Hotel Kagetsu, Tochigi

There are not so many hotels in the middle of rural areas here in Japan. And even if you can find one, they tend to be of the monotonous chain hotel variety. Hotel Kagetsu, in the heart of old town Kurobane, is reasonably priced, but is full of charm. All the guest rooms face the beautiful Naka River, with 200-year-old houses and warehouses located all along the road, and with various local foods served at breakfast. In the Edo period (1603-1868) Kurobane prospered as a business center of a river transport route between Tohoku and Edo.