Stay Experience Database
We collect the stay reports, blog posts and room-tour videos that guests publish about each hotel, and set them next to what the hotel states on its own site. We do not score hotels, and we do not reproduce anyone’s writing — we link to it.
Almost everything guests write about these hotels is in Japanese. The pages below are written in English; the reports and videos they link to are not.
300 of the 475 properties on the Japanese site. We add them one at a time, writing each page ourselves rather than translating it automatically.
オークラ東京
A rebuilding of the Hotel Okura, which first opened in 1962, in Toranomon. It is split in two: the low-rise Heritage Wing and the high-rise Prestige Tower. The lobby of the old main building has been preserved and recreated, down to the lantern-shaped lights and the arrangement of tables that people came to photograph.
ハレクラニ沖縄
A resort on the coast at Onna, on the west side of Okinawa's main island. It is split into a Beachfront Wing and a Sunset Wing and holds several pools, one of them carrying the orchid mosaic that is the emblem of the original Halekulani in Waikiki.
アマン東京
Aman's first urban hotel, on the upper floors of Otemachi Tower and topping out on the 38th. The lobby is an atrium of roughly 30 metres, and the washi-and-stone interior is kept unusually dark for a city hotel. Every room is a suite: the smallest Garden View Suite is 71 sqm, the Aman Suite 157 sqm. All rates include breakfast and the wellness floor, with a 30-metre indoor pool and Japanese baths.
W大阪
The first W in Japan, on Midosuji, the avenue that runs through the middle of Osaka. Tadao Ando designed the exterior as a black rectangular block; inside, the hotel turns the other way and uses colour and light hard. It points somewhere different from the other luxury hotels in this book.
ザ・リッツ・カールトン日光
On the shore of Lake Chuzenji, looking out at the lake on one side and Mount Nantai on the other. It was the brand's first resort in Japan built with a hot spring, and has a communal bath in the building.
パレスホテル東京
An independent hotel facing the moat of the Imperial Palace. What sets it apart is that the water and greenery of Wadakura moat are in view directly from the rooms, some of which have balconies. The pastry shop and the bar inside draw people from the neighbourhood as much as guests.
パーク ハイアット 東京
Occupies the upper floors of Shinjuku Park Tower and has been open since 1994. Known as a film location, its top-floor bar and glass-walled pool have been landmarks since the day it opened.
セントレジスホテル大阪
On Midosuji, between Hommachi and Shinsaibashi. Every room comes with butler service, and the hotel keeps a smaller number of rooms than most city hotels of its class.
星のや東京
A tower ryokan in Otemachi, two floors below ground and seventeen above. You take off your shoes at the entrance and walk tatami corridors to your room, a layout carried through the whole building. All 84 rooms sit six to a floor around a shared ochanoma lounge. On the top floor is an open-air bath fed by the Otemachi hot spring, drawn from 1,500 metres below ground.
コンラッド大阪
On the upper floors of Nakanoshima Festival Tower West, with the rooms at around the fortieth floor. The view opens north towards Umeda and south across the rest of the city.
アマン京都
In a private forest at the foot of Takagamine, north of Kinkaku-ji. It sits away from the city, and the grounds are covered in moss and cedar. The buildings are kept low and scattered, so that walking the garden becomes part of the stay.
ウォルドーフ・アストリア大阪
The brand’s first hotel in Japan, on the upper floors of the Umekita development. It faces the park created in the redevelopment north of Grand Front Osaka, so there is greenery below you in the middle of Umeda.
パーク ハイアット 京都
A low-rise city hotel on the slope of Ninenzaka, with the Yasaka Pagoda close enough to fill a window. It keeps its room count down and its height in line with the streets of Higashiyama around it.
アマネム
A hot spring resort inside Ise-Shima National Park, on high ground looking down over Ago Bay. Low buildings are spread across the slope, and every room has its own indoor hot spring bath.
マンダリン オリエンタル 東京
A city hotel occupying the upper floors of the Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower. Every room is high up, so whichever one you take, Tokyo is laid out below. The spa and the dining rooms carry a lot of the weight here and are used by people who are not staying.
HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO
Directly opposite Nijo Castle, on the site of the Mitsui family’s own residence. You enter through the Kajiimiya gate, moved here and rebuilt, and the guest wings stand around a garden at the centre. A thermal spring drawn from under the grounds feeds the bathhouse.
ザ・リッツ・カールトン沖縄
On a hillside at Kise in Nago, with the guest wings gathered around a body of water that recalls the moat of a castle. It is not on the beach; a shuttle takes you to the private one. A golf course sits next door.
星のや沖縄
On the coast at Yomitan, ringed by a wall built in the manner of the gusuku stonework that enclosed Okinawan villages. Every room faces the sea and holds a doma — a floored space that sits half outdoors.
ザ・プリンスギャラリー 東京紀尾井町
On the upper floors of Kioi Tower, with a lobby lounge on the thirtieth looking out over the city. The green of the Imperial Palace and the Akasaka Estate fills more of the view than it does from most hotels in central Tokyo.
万平ホテル
A classic hotel in Kyu-Karuizawa, in business since 1894. It began as Kameya, an inn on the Nakasendo road, and was rebuilt for foreign guests after the missionary Alexander Croft Shaw and others stayed there. The Alps Wing, which is the face of the hotel, dates from 1936 and was designed by Kume Gonkuro, who also built the Nikko Kanaya Hotel. It was listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2018, and reopened in 2024 after a full refurbishment for its 130th year. Guests stay in one of three wings: Alps, Atago or Usui.
ROKU KYOTO
A low-rise resort at the foot of the Takagamine hills, next to the Shozan gardens. It has a communal bath fed by a natural hot spring and an outdoor pool facing the garden. Being out of the city, it is quiet in a way the centre is not.
ザ・リッツ・カールトン京都
On the bank of the Kamo river, looking across it to the Higashiyama hills. It is in the middle of the city but built low along the water, so the rooms look out onto the river and the gardens.
ザ・リッツ・カールトン大阪
Opened in Nishi-Umeda in 1997, the first of the international luxury houses in the Kansai region. The eighteenth-century English interiors run through the whole building, which sets it apart from the modern hotels that opened recently.
帝国ホテル東京
A hotel facing Hibiya Park and the Imperial Palace Outer Garden, opened in 1890 and one of Tokyo’s representative classic hotels. It is a three-minute walk from Hibiya subway station and five minutes from Ginza Station and JR Yurakucho Station, so both Ginza and Marunouchi are within walking distance. It holds four stars in the Forbes Travel Guide 2026. The main building is due to be rebuilt; the current one was completed in 1970.
ザ・ブセナテラス
A resort spread across the tip of Cape Busena, known as the site of the 2000 Okinawa Summit. The whole cape is the grounds, which is how it comes to have both a beach and an underwater observatory.
ジャヌ東京
The first hotel under Aman’s sister brand, in the Azabudai Hills development. With a large wellness floor and a run of restaurants, it aims at being a place where people gather — the opposite of the guarded quiet at Aman Tokyo.
ATAMI せかいえ
On high ground at Izusan in Atami, with every room facing the sea. Each has an open-air hot spring bath turned towards the water, and the view runs out towards Hatsushima. It keeps the number of rooms low.
フォーシーズンズホテル東京大手町
On the upper floors of a tower in Otemachi, with the view opening both towards the Imperial Palace and towards Tokyo Station. The glass-walled pool and spa sit at the very top, and swimming while looking out over the city is what stay reports come back to.
星のや富士
Concrete cabins stepped down a slope above Lake Kawaguchi. It opened as the first glamping resort in Japan, and the terrace of each cabin is the centre of the stay. How you spend your time here is designed around being outdoors.
THE HIRAMATSU 軽井沢 御代田
A grand auberge in the woods at Miyota, next door to Karuizawa. The rooms face the forest and each has its own hot spring bath. Being away from the centre of Karuizawa, there is little built up around it.
ふふ 箱根
A mountain resort ringed by the Hakone range. Every room has a hot-spring bath in a bathroom whose windows open wide — not a separate outdoor bath. The rooms use Gora onsen and the communal baths Owakudani onsen, two different springs. The buildings are kept low along the slope, so what fills the windows is green.
強羅花壇
A long-established ryokan at Gora, on the site of a former imperial family villa. The buildings step down the slope, and the long corridors and the windows keep the mountain green in view. Some rooms have their own open-air bath.
