Said to have been one of the main inspirations of Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away, Sekizenkan is a beautiful ryokan in the Gunma mountains. With over 300 years of history, parts of this ryokan have been recognised as national treasures. This is what it’s like to stay overnight.
In the evening, the wooden front of the 300-year-old ryokan Sekizenkan lights up. With the vermillion red bridge in front, you can immediately see the resemblance of Yubaba’s hot spring hotel in the famous Studio Ghibli movie Spirited Away.
As director Miyazaki has stayed here himself, it’s not hard to see that parts of this beautiful ryokan have played some kind of part in the making of the movie. But Sekizenkan is way more than this.
With over 300 years of history, eight floors spread across three buildings and multiple hot spring baths, Sekizenkan in Shima Onsen makes for a wonderful overnight stay. Here is what staying here was like and what you can expect when you book a room too.
*My stay at Sekizenkan was part of a press stay. All views and opinions are my own.
Sekizenkan’s Link With Spirited Away
With Spirited Away being a well-loved movie, it’s probably no surprise that multiple places across Japan say they have been the source of inspiration. And while the book Ghibili No Kyokasho says there is no specific bathhouse on which the Yubaba’s bathhouse’s design was based, surely Miyazaki has taken some inspiration from places he visited over the years.
Dogo Onsen Honkan, Kanaguya in Shiba Onsen, Meguro Gajoen and the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum all look somewhat similar to the famous bathhouse in the movie. And then, of course, we’ve got Sekizenkan in Shima Onsen.
But there is more proof than just some resemblances. The day before the opening of the Studio Ghibli Layout Exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo in 2008, a special programme about Hayao Miyazaki was aired on NTV (Nippon Television). In it, Sekizenkan, Dogo Onsen and Meguro Gajoen were said to be the main inspiration for Yubaba’s bathhouse.
Sekizenkan’s iconic red bridge immediately reminds you of the one in Spirited Away. When the front building is lit up, it’s almost like you’re transported into the movie. There are more references throughout this traditional inn, including a tunnel that connects two of the buildings, which looks exactly like the tunnel Chihiro walks through when she enters the spirit world.
According to the staff at Sekizenkan, Hayao Miyazaki has even been a guest at Sekizenkan on multiple occasions. Having stayed at this ryokan myself, I can immediately believe it inspired him – it is quite magical.
But while the links with my favourite Studio Ghibli movie were the main reason for my visit, this ryokan is so much more than just that. The building has a rich 300+ year history. On top of that, the service is impeccable. With beautifully decorated rooms, multiple onsen baths to enjoy and delicious meals, staying in Sekizenkan is a real treat.
Our Stay at Sekizenkan
After a month of living in Tokyo, my husband and I were ready to head towards some quieter areas. Our first stop was Shima Onsen, a quaint and quiet hot spring town in the Gunma mountains. My main reason for visiting was Sekizenkan, a beautiful 300+-year-old ryokan that is said to have inspired one of my favourite movies, Spirited Away.
The town of Shima Onsen itself isn’t very big. A few streets that link together make up the town. Hidden in the mountains, the town feels very calm – especially after having spent a month in one of the busiest cities in the world.
Sekizenkan is located only a couple of minutes from the town’s bus stop. Upon arrival, I was welcomed by the iconic red bridge that connects the ryokan with the rest of the town. As it was sometime in the late afternoon, the beautiful wooden building wasn’t lit up yet, but I already couldn’t wait to see it in its full glory.
The ryokan is a lot bigger than it may look from the outside. Upon entering Sekizenkan, we were handed a paper with directions on how to get to the reception area. With eight floors spread across three separate buildings, at times it felt like going on a quest through a labyrinth.
The three buildings that make up Sekizenkan are named Honkan, Sanso and Kashotei. Honkan, dating back to 1691, is the oldest part of the ryokan. The old-fashioned hot spring architecture makes it a building worth preserving. So much so that it was classed as an important cultural property of Gunma Prefecture.
Between 6PM and 10PM, the front of Honkan is lit up. It created the magical Spirited Away feeling we were looking for. As you can probably expect, there were a few people taking photos outside, as it’s one of the main sights in Shima Onsen. However, it wasn’t as busy as I expected it to be – there were more than enough moments where it was just me and Richard.
Sanso, the second building, came into existence in 1936. Due to the impeccable Showa-Era craftsmanship that’s gone into creating these rooms, the building was registered as a tangible cultural property of Japan. The rooms in the Sanso building are popular among many famous guests, including Hayao Miyazaki. Our room was located in this part of the ryokan too.
