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Ryokan and onsen

Traditional Japanese lodging with kaiseki and a hot bath, the onsen towns, the baths inside the itineraries, and what to do about a tattoo.

53 ryokan and baths in 18 cities. Every place that comes from an itinerary links to its full day.

Before you book: The practical guide to ryokan and onsen. Prices are per person and include two meals, the evening runs on a fixed clock, and there is a solution for anyone who will not bathe with strangers.

Tokyo

one place

Tokyo · Tattoos

Thermae-yu, Shinjuku

A city onsen open 24 hours, a two-minute walk from Shinjuku-sanchome Station, and according to the site the water is natural spring water from central Izu. ¥3,100 Monday to Thursday and ¥3,200 on Friday, weekends and holidays, and between midnight and 06:00 there is a surcharge of ¥2,000 to ¥2,300. This is the place where you should check the tattoo rules before you come: a man with a tattoo, Japanese or a resident of Japan, does not get in at all; a foreign tourist does get in with the venue's sticker and a passport; and a woman is allowed a fashion tattoo, and above 30 by 30 centimeters she needs a sticker for ¥330.

¥3,100 · ≈ $20MapsSource

About this place and what is nearby

Kyoto

2 ryokan and baths

Kyoto · Tattoos accepted

Funaoka Onsen

A neighborhood bathhouse more than a hundred years old, about a quarter of an hour by bus from Kinkaku-ji, with wood carvings of Kyoto festivals and majolica tiles in the bathing room. ¥550, the fixed sento price in Kyoto Prefecture since April 2025, and not an onsen price. It is one of the well-known places in Kyoto that accept visitors with tattoos without covering them, including the outdoor pool and the sauna. The water is not from a natural hot spring, and this is a bathhouse and not an onsen.

¥550 · ≈ $3MapsSource

Price checked October 2026

Kyoto · Mountains

Kurama Onsen

Kyoto's mountain onsen at the northern end of the Eiden line, with an outdoor pool facing the forest. It closed during the Covid period and reopened in November 2024, so old guides still write that it is closed. Open roughly 10:00 to 21:00. It fits with the walk between Kurama and Kibune, and sits exactly at the end of it.

¥1,500 · ≈ $10MapsSource

Kobe

2 ryokan and baths
Arima Grand Hotel

Arima · Families

Arima Grand Hotel

A large onsen hotel with rooftop baths, less intimate than a small ryokan but much easier with children and with suitcases. From ¥25,000 per person including two meals. A good option for anyone who wants to try an onsen without the price of Goshobo.

¥25,000 · ≈ $158MapsSource

Photo: 663highland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)

Arima · Historic

Goshobo, Arima Onsen

A ryokan operating since 1191, one of the oldest in Japan. From ¥40,000 per person including two meals. The water here is kinsen, brown-orange iron water, and Hakone has none like it. 30 minutes from Kobe and an hour from Osaka, so it is a real onsen without leaving Kansai.

¥40,000 · ≈ $253MapsSource

Sapporo

3 ryokan and baths

Hokkaido · Hell Valley

Noboribetsu Onsen

The well-known onsen town in Hokkaido, an hour and a half from Sapporo. Nine different types of water in one town, and Jigokudani, Hell Valley, which you can walk around for free. Ryokan from ¥20,000 per person including two meals. It also works as a day trip with a day-use bath.

¥20,000 · ≈ $127MapsSource

Jozankei · Families

Jozankei Tsuruga Resort Spa Mori no Uta

Jozankei Onsen is the town bath of Sapporo, about fifty minutes by car from the center, and much closer than Noboribetsu. A resort in the forest with a Japanese and Western buffet and open-air baths. From ¥21,000 per person per night including dinner and breakfast. It works as one night within a stay in Sapporo, without moving the whole route.

¥21,000 · ≈ $133MapsSource

Takayama

2 ryokan and baths

Gero · Easy to reach

Gero Onsen Suimeikan

Gero is considered one of the three great onsen towns of Japan, and it sits on the train line to Takayama. Suimeikan is the largest in the town, from ¥37,800 per person including two meals. You can stop for a day-use bath on the way to Takayama without staying overnight at all.

