A must-see for Demon Slayer fans visiting Japan, this ryokan is the basis for Muzan Kibutsuji’s iconic Infinity Castle.

With its connections to real Japanese culture and traditions, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (鬼滅の刃) has a growing fanbase who want to experience as much of the anime as possible when visiting Japan. That means that despite the COVID-19 outbreak in Japan, fans have been continuing to identify new Demon Slayer travel destinations acrross Japan. Last time we looked at the southern Japanese shrines perfect for Tanjiro Kamado fans. This time, for all of you out there who can't help but like the evil, evil Muzan Kibutsuji, we're looking at the possible inspiration for his Infinity Castle.

Introduced in the final episode of Demon Slayer's first season, Muzan Kibutsuji's Infinity Castle (異空間無限城) has captured the imagination of fans all over the world. Its M. C. Escher-esque gravity-defying walls and staircases, controlled by a traditional biwa-playing demon at the center, all look like wildly unrealistic. And of course, there's no place on this planet that functions quite like the dramatic Demon Slayer setting. But it turns out that, whether Demon Slayer creator Koyoharu Gotoge did this intentionally or not, the center of the castle looks an awful lot like a real hotel in northern Japan.

That hotel? It's the traditional onsen ryokan (hot springs hotel) at Ashinomaki Onsen, Okawaso, found in in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture.

At the center of this hot springs resort is a "floating stage" (浮き舞台), which juts out at odd angles from the rest of the building, "floating" above an indoor water feature. The surrounding wooden beams, traditional shoji paper doors, and uniquely shaped staircase all work together to form a scene that looks like it could certainly be a part of the Infinity Castle. And the stage is, in fact, often occupied by traditional Japanese musicians. The image of a lone biwa player, controlling the room with a powerful (or dare I say magical?) performance, wouldn't be out of place in the anime or this real life setting.

Fortunately, you can actually visit this unique room at the Okawaso resort, and it won't be covered in gross demon blood from the lower ranks of the 12 Kizuki, either!

The ryokan is actually known for beautiful outdoor baths filled with natural hot spring water, so you can spend the morning taking pictures around the floating stage and pretending you're a hashira ready to kill demons, and then soak away the afternoon in the relaxing onsen! Sounds like a pretty good trip to me. This spot might be in Fukushima Prefecture, but it's actually farther away from the disaster area than many more common tourist destinations, so don't miss the chance to visit Okawaso if you're traveling nearby. Let the Japankuru team know how it goes, and keep an eye out for more Japan travel info and updates on the Japankuru twitter, instagram, and facebook!