Tucked onto the coast of the Izu Peninsula, about two hours from Tokyo, Hoshino Resorts KAI Anjin is a modern hot-spring ryokan with one of the best ocean-view onsens in Japan and a story unlike any other hotel we have stayed in. It is named after Miura Anjin, the English navigator William Adams who inspired the character of John Blackthorne in Shogun, and as fans of the show we jumped at the chance to stay. If you are mapping out a wider Japan itinerary, the Izu Peninsula is a wonderful, low-key detour from the usual Tokyo–Kyoto trail. This is our honest, first-hand review of KAI Anjin: the rooms, the ocean-view onsen, the ten-course kaiseki dinner, what it costs, and whether it is worth booking.
Key Takeaways
- KAI Anjin is a modern ocean-view ryokan by Hoshino Resorts in Ito, on the Izu Peninsula, about two hours from Tokyo by train.
- It is the only KAI property with Western-style rooms, themed around Miura Anjin (William Adams), the real-life inspiration for Shogun‘s John Blackthorne.
- The top-floor onsen overlooks the Pacific, and the stay includes a ten-course kaiseki dinner with subtle British influences.
- Rates typically start from around USD $300 per night for two, including dinner and breakfast.
- Our verdict: a memorable, one-of-a-kind special-occasion stay, and our honest review is below (this was a hosted stay; all opinions are our own).
Hoshino Resorts KAI Anjin at a Glance
At a Glance
| Where | Ito, Izu Peninsula, Shizuoka, Japan (about 5 minutes from Ito Station) |
| Getting there | Around 2 hours by train from Tokyo to Ito Station, then a short taxi ride |
| Rooms | Western-style rooms, all with ocean views; we stayed in the top-floor Suite |
| Onsen | Top-floor indoor and outdoor hot-spring baths overlooking the Pacific |
| Dining | Included 10-course kaiseki dinner and a Japanese breakfast, with British touches |
| Price from | Around USD $300 per night for two, including dinner and breakfast |
| Our verdict | A unique, memorable special-occasion ryokan, well worth it |
KAI Anjin is the luxury hot-spring ryokan brand of Hoshino Resorts, a Japanese hospitality company founded in 1914 and known for blending traditional culture with modern design across more than 50 properties. There are 23 KAI ryokan around Japan, each tied to a famous onsen region, and KAI Anjin is the most distinctive of them all.
The Miura Anjin Story Behind KAI Anjin
The town of Ito is steeped in history. In the early 1600s, the English navigator William Adams, Japan’s first foreign samurai, built the country’s first Western-style sailing ships here under Tokugawa Ieyasu, who made him an advisor. Adams took the Japanese name Miura Anjin, “the Pilot of Miura”, and is sometimes called the “Blue-Eyed Samurai”. His story inspired the character of John Blackthorne in the novel and the award-winning TV series Shogun, and the whole hotel is built around it. As fans of the show, walking the same waterfront where Adams actually built his ships, and then staying somewhere that celebrates that history so thoughtfully, was a genuine thrill, and it gives KAI Anjin a sense of place that few hotels can match.
KAI Anjin is the only modern ryokan in the KAI portfolio with Western-style rooms, a nod to Anjin’s British heritage. The interiors weave traditional Japanese inn aesthetics together with nautical touches, including artwork made from materials salvaged from old ships, evoking the spirit of maritime exploration. It is also superbly located: a short walk from Anjin Memorial Park, the Tokaikan, the Matsukawa Boardwalk and Ito’s Orange Beach, and a good base for exploring more of Japan’s onsen towns and the wider Izu coast at Mt Omuro and the Jogasaki Coast.
The Rooms at KAI Anjin
Every room at KAI Anjin is Western-style and designed around the hotel’s nautical theme, with thoughtful local touches and artwork crafted from reclaimed ship materials, a subtle tribute to Miura Anjin. Crucially, every room has ocean views, which adds a real sense of luxury to the stay. Standard amenities include a flat-screen TV, electric kettle, minibar, room wear and quality bath products, with room types differing mainly in their bed configuration, from twins and doubles to triple-twin rooms for up to three guests.