¥37,800 · ≈ $240MapsSource

Gero · Free

Gero Onsen Free Baths

Along the Hida River in Gero there are free public foot baths. The open pool on the riverbank, Funsenchi, used to be a bath, but since 1 December 2021 only foot dipping is allowed. It is a way to try onsen water with no price and no commitment. A small towel is sold at any convenience store.

FreeMapsSource

Shirakawa-go

2 ryokan and baths

Shirakawa-go · Car needed

Shiramizu no Yu, Oshirakawa Onsen

A day-use onsen in Hirase, about a quarter of an hour by car from the gassho-zukuri village, with a spring flowing straight into the pools. ¥700 for an adult. The men's bath has a hinoki wood tub and the women's bath has a jacuzzi. This is the option for those who have a car, because without a car it is hard to reach.

¥700 · ≈ $4MapsSource

Shirakawa-go · Seasonal

Oshirakawa Rotenburo

An open-air bath inside Hakusan National Park, above Lake Oshirakawa. Open only from early June to early November, 7:00 to 17:00, and in July and August until 18:00. In winter the road to it is completely closed, and that is exactly the season when most Israelis come to Shirakawa-go for the light-up in the snow.

¥400 · ≈ $3MapsSource

Matsumoto

2 ryokan and baths

Matsumoto · Music

KAI Matsumoto

A ryokan of the Hoshino chain in Asama Onsen, with a live classical music concert every evening. From ¥40,000 per person including two meals. 15 minutes by bus from Matsumoto, so it fits into a Matsumoto Castle day without changing the route.

¥40,000 · ≈ $253MapsSource

Matsumoto · Low price

onsen hotel OMOTO, Asama Onsen

Asama Onsen has been the town bath of Matsumoto since the Edo period, about a quarter of an hour from the castle. From ¥9,000 per person per night including dinner and breakfast, among the cheapest in this category. This is the option for those who want a night in a ryokan without leaving the route and without paying onsen town prices.

¥9,000 · ≈ $57MapsSource

Nagano

5 ryokan and baths

Kamikochi

2 ryokan and baths

Kamikochi · After a hike

Kamikochi Onsen Hotel, day use

A free-flowing hot spring within walking distance of the Kamikochi bus terminal, which means a hot bath without leaving the valley. ¥1,000 for an adult and ¥500 for a child for day use. Open only from mid-April to mid-November, like Kamikochi itself. Two windows only: 7:00 to 9:30 in the morning and 12:00 to 15:30 in the afternoon, and reception closes half an hour before the end. There is no evening entry, so it suits those who sleep in the valley or pass through it at midday.

¥1,000 · ≈ $6MapsSource

Hakuba

2 ryokan and baths

Hakuba · Mountain view

Mimizuku no Yu, Hakuba Happo Onsen

A public bath within walking distance of Hakuba Station, with an outdoor pool that looks out on the Happo ridge and the three peaks of Hakuba. ¥800 for an adult, open every day 10:00 to 21:00, with last admission at 20:30. The water here is pH 11, among the most alkaline in Japan, and that is what gives the slippery feel on the skin.

¥800 · ≈ $5MapsSource

Price checked November 2026

Mount Fuji and Kawaguchiko

2 ryokan and baths

Fuji · View

Kawaguchiko Fuji-view Ryokan

Kawaguchiko has dozens of ryokan whose bath faces Mount Fuji. From ¥30,000 per person including two meals, and more for a room with a direct view. Important: the mountain shows itself in the morning and is covered by cloud by noon, so it is worth staying the night and not coming for the day.

¥30,000 · ≈ $190MapsSource

Fuji · Lake view

Kozantei Ubuya

A ryokan on the shore of Lake Kawaguchiko where every room faces Mount Fuji, and so does the open-air bath on the top floor. From ¥36,000 per person per night including dinner and breakfast, and that is a starting price that rises in the sakura season and in the autumn leaves season. The mountain shows itself in the morning and is covered by cloud by noon, and that is the reason to stay the night here and not come for the day.

