Ozu Gassanrō Ryokan

Ozu Gassanrō Ryokan sits on the bank of the Hiji River in the castle town of Ozu, where the medieval streetscape—stone-paved lanes, white-walled merchant houses, and the reconstructed Ozu Castle perched on a granite bluff above the river—has earned the city designation as one of Japan's Little Kyotos. The ryokan building is a traditional multi-storey structure whose river-facing rooms look directly towards the castle and the forested hillside behind it. The walk from the ryokan to the castle's main keep is under thirty minutes; Iyo-Ozu Station, served by the JR Yosan Line, is approximately a ten-minute walk.

Guest rooms follow classic Japanese formats: tatami-matted floors, low lacquered tables, futon bedding laid by staff each evening, and yukata robes provided for relaxing within the property and strolling along the riverside. Standard rooms offer garden or courtyard outlooks; river-view suites command direct sightlines to Ozu Castle across the water, a position particularly prized during the summer cormorant-fishing season. The indoor onsen draws mineral-rich water to traditional temperatures and is divided into separate sections, with natural light filtering through shoji screens.

Dining is the ryokan's signature offering: dinner is served in-room or in a communal tatami hall and follows the kaiseki format, with multiple small courses built around seasonal Ehime ingredients. Between May and September, guests can book the ukai dinner supplement, which takes guests aboard a wooden river boat to observe trained cormorants fish by torchlight—a practice continuous in Ozu for over four hundred years. Breakfast is a full Japanese spread of grilled fish, tofu, pickles, and miso soup. Staff speak limited English but are practiced at guiding international guests through the evening programme.