The third and newest building is named Kashotei. It’s located at the far end, at the highest point of Sekizenkan. It’s surrounded by a beautiful pine tree forest, and the rooms include some fantastic traditional Japanese elements.
Following the directions to get to the reception, we first walked through the tunnel into the mountain on which Sekizenkan was built. This tunnel connects the Honkan and Sanso buildings and looks exactly like the tunnel Chihiro walks through when she enters the spirit world in Spirited Away.
We were welcomed at the reception by the English-speaking staff. While I am in the process of learning Japanese, it was a nice surprise to be able to speak English at check-in – especially so far from the big city. Surprisingly, we didn’t see any other Western tourists in Shima Onsen during our stay here.
The staff at Sekizenkan offers history tours of the building on certain days, so be sure to check with them if this is something you’re interested in. If they don’t hold the tours on the day you’re staying, you can still go for a wander around and use the QR codes scattered around the ryokan to find informational videos about the building and its history. During our stay, there was a small stamp rally available at the QR codes too!
Our Room at Sekizenkan (Spirited Away Ryokan)
Our room for the night, named Ruriichi, was located in the Sanso building. This beautiful Japanese-Western-style room came with tatami floors, two western beds and a private onsen bath.
The multiple sliding doors in the living space added to the luxurious feel and spaciousness of the room. The large floor-to-ceiling windows welcomed the daylight and allowed us to enjoy the forest scenes outside. It felt like a true hideaway, hidden in the mountains. This is a place where you can fully relax.
There is a small study area located near one of the windows. I can only imagine how much creative work I could get done if I had the luxury of staying here for a bit longer. It’s not hard to see people like Miyazaki were inspired by this place, it feels magical.
The bedroom and living space are separated, giving you a dedicated room to fully unwind. Even though this room has Japanese-inspired aesthetics, it does come with two comfortable Western beds. I loved the pyjamas provided by the ryokan, they were incredibly comfortable.
Our private onsen bath was filled with a constant supply of fresh onsen water. We had access to the public baths at Sekizenkan too, which we enjoyed using a lot – but despite this, I still soaked in our private bath three times during our stay. As the window would open quite far, it was almost like having your own outdoor bath. It was bliss.
I posted a quick walkthrough of our room in Sekizenkan on YouTube Shorts below:
The rooms in the Honkan building are generally the cheapest, usually around ¥11,000 per person per night. Rooms in Sanso and Kashotei are a bit more expensive, sitting at around ¥25,000 – ¥55,000 per person per night. This includes dinner and breakfast. Prices may vary depending on the season (high season like cherry blossom season, golden week and autumn are often more expensive).
Sekizenkan’s Onsen
The hot spring waters of Shima Onsen are known to cure 40,000 illnesses. This is also where the town got its name from, as “Shima” literally translates to 40,000 in English. In the past, many visitors came to Shima Onsen to find a cure for their ailments. At Sekizenkan, you can enjoy multiple baths that all get water straight from the hot spring sources in the town.
Let’s start with the most famous bath at this ryokan, Genroku no Yu (open from 5AM until 1AM). It was built in 1930, and instead of the usual Japanese-style interior, this bathhouse was designed in a Roman style. It’s unlike any other onsen I’ve ever been to, and due to its unique design, it was also classed as an important cultural property.
If you’re not a guest at Sekizenkan, you can still enjoy Genroku no Yu as a day guest for a fee of 1,500 yen. It’s the only bath at the ryokan that’s open for outside guests, and you can enter until 5PM.
Sekizenkan has an indoor/outdoor bath that’s open to all guests, named Morinoyu, located at the far end of the property in between the mountains. Morinoyu is open from 5AM until 11AM and again from 2PM until 1AM. The outdoor bath is made out of large rocks and surrounded by a lush garden. I’m a big fan of outdoor baths as indoor ones are often a bit too hot for me, and I absolutely adored Morinoyu’s outdoor bath. It was so relaxing. I visited during late spring, but I can only imagine how beautiful the garden must look in autumn.
Some of the rooms in Sekizenkan have private onsen baths, including the one we stayed in. There was a constant flow of fresh hot spring water and a window that opened far enough for lots of fresh air to enter the room. Even though we only stayed one night, I soaked in our private onsen three times – I definitely made the most of it! And it was wonderful!