We stayed in the top-floor Suite, and it was a treat. At 77 square metres it was generously spacious, with the bedroom, living area and bathroom all separated, a long desk to work or write at, and panoramic windows framing Sagami Bay and the statue marking where Miura Anjin’s first ship, the San Buena Ventura, was built. Waking up to that view, with the morning light on the water, was easily one of the highlights of the stay.
The suite came with everything expected of a luxury Western-style room, including a humidifier, fridge, mini bar, premium bath products and a traditional Japanese tea set for quiet afternoons. On arrival we were also given a lovely amenity set wrapped in traditional furoshiki fabric, a small, thoughtful cultural touch that set the tone for the kind of considered hospitality, the Japanese art of omotenashi, that runs through the whole hotel.
The Food at KAI Anjin
As at every KAI property, the stay includes both breakfast and dinner, and at KAI Anjin the menus feature fresh local seafood with an essence of Britain, where Anjin was born. The dining room itself is memorable: it is divided into individual booths for privacy and intimacy, with partitions crafted from 15 different materials, including antique books, coloured acrylic, wire and dyed fabric, for a striking, eclectic look.
Breakfast is a refined take on the traditional Japanese fisherman’s breakfast, with dishes like grilled red snapper, homemade tofu, shiitake fish cakes, ginger-simmered beef and a British-style scotch broth. It is hearty without being heavy, and a lovely way to start a slow morning.
Dinner is the showpiece. It is an elaborate 10-course kaiseki meal that changes daily and threads in subtle British influences, a clever nod to Anjin’s heritage. Over our meal we worked through a porthole-style roast beef appetiser, broiled tilefish soup with shrimp dumplings, rice-cake balls with walnut miso, matsukaze-style steamed chicken, roast duck and conger eel sushi, each course beautifully plated and served at its own unhurried pace. Everything came with freshly grated local wasabi, a regional speciality rarely found outside high-end restaurants in this area. We paired the meal with Baird craft beer from the brewery tour, and eating in our own private booth made the whole dinner feel intimate and special, easily one of the best hotel meals we have had in Japan.
Things to Do at KAI Anjin
Tour the Baird Brewery
KAI Anjin offers a “Craft Beer Brewery Tour with the Blessings of Izu”, which we joined during our stay. It starts at the Baird Brewery in nearby Shuzenji, where we toured with one of the founders, Sayuri Baird, who shared the craftsmanship behind their beers before a tasting flight. The experience then continues back at the hotel, with the beer paired through the kaiseki dinner and another to enjoy after the onsen. It is a lovely, local way to connect the hotel to the surrounding region, and the Baird story, a craft brewery founded in Izu by a couple passionate about beer, fits the Age-of-Discovery spirit of the place perfectly.
Watch the Anjin Journey Short Film
Guests can watch a free 15-minute film tracing the life of William Adams, his arrival in Japan during the Age of Discovery and how he came to teach the country to build Western-style ships. It is a great primer on the story that inspired the whole hotel.
Start the Day on the San Buena Deck
The top floor holds the San Buena Deck, a tranquil space designed to mimic a ship’s deck, with beautiful ocean views. It is the setting for energising morning exercise sessions and local breathing techniques, a calm, mindful way to begin the day.
Take Tea at the Travel Library
KAI Anjin’s Travel Library stocks teas sourced from along the very route Miura Anjin sailed from England to Japan, from black to green to herbal, all best enjoyed in a cosy armchair with a book in hand.
Soak in the Ocean-View Onsen
The onsen is the highlight of any stay here. There are two baths on the top floor, an elegant granite indoor bath and an outdoor bath open to the sea breeze, both looking out over the Pacific and both gender-separated, as is standard, with a thorough wash at the shower stations required before bathing. Soaking with that endless ocean view is genuinely special, and the light changes the whole mood: shimmering water in the morning, deep reds and oranges at sundown, and the quiet of the bath under the moon. If you can, time a soak for sunrise and another for sunset.
