel is an approximately 30-minute walk from there.

From JR Numazue Station take the bus to Numazue Harbor (approximately ten minutes). Then, board the express boat to Heda Harbor (an approximately 30-minute voyage). The lodging provides transportation to and from Heda Harbor.