Otowa Ryokan

Otowa Ryokan is a ten-room Japanese inn in the Ei area of Awaji Island. Tatami rooms range from compact six-mat spaces to engawa rooms and two-room suites, keeping the lodging traditional and unpretentious.

The kitchen defines the stay. Whole fish and shellfish are baked with sake in ceramic for houraku-yaki, while summer hamo and three-year tiger fugu in winter give the menu a strong seasonal cycle. Seafood from the waters around Awaji anchors every version of the meal.

A large communal bath provides a simple place to unwind, but the property does not offer a natural hot spring or an elaborate bath complex. Otowa is for travelers who want an island cooking inn: tatami, regional seafood, and a dinner with a distinctive local technique.