¥36,000 · ≈ $228MapsSource

Hakone

6 ryokan and baths

Hakone · Luxury

Gora Kadan

A luxury ryokan in Gora, in the former summer villa of the imperial family. From ¥50,000 per person per night, including a kaiseki dinner and breakfast. Some rooms have a private onsen bath on the terrace, and this is the option for anyone who does not undress in front of strangers. Book half a year ahead.

¥50,000 · ≈ $317MapsSource

Hakone · Private bath

Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu

A modern ryokan with infinity baths above the Sokokura valley. From ¥35,000 per person including two meals. Every room has a private bath, so you can bathe without using a public bath at all. 15 minutes by bus from Hakone-Yumoto.

¥35,000 · ≈ $222MapsSource

Hakone · No overnight stay

Hakone Yuryo

Not a ryokan but a day-use bathhouse, and that is exactly the reason to know it. Private baths to rent by the hour, from ¥4,000 per couple, with no need to stay overnight. The cheap and practical solution for anyone who wants a private onsen for one day in Hakone. Free shuttle from Hakone-Yumoto Station.

FreeMapsSource

Hakone · Free

Hakone Free Foot Baths

At Hakone-Yumoto Station, in Gora and at several stations of the mountain railway there are free public foot baths. Ten minutes with your feet in hot water after a day of walking, without undressing and without paying. The easiest way to try the idea.

FreeMapsSource

Nikko

2 ryokan and baths

Nikko · Gorge

Kinugawa Onsen

An onsen town on the gorge of the Kinugawa River, 40 minutes from Nikko by train. From ¥22,000 per person including two meals, among the cheapest in Kanto. It rounds off a day in Nikko with a full night instead of going back to Tokyo in the evening.

¥22,000 · ≈ $139MapsSource

Kinugawa · Private bath

Asaya, Kinugawa Onsen

A ryokan more than a hundred years old in Kinugawa Onsen, about 40 minutes from Nikko. The open-air bath on the roof is the highest in the town, and there are four private baths you can reserve, which is a solution for those who do not bathe with strangers. From ¥21,000 per person per night including dinner and breakfast, and the meals are a buffet of about a hundred dishes and not a served kaiseki.

¥21,000 · ≈ $133MapsSource

Kumano and Katsuura

3 ryokan and baths

Kumano · World Heritage

Tsuboyu, Yunomine Onsen

A small stone hut on the stream that runs through Yunomine, and the only bath in the world that is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site and that you are allowed to enter and bathe in. About ¥800, thirty minutes, for one person or two, with no reservation and on a first come, first served basis. Open 6:00 to 21:30 every day. The ticket is also valid for the public bath next to it.

¥800 · ≈ $5MapsSource

Kumano · Winter only

Sennin-buro, Kawayu Onsen

Every winter a section of the Oto River is dammed off and hot water rises from the riverbed, creating a bath of 40 by 15 meters, 60 centimeters deep. Free, with no ticket and no reservation, and only from 1 December to 28 February. 6:30 to 22:00, and it changes with the weather. A swimsuit is required, and this is not a regular Japanese bath but a river.

FreeMapsSource

Niseko

3 ryokan and baths

Niseko · Luxury

Zaborin

Only 15 suites in the forest of Hanazono, each with two private onsen baths, one indoors and one outdoors in the snow. From ¥90,000 per person. This is the price of a ryokan at the highest level in Japan, and that is why it is here: so you know where the upper bar is.

¥90,000 · ≈ $570MapsSource

Niseko · Private bath

Tsuruga Bessou Moku no Sho, Niseko Konbu Onsen

A ryokan in the forest at Konbu Onsen, at the foot of Mount Yotei, about half an hour from the Niseko ski area. Some of the rooms have a private open-air onsen bath. From ¥30,000 per person per night including dinner and breakfast, and the price jumps in the ski season between December and February, which is exactly the season when most Israelis come to Niseko.

