S P O T ／ SPOT-062

Madō Onsen Ryōfū-sō Cave Tatami Rooms

磨洞温泉 涼風荘 洞窟座敷まどうおんせん りょうふうそう どうくつざしき

On a quiet road in Handa, Tsu City, an ordinary-looking hot spring inn called Ryōfū-sō hides one of the more idiosyncratic dining and lodging experiences in central Japan: tatami-floored banquet rooms set inside an actual cave. The cavity is a former quarry, dug into the local stone over decades and later converted by the inn into private rooms where guests can eat traditional kaiseki dinners — or in some packages, sleep on futons — surrounded by raw rock walls and the natural temperature regulation of underground space (around 16°C year-round). The cave rooms can be reserved for groups or, in lower-demand periods, by individual diners; the inn's hot spring is conventional but warm and clean. The atmosphere is not theatrical — there are no special-effect lights or hokey signage — just rock, lanterns, tatami, and the strange luxurious quiet of eating dinner inside a hillside. Reservations are essential, and photography inside should be confirmed with the staff. For those who treat unusual hospitality as its own attraction, Ryōfū-sō is one of Mie's quietest pieces of regional eccentricity.