Mikiya West Building

Shiga Naoya and "At Kinosaki"

The Mikiya owes much of its literary fame to the novelist Shiga Naoya (1883–1971), one of the leading figures of modern Japanese literature and a central member of the Shirakaba (White Birch) literary circle. In 1913, at the age of thirty, Shiga was seriously injured when he was struck by a Yamanote Line train in Tokyo. He came to Kinosiki to convalesce and stayed at the Mikiya for approximately three weeks.

During that quiet period of recuperation, Shiga observed the deaths of three small creatures around him—a bee, a rat, and a newt—and reflected deeply on the thin line between life and death that he himself had just crossed. The short story that emerged from those observations, "Kinosaki nite" ("At Kinosaki"), is now regarded as one of the defining works of modern Japanese prose, required reading in Japanese schools and widely translated abroad.

Shiga continued to visit the Mikiya throughout his life, and over the decades the inn also welcomed other prominent cultural figures, including fellow Shirakaba writers, the folklorist Yanagita Kunio, and painters such as Yamashita Kiyoshi and Koiso Ryohei.

The 1925 Earthquake and Reconstruction

The buildings that Shiga stayed in during his 1913 visit no longer exist. On May 23, 1925, the North Tajima Earthquake (Kitatan Daishinsai) struck the region with devastating force, triggering fires that destroyed much of Kinosaki. The Mikiya collapsed in the disaster.

Rather than rebuild in a modern style, the townspeople of Kinosaki made the collective decision to restore their community in the traditional wooden architecture that had always defined it. The Mikiya was rebuilt in 1927 (Showa 2), and both the East Wing and the adjoining West Wing date from this reconstruction. The West Wing was later modified between 1946 and 1965, and most recently refurbished internally in 2013, yet its original exterior form and overall character have been carefully preserved.

The Irimoya Roof and South Façade

The West Wing is crowned with an irimoya-zukuri sangawarabuki roof—a traditional Japanese hip-and-gable form covered in pantiles. This style was widely used for refined residential and ryokan architecture in the Kansai region and contributes to the dignified yet approachable character of the inn.

On the southern side, which faces the inn's celebrated garden, the building is fitted with a long run of glass windows on both floors. The second floor features a handrail detail running along its balcony, a small but distinctive element that lightens the overall massing and allows guests a direct visual connection with the garden below.

The Guest Rooms

Unlike the East Wing, which combines a lobby and banquet functions on its ground floor with a large third-floor hall showcasing a funazoko-tenjō (boat-bottom shaped ceiling), the West Wing is devoted primarily to guest accommodation. Both the first and second floors are laid out with tatami-matted guest rooms, many of which enjoy direct views of the garden through their engawa veranda corridors.

Rooms associated with Shiga Naoya—including a guest room linked to his post-1927 stays, as well as hand-written postcards he sent to the proprietor—are preserved for guests to view, offering a tangible connection to one of modern Japan's greatest writers.

The Japanese Garden

Although the garden itself is not part of the Cultural Property designation, it is inseparable from the experience of the building. Extending to approximately 300 tsubo (about 990 square meters), this is a chisen-kaiyū, or stroll-style pond garden, which borrows the surrounding forests of Mt. Daishi as shakkei ("borrowed scenery"). A pond at its center is fed by water drawn from the Otani River, which flows just behind the inn. The garden is said to appear in much the same form in Shiga's later novel "A Dark Night's Passing" (An'ya Kōro), giving literary weight to every seasonal transformation—cherry blossoms in spring, crepe myrtle in summer, maples in autumn, and snow in winter.

The Seven Public Bathhouses (Sotoyu)

The highlight of any visit is the sotoyu-meguri, a tradition of strolling between the town's seven public bathhouses in yukata and geta. Each bathhouse has its own architectural character and associated benefit in local belief:

• Ichi-no-yu — praised in the Edo period as the finest bath in the land.
• Mandara-yu — traditionally considered the birthplace of Kinosaki Onsen.
• Goshono-yu — popular for romance and matchmaking.
• Kono-yu — the oldest of the seven, with an outdoor bath framed by forest.
• Yanagi-yu — a small bath beloved for its intimate atmosphere.
• Jizo-yu — a family-friendly bath at the town's main intersection.
• Sato-no-yu — the largest and most varied facility, with saunas and multiple bath types.

Cultural and Scenic Sites

Within a short walk from the Mikiya you will also find the Kinosaki Literary Museum (Kinosaki Bungeikan), which exhibits the work of Shiga Naoya and other writers associated with the town; Onsenji Temple, the historic guardian temple of the hot springs, reached on foot or by the Kinosaki Onsen Ropeway; and the atmospheric Otani River promenade, lined with willow trees and stone bridges. In winter, the town is renowned for its Matsuba crab cuisine, and Tajima beef is celebrated year-round.