SANKARA Hotel & Spa Yakushima

Yakushima is the island that inspired the forest in Princess Mononoke, and Sankara is where you sleep after you've spent the day proving that to yourself. This boutique auberge-style resort holds a Michelin Key and skips the ryokan format entirely, offering Western-style rooms with sea or forest views, a spa drawing on Thai treatments, and a restaurant that earns its keep. The trails are the real pull; Sankara is a very comfortable base camp.