Afterwards, the ritual continues. You can unwind in the bath lounge on its comfortable sofas, or step out onto the San Buena Deck for the sea air, and complimentary drinks, including Baird IPA and soft drinks, are laid on to cool down with. It is exactly the kind of slow, restorative rhythm a good ryokan is built around, and after a couple of days of it we left feeling thoroughly reset.
Exploring Ito & the Izu Peninsula
While it is tempting to never leave the onsen, Ito and the wider Izu Peninsula are worth exploring. Ito is one of the area’s classic hot-spring towns, with great Pacific views, a pretty riverside, and Edo-period history at the Tokaikan, a beautifully preserved former ryokan. KAI Anjin sits a short walk from Anjin Memorial Park, the Matsukawa Boardwalk and Orange Beach, so it is easy to wander straight from the hotel.
Further afield, the Izu Peninsula is famous across Japan for its onsen towns, dramatic coastline, waterfalls and views of Mt Fuji. From Ito you are within reach of Mt Omuro and the cliffs and suspension bridge of the Jogasaki Coast, while the rest of the peninsula’s hot-spring towns make an easy, scenic add-on. Our full Izu guide below covers the best of it.
How to Book, Get There & Price
Getting there: take the JR train from Tokyo to Ito Station (around two hours, faster on the limited express), then the hotel is about a five-minute taxi ride. If you are driving, it is roughly three hours from Tokyo, and the hotel has free parking. Price: rates typically start from around USD $300 per night for two, and because the multi-course kaiseki dinner and breakfast are included, the value is strong for a luxury ryokan. Rates run higher on weekends and over Japanese holidays, so weekday stays tend to offer the best value.
KAI Anjin is a small, popular ryokan that books up well ahead, especially on weekends and over Japanese holidays.
Compare current rates and check availability for your dates, and book early to secure the top-floor ocean-view rooms.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Hoshino Resorts KAI Anjin cost?
Rates typically start from around USD $300 per night for two, and usually include the multi-course kaiseki dinner and breakfast. Prices run higher on weekends and over Japanese holidays, so weekday stays generally offer the best value.
How do you get to KAI Anjin from Tokyo?
Take the JR train from Tokyo to Ito Station, around two hours (faster on the limited express), from where the hotel is about a five-minute taxi ride.
Does KAI Anjin have an onsen?
Yes. It has top-floor indoor and outdoor hot-spring baths with views over the Pacific, fed by the Ito Onsen hot springs, and they are especially beautiful at sunrise and sunset.
What is the Miura Anjin connection?
KAI Anjin is themed around William Adams (Miura Anjin), the English navigator who built Western-style ships in Ito in the 1600s and inspired the character of John Blackthorne in Shogun. The hotel’s design, artwork and nightly film all reflect his story.
What food is served at KAI Anjin?
A 10-course kaiseki dinner of fresh local seafood with subtle British and Age-of-Discovery influences, served in private dining booths, plus a refined Japanese-style breakfast.
Is Hoshino Resorts KAI Anjin worth it?
In our experience, yes, for a special-occasion stay. The ocean-view onsen, the kaiseki dinner and the unique Miura Anjin theme make it genuinely memorable, and with dinner and breakfast included the value is strong for a luxury ryokan.
Final Thoughts: Is KAI Anjin Worth It?
Balance is at the heart of Japanese hospitality, and KAI Anjin balances tradition and modernity better than almost anywhere we have stayed. We loved this ryokan, the ocean-view onsen, the inventive kaiseki dinner, the nautical design and the Miura Anjin story that ties it all together, and it made a wonderful base for a few relaxing days in Ito.
If you are planning an Izu Peninsula trip and want one special, memorable stay, KAI Anjin is an easy recommendation. For other Hoshino Resorts and ryokan experiences, see our reviews of Hoshinoya Okinawa and the historic Hoshi Onsen Chojukan ryokan in Gunma, and for the wider region, our Izu itinerary below has everything to round out the trip. Would you stay somewhere with a story like this?
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