Tōkaikan, Historic ryokan building in Ito, Japan
Tōkaikan is a three-storey wooden building in Itō, Shizuoka Prefecture, opened in 1928 as a hot-spring inn and now run by the city as a cultural facility. Its rooms carry plant names such as Tsuta, Kikyō, Shōbu, Ran and Aoi on the ground floor, Fuji, Satsuki, Tachibana and Botan on the second, and Tsubame, Chidori, Tsuru and Kujaku around the third-floor hall with its stage. The bathhouse lion carving is by the sculptor Morita Tōkō.
The building was constructed in 1928 during the early Showa period and operated as an inn until 1997, when it transitioned to become a public viewing space. Expansions were added during its inn years in 1938 and 1949 to accommodate more guests.
The large bath's lion carving is by the sculptor Morita Tōkō. The building appears as the model for the "Itō Onsen Tōrinkan" in Yamazaki Mari's manga Thermae Romae. Rooms carry plant names such as Tsuta, Kikyō, Shōbu, Ran and Aoi on the first floor.
The building is located about seven minutes on foot from Ito Station, making it accessible and straightforward to find. Wear sturdy shoes as the wooden floors and stairs require careful footing, especially when climbing to the upper levels.
The lookout tower was added in 1949, when few tall buildings stood nearby, so guests could see Mount Amagi from it. The tower sits atop the third-floor hall, above the rooms named after birds such as the swallow, plover, crane and peacock.
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