¥30,000 · ≈ $190MapsSource

Hakodate

2 ryokan and baths

Hakodate · Sea view

Umi to Hi, Yunokawa Onsen

A hotel from 2021 in Yunokawa, five minutes from Hakodate Airport, with an infinity bath on the 12th floor facing the Tsugaru Strait. In the evening you can see the lights of the fishing boats from there. Day use is ¥2,000 for an adult, 14:00 to 17:00. Day use is limited to quiet weekdays and does not run on weekends, holidays and vacation periods, so you must call ahead.

¥2,000 · ≈ $13MapsSource

Beppu

4 ryokan and baths
Suginoi Hotel

Beppu · Families

Suginoi Hotel

A giant on the hill above Beppu, with terraced baths that look out over the bay and a thermal pool for children. From ¥30,000 per person including two meals. Not a quiet ryokan but a resort hotel, and that is exactly why it is the right choice with a family.

¥30,000 · ≈ $190MapsSource

Photo: 大分帰省中 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Oita · Art

Yufuin

An onsen town with a street of galleries and cafes at the foot of Mount Yufu, 25 minutes from Beppu. From ¥28,000 per person including two meals. Quieter and more styled than Beppu, so it suits those who want an onsen without the feel of a resort city.

¥28,000 · ≈ $177MapsSource

Elsewhere in Japan

8 ryokan and baths
Nishimuraya Honkan

Kinosaki · Historic

Nishimuraya Honkan

A ryokan in Kinosaki founded in the Ansei era (1854 to 1860), with a well-kept Japanese garden and kaiseki built around Matsuba crab in winter. From ¥50,000 per person including two meals, and more in crab season between November and March. Two and a half hours by train from Kyoto.

¥50,000 · ≈ $317MapsSource

Photo: Nishimuraya Kinosaki Onsen / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Gunma · Mixed bath

Takaragawa Onsen Osenkaku

Four giant baths on a riverbank in the mountains of Gunma, among the most famous in Japan. From ¥25,000 per person including two meals. Three of the baths are mixed, and you wear a bathing gown provided on site, which makes them more comfortable for anyone who does not bathe naked.

¥25,000 · ≈ $158MapsSource

Akita · Historic

Tsurunoyu, Nyuto Onsen

The oldest ryokan in Nyuto, with thatched wooden huts and a milky white bath outdoors. From ¥20,000 per person including two meals, much cheaper than its looks suggest. There is no central heating in the old rooms, and in winter that is part of the experience.

¥20,000 · ≈ $127MapsSource

Yamagata · Winter

Ginzan Onsen

One street of hundred-year-old wooden houses on both sides of a stream, lit by gas lamps in the evening. From ¥50,000 per person including two meals, and higher in the snow. Getting there is hard: a train to Oishida and then a bus, and in winter the town is closed to cars. Book six months ahead.

¥50,000 · ≈ $317MapsSource

Gunma · Sulfur

Kusatsu Onsen

The most acidic water among the large onsen towns, with the Yubatake, the hot water field, in the middle of the square. From ¥25,000 per person including two meals. Three hours from Tokyo. There are 13 free public bathhouses there, and that is rare.

¥25,000 · ≈ $158MapsSource

Kyushu · Bath pass

Kurokawa Onsen

An onsen village in the mountains of Kyushu with no neon signs and no concrete buildings, by decision of the community. From ¥25,000 per person including two meals, among the best value in Japan. The feature: a pass for ¥1,500 that lets you enter three baths in three different ryokan, even without staying the night.

¥25,000 · ≈ $158MapsSource

Shikoku · Ancient

Dogo Onsen, Matsuyama

By tradition the oldest bathhouse in Japan, 3,000 years old, and the building from 1894 is the one that inspired the bathhouse in Spirited Away. From ¥22,000 per person including two meals. Entry to the basic bath in the bathhouse itself, Kami-no-yu on the first floor, costs ¥700 even without staying the night, and it is open 6:00 to 23:00.

¥22,000 · ≈ $139MapsSource

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