Soak in the serenity of this sacred sanctuary – KAI’s latest onsen ryokan on shores of the Inland Sea
Welcoming guests for the first time in July, 2026, newly-opened KAI Miyajima has set a new bar for traditional Japanese ryokan-style accommodation.
With an infinity onsen pulling the calm sea in close from the horizon, an ishiburo sauna styled on a lost ancient culture from the Setouchi region and all 54 guest rooms given the special treatment of KAI Signature Rooms, this hotel is all about serenity, relaxation, peace and luxury.
KAI Miyajima marks one more step towards the KAI brand fulfilling its mission of a 30-property portfolio by 2030 known as ’30 Onsen Ryokans, 30 Onsen Cultures’. The campaign has brought some scintillating hotels to life, but this one on the archipelagic coast of Hiroshima Prefecture is set to be one of the most remarkable.
New prefecture, new culture, new guest experiences
The opening of KAI Miyajima heralds the first footstep into Hiroshima Prefecture for Hoshino Resorts. The location of this new ryokan onsen hotel just south of Hiroshima City puts KAI Miyajima not only at the water’s edge of the tranquil Seto Inland Sea, but also right at the source of a unique onsen stream.
Miyajimaguchi Onsen in the small coastal town of Hatsukaichi is a relatively unknown natural hot spring that feeds into the baths of KAI Miyajima. It is a mineral-rich water source with rare therapeutic benefits for ailments like hyperuricemia (gout) and rheumatoid arthritis.
What’s more, the region, known as Setouchi, was once famed for its unique stone ‘ishiburo’ saunas with a cultural history dating back to the 10th century. KAI Miyajima has recreated a Setouchi ishiburo sauna, drawing from archaeological excavations and historical literature to bring this ancient wellness technique to its guests.
Thanks to its direct water source of the Miyajimaguchi hot spring, KAI Miyajima has a wealth of onsen baths on its premises. Most significant is the open-air rooftop infinity onsen that looks out over the Inland Sea and creates a seamless link between the naturally heated bathwater and the gleaming Hiroshima Bay below.
There is an indoor onsen on the roof as well, which looks out over the mountains behind the hotel. Both of these baths are open to all KAI Miyajima guests.
More than half of the 54 rooms also have their own private open-air onsen baths, including the four Special Rooms that boast a 100 square metre floor plan and a separate main room with uninterrupted views across the sea.
All of the rooms at KAI Miyajima are KAI Signature Rooms, which set them a step above what you’d expect in a ryokan. Elegant touches like gradating sheer blue curtains and premium Fukuyama denim cushions, and light shades made with ‘aji glass’, which incorporates powder from Kagawa Prefecture’s high-grade aji stone, create a soft, floating sensation to the room. These Signature Rooms have been named ‘Umigiri’ or Sea Mist Rooms.
The hotel and all of its rooms have unimpeded views out across the sea and its many islands, including the important Miyajima Island and Itsukushima Shrine with its iconic ‘floating torii gate’, which guests can visit via ferry.
Dining and entertainment through cultureDinner at KAI Miyajima is as mesmerising as the rest of the hotel. Taking Hiroshima food culture and playing with it using trompe-l’oeil techniques, chefs create dishes that ‘fool the eye’. A savoury lemon and prawn tarte citron looks like a lemon meringue dessert while the actual dessert is designed to appear as a classic Hiroshima okonomiyaki.
Breakfast is a set mean built around local ingredients of the prefecture, including hiroshimakko-jiru, a comforting soup that everyone in the region grows up with.
After dinner, guests can enjoy KAI Miyajima’s interpretation of the brand’s ‘KAI Cultural Discovery’ program, which immerses its guests in the local traditions and history of the region. Each property has its own version and KAI Miyajima has a nightly performance by the ryokan staff of the Traditional Shirabyoshi Dance.
This historical dance once brought vibrant artistry to the Heian period and features female dancers clad in male court attire. It’s an elegant dance and song that speaks strongly of the heritage of the region and looks back at a time 850 years in the past.
There are so many examples of KAI’s core philosophy at KAI Miyajima. It’s luxury, but the luxury is expressed through place, craft and experience rather than ostentation.
