The massive pool at the entrance is one of the inn’s most attractive features, as the basin’s shallow pool of water beautifully reflects the blue light of the sky like a mirror. Lush greenery fills the semi-outdoor entrance area, giving it the feeling of a tropical island resort. While many hot-spring inns serve guests a welcome drink at the entrance, here visitors are escorted to an elegant Japanese tearoom where they can enjoy their refreshments in a relaxed setting.

The inn’s spacious, open interior comes as a welcome surprise to many of Bettei Otozure’s guests, and while it offers features similar to those of a contemporary five-star hotel, there is one particular custom that sets it apart. Guests are asked to take off their shoes when they’re anywhere inside the inn. Otani explained that this hot-spring tradition enables a change of mood in guests when they arrive, as taking off their shoes allows guests to feel more at home and experience a genuinely relaxing holiday.

Eight years ago, Kazuhiro Otani’s father had the idea of establishing a small, sophisticated boutique inn, and although Kazuhiro was working in a different industry at the time, he decided to help his father expand the family business with the creation of Bettei Otozure.

Growing up in a hospitality environment and raised by his Okami (female inn manager) mother, Kazuhiro learned from childhood the fundamental basis of hospitality, which is to always have honesty and consideration in one’s heart.

Bettei Otozure embodies more than just its sophisticated architecture - every single detail reflects the spirit of the Otani family that has been carried down through the generations.