You’ll find a hint on the second floor, at the end of the hallway running behind the Ryūjin hanging scroll, in a poem from 1950 written in traditional Chinese. Not just a poem, these are lyrics to a song. What do they say?

There is actually a shrine near Myojinkan: Susukigawa Shrine, whose inner shrine was built in 1784. Existing since long before Myojinkan’s time, Susukigawa is host to a Shinto ritual that happens once every few years: Men sing this song while carrying a sacred tree down from the mountains. The lyrics illustrate the scenery along the way from the mountain to the shrine. Lastly, it also sings of hot springs, despite the fact that the current Myojinkan was built in 1931. Said hot springs existed long before then; they say that in those days hot water gushed out into the fields. Perhaps the people who lugged the sacred trees of the Susukigawa rite washed their exhaustion away in the hot springs, just like the mighty Ama-no-Tajikarao.

This is how the natural hot springs of this region became known. Then a day came when farming villagers decided to build a hot spring spa deep within the mountains. The owners disappeared shortly after, leaving the village mayor — one of the Saitō family — to save the spa. To do so, he sold tenement houses in Matsumoto City for funds. Thus, he completed work on the current incarnation of Myojinkan. As soon as it came out that famous writers came to Myojinkan to work, its popularity exploded. There was no reservation system back then. Even if there were no vacancies, the inn could not just turn away people who hiked so deep into the mountains. They had no choice but to squeeze them into the closets and bathrooms.

Nowadays, that kind of situation is unheard of. What hasn’t changed is that Myojinkan is a place where you can soak in a hot spring, warm up by a wood fire, and eat fresh food from the mountains. The Saitō family partakes of the land in accordance with their pact with Ryūjin, maintaining the inn as a soothing place for all living creatures.

The hot spring at Myojinkan remains unchanged from the days before its discovery. They don’t use pumps, and instead use the piping required to channel the naturally gushing spring water. While the inn includes standing and lie-down baths, the water flows not from above, but gushes in quietly from below. This keeps the water’s surface undisturbed, allowing it to reflect the sky, the verdant mountains, or a snowy landscape, immersing guests fully into nature.

The owner himself is a hot-spring therapist, and he has tweaked the hot springs in many subtle areas. Of course, it’s best to not think about it too much and simply enjoy the hot water.