You know how some meditation sessions ask you to picture a place you love? That's Hanafubuki.
When you first get there and you're properly checked in, the temptation is to settle into the tatami mats and the exquisite green tea and just let the complimentary sugar candy melt slowly on your tongue. That's great, but before that, be sure to gallivant down the river to the sea. There's a surreal, black rock coastline that looks like something between the setting of drama and the stage for a dramatic villain speech. Even on a moodily overcast day, the shallows are a curious gleam of turquoise-emerald.
Go back and snag one of the private onsens with an outdoor view, and bask in the mineral warmth and the ponderous drone of a cicada. I swear to you that the onsens are magical--the blisters on my feet just melted off, and the ache in my shoulders disappeared like it was suctioned out. Change into a yukata, and stroll languidly to a full kaiseki dinner. Roll into your futon sated and happy, and close your eyes to commit the experience to memory.