Masagokan

Masagokan (真砂館) is a traditional Japanese inn, or ryokan, located in the Kakegawa area of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. According to its official website, it was founded in the 27th year of the Meiji era — 1894 — and has served travelers for well over a century. The inn sits in a rural, satoyama-like setting in the mountains of Kakegawa, surrounded by countryside and reached in about 15 minutes by car or 25 minutes by bus from JR Kakegawa Station, or about 25 minutes by car from the Kakegawa Interchange. Its address area is associated with Kurami Onsen in Kakegawa. The ryokan combines traditional Japanese architecture with modern comforts. Its grounds include a Japanese garden that changes with the seasons and a sukiya-style tea house, and the buildings retain a traditional atmosphere dating back to the Meiji period. In 2022 the inn carried out a room renovation, introducing four distinct special rooms with private open-air hot-spring baths, each with its own design theme: Rikyu, Hoshi no Kirameki, Kaze no Kaori, and Mizu no Oto. These rooms pair large windows overlooking the seasonal scenery with carefully chosen interiors. The inn also offers standard Japanese-style rooms with names such as Oribe, Hagi, Rikyu, Shino, Zangetsu, Taigetsu, Mangetsu, and Sagano. Masagokan's hot springs are described as containing a high proportion of sulfur and are promoted as a "beauty bath" that leaves skin smooth and moist and hair glossy. The bathing facilities include the open-air baths Hiten no Yu and Byakuren no Yu, as well as private (reservable) baths. Dining is a central part of the stay: the inn serves kaiseki-style cuisine featuring Shizuoka seasonal ingredients, including specially selected Japanese black beef and a local specialty, "tea shabu-shabu," in which ingredients are cooked in a broth made with Kakegawa's deep-steamed tea. The surrounding Kakegawa area offers sightseeing including castle-town scenery, power spots, historical sites, and nature, such as the Kakegawa power spot Kurami no Hyakukannon. The inn's official site also notes participation in the national travel subsidy program "Ima Koso Shizuoka Genki Tabi," with the caveat that direct bookings made with the ryokan (including through its own website) were not eligible for the discount and that guests seeking the subsidy should apply through travel agents. Masagokan is a privately operated, independent hospitality business rather than part of a large hotel group. It represents a classic example of a Japanese onsen ryokan: a family- or locally run inn whose appeal rests on history, architecture, hot springs, and regional cuisine rather than scale or chain affiliation.

Masagokan was founded in the 27th year of the Meiji era, which corresponds to 1894, according to its official website. It describes itself as a "satoyama no kakurega" — a hidden retreat in the rural hills — located deep in the mountains of Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture, where it has long provided rest to travelers. The inn's history is reflected in its architecture: a sukiya-style tea house, traditional buildings dating from the Meiji period, and a Japanese garden that changes with the seasons. Over the decades the ryokan has continued to operate as a traditional Japanese inn, combining its historic structures with periodic updates. A significant modernization took place in 2022, when the inn carried out a room renovation. As part of this renewal, a spacious pure Japanese-style room was converted into a Western-style room with an open-air bath, and four distinct special rooms were introduced, each with its own theme and private open-air hot-spring bath: Rikyu (a first-floor room with a semi-open-air bath facing the garden), Hoshi no Kirameki (an adult-modern room in chic, calm tones), Kaze no Kaori (a room blending Western interiors with Japanese elements such as a checkered pattern), and Mizu no Oto (a bright, warm-toned room with a large bed). These rooms are designed to let guests enjoy the changing seasonal scenery from large windows and private baths. The inn's hot springs are a central part of its identity. The water is described as containing a high proportion of sulfur and is promoted as a "beauty bath" that leaves the skin smooth and moist and the hair glossy. The bathing facilities include the open-air baths Hiten no Yu and Byakuren no Yu, along with private reservable baths. Dining features kaiseki cuisine that highlights Shizuoka's seasonal ingredients, including specially selected Japanese black beef and a local specialty, "tea shabu-shabu," served with a broth made from Kakegawa's deep-steamed tea. In recent years the inn has also engaged with regional tourism promotion. Its website notes participation in the national travel subsidy program "Ima Koso Shizuoka Genki Tabi" (今こそ しずおか元気旅), while clarifying that direct bookings with the ryokan, including through its own official website, were not eligible for the discount and that guests seeking the subsidy should apply through travel agents. The surrounding Kakegawa area, with its castle-town atmosphere, power spots such as Kurami no Hyakukannon, historical sites, and natural scenery, forms part of the inn's appeal as a base for sightseeing. Masagokan remains an independent, privately operated hospitality business. It is a classic example of a Japanese onsen ryokan whose reputation rests on history, traditional architecture, hot springs, and regional cuisine rather than on scale or chain affiliation.

• 2022

  Room renovation: a pure Japanese-style room converted to a Western-style room with open-air bath, and four special rooms with private open-air baths introduced.

• 1894

  Founded in the 27th year of the Meiji era (1894) as a ryokan in Kakegawa, Shizuoka.

A historic, traditional onsen ryokan offering an intimate satoyama retreat with seasonal cuisine and hot springs.

• Special room Rikyu

  First-floor room with a semi-open-air bath facing the garden.

• Special room Hoshi no Kirameki

  Adult-modern room in chic, calm tones with an open-air bath.

• Special room Kaze no Kaori

  Room blending Western interiors with Japanese elements such as a checkered pattern, with a spacious open-air bath.

• Special room Mizu no Oto

  Bright, warm-toned room with a large bed and an open-air bath overlooking seasonal scenery.

• Standard rooms (Oribe, Hagi, Rikyu, Shino, Zangetsu, Taigetsu, Mangetsu, Sagano)

  Japanese-style rooms in the sukiya-style building.

• Tea shabu-shabu

  Local specialty served with a broth made from Kakegawa's deep-steamed tea.

• Hiten no Yu and Byakuren no Yu

  Open-air hot-spring baths with sulfur-rich water promoted as a beauty bath.

1. 1真砂館 | 創業明治27年 静岡県掛川市倉真温泉masagokan.com
2. 2Masagokan - Wikidatawikidata.org