Even though not all rooms come with a private bath, there are still options at Sekizenkan to enjoy the onsen in private. The Sanso building has two private onsen (Sanso do Yu) that are free to use for guests and can be locked from the inside. A wooden plaque outside shows whether it’s free or in use. While I didn’t try them during my stay as we had a private bath in the room, I walked past them a few times and they were unoccupied every time.
You can also book a private bath in the Kashotei building for a fee of 3,300 yen for 45 minutes. These baths are a bit more luxurious than the Sanso no Yu baths and look out over the mountain garden surrounding Kashotei.
Sekizenkan’s Dinner & Breakfast
In true ryokan fashion, Sekizenkan offers the best of the best in terms of dinner and breakfast. Depending on what building you stay in, the meal options will vary.
We got to enjoy a traditional Kaiseki dinner in a private dining room. Every course was brought in by a nakai, a ryokan waitress, who explained the courses to us.
Our Kaiseki dinner included 10 courses, including fresh sashimi, seasonal vegetables and Joshu Wagyu beef. Each course was put together beautifully and with so much care. It was a pure joy to try so many new flavours and ingredients – an unforgettable dinner that adds another layer of luxury to staying here.
Breakfast was served in the same room, which was already set up when we arrived. Again, we were able to enjoy a variety of different dishes, ingredients and flavours. The nakai explained how to best enjoy each dish before leaving us to enjoy our breakfast.
Experiences like this have easily deepened my appreciation for Japanese cuisine. Despite having travelled quite extensively through Japan, I don’t get to try these carefully crafted meals very often, and it’s always a true pleasure to get to try them. Especially in a location as beautiful and special as Sekizenkan.
Sanso Lounge Izutsu
Guests staying in the Sanso or Kashotei building also get access to the Sanso Lounge Izutsu. Opened in 2021, this VIP area can be found on the third floor of the Sanso Building.
This beautifully designed space is filled with art and books. It’s a lovely spot to sit and relax. Richard and I went in the morning after a lovely night’s sleep and a delicious breakfast. We enjoyed a cup of coffee here and had a look through the books – we were the only two people here, and it was very calming.
All drinks (including medicinal tea, black tea, coffee, juice and more) and snacks are free of charge. You can enter the lounge with a code you’ll receive at check-in. Opening times are from 2:30PM until 10PM and 8AM till 10AM.
Yakuzenya Koshin Teahouse
In front of the red bridge at Sekizenkan, you can find a medicinal teahouse Yakuzenya Koshin. If you manage to get a seat upstairs near the window, you’ll be treated to a lovely view of the ryokan.
In true Japanese fashion, they also serve a little Spirited Away treat. I was recommended to check the susu sweets out by my friend Stefania, who visited it a few months earlier. The sweets look like the soot sprites from the movie that help Kamajī. There are even some colourful kompeitō candy sprinkled on top, just like in the movie.
It’s only open on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and any public holidays from 11AM till 3PM. Inside, you can order a range of medicinal rice porridge, tea and sake. There’s a range of medicinal herbs for sale in the store too.
How to get to Sekizenkan from Tokyo?
Considering how hidden the town of Shima Onsen is, it’s relatively easy to get to from Tokyo. Even on public transport. When visiting Sekizenkan in Shima Onsen, Richard and I got on the Limited Express Kusatsu-Shima train from Tokyo to Nakanojo Station and used the 40-minute bus from there to get to Shima Onsen. It took around 2.5–3 hours. During the train and bus journey, we re-watched Spirited Away.
A cheaper alternative is the highway bus that takes you from Tokyo straight to Shima Onsen, which takes just under 5 hours.
You can also hire a car to get to Shima Onsen, making exploring nearby areas easier. If you decide to drive, you may drive on the melody road. Through small grooves in the road, the tyre friction produces certain tones while driving on them. While driving on the road leading up to Shima Onsen, you can hear Spirited Away’s “Always With Me”.
Sekizenkan Spirited Away Ryokan Review
I am so glad that Sekizenkan put Shima Onsen on my map. Staying overnight was magical, and having some time to explore the quiet onsen town the day after turned into a lovely little getaway.
Sekizenkan is one of the best ryokans I had the pleasure of staying in. Our room as incredible, with a lovely private onsen, comfortable beds, a stunning view and more than enough room to relax. I can easily imagine writing a novel here, so I’m not surprised Miyazaki was inspired by this magical inn.
If you’re looking for a unique, luxury overnight stay away from the big cities, Sekizenkan is definitely a ryokan to consider. Especially since it’s relatively easy to get to from Tokyo, it makes for a nice stopover on the way to explore more of Central Japan.