ザ・リッツ・カールトン東京
At the top of Tokyo Midtown in Roppongi, with every room high up. On a clear day the view carries as far as Mount Fuji, which is why stay reports keep returning to which way a room faces.
星のや京都
A ryokan on the water along the Oi river in Arashiyama, reached by the hotel’s own boat from the landing at Togetsukyo. There is no road to it, which makes the arrival itself part of the stay.
星のや軽井沢
A resort laid out like a village, with the rooms scattered along the water in the fold of a valley. Terraced channels run through the grounds, and you walk between the buildings to get anywhere. It has its own hot spring, called the Meditation Bath.
アンダーズ 東京
The upper floors of Toranomon Hills Mori Tower. There is no check-in desk; staff handle it in your room or in the public areas. The rooftop bar on the top floor looks straight at Tokyo Tower.
東京ステーションホテル
A classic hotel inside the Marunouchi building of Tokyo Station, opened in 1915 and connected directly to the Marunouchi South Exit. The red-brick station building is an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Marunouchi, the Imperial Palace Outer Garden and Ginza are all within walking distance. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection, and some rooms face the inside of the station’s domes, using the building’s structure as it is.
あらや滔々庵
A ryokan at Yamashiro Onsen in Kaga, run by the same family for eighteen generations since the days of the feudal domain. It is about ten minutes by car from JR Kaga Onsen Station and has a large bath drawing water straight from the source. Yamashiro is known as a place where the artist Rosanjin stayed, and Kutani porcelain kilns are scattered around it. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection.
フォーシーズンズホテル京都
Next to Myoho-in in Higashiyama, with Shakusuien — a pond garden said to be more than eight hundred years old — inside the grounds. The guest wings are arranged around it, so the water is below you from indoors.
ふふ 東京 銀座
The first city address for FUFU, which built its name in hot spring towns. It stands in Ginza 1-chome and still pipes hot spring water to the rooms. The building is made to shut out the street, given over entirely to holding on to quiet in the middle of the city.
東京エディション虎ノ門
On the upper floors of Toranomon Hills Business Tower. A lobby planted heavily with greenery and a terrace opening towards Tokyo Tower are what it is known for. The bar and the restaurants draw plenty of people who are not staying.
翠嵐 ラグジュアリーコレクションホテル 京都
On the bank of the Oi river, east of Tenryu-ji in Arashiyama. Wings kept from a Meiji-era villa stand alongside modern ones, so the building your room is in changes what the room is like. The garden makes use of the riverside setting.
JWマリオット・ホテル奈良
A hotel on Sanjo Oji in Nara, the first JW Marriott in Japan. It is about ten minutes on foot from Shin-Omiya Station on the Kintetsu Nara Line, and well placed for driving to the Heijo Palace site and Nara Park. It holds four stars in the Forbes Travel Guide 2026 and one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection, and has a Japanese garden and a tea room.
ザ・ペニンシュラ東京
On the corner at Hibiya, facing the outer gardens of the Imperial Palace and Hibiya Park head-on. The lobby lounge on the lower floors works as a place to meet, and plenty of the people in it are not staying. The rooms are generously sized all the way up.
プルマン東京田町
A hotel in Tamachi, about a minute’s walk from the east exit of JR Tamachi Station and three minutes from exit A4 of Mita subway station. It stands beside the Shibaura canals, with easy train connections to Shinagawa, Hamamatsucho and Tokyo. It is one of Accor’s Pullman hotels in Japan, has rooms facing the canal, and has a restaurant and a fitness room.
星のや竹富島
Built to the rules of the village on Taketomi Island: single-storey rooms behind gukku stone walls, along lanes of white sand, with the rooflines held down to match the island. There is no traffic light on Taketomi, and no convenience store.
あさば
A long-established ryokan at the centre of Shuzenji Onsen, with a Noh stage set across the pond. The view over the water to the stage is the image of the place, and the surface of the pond changes with the season.
川奈ホテル
A classic hotel, now 90 years old, on a rise above the sea at Kawana on the Izu Peninsula. It is known as a golf resort, with courses including the Fuji Course, laid out along the natural lie of the land. Sea-facing rooms, the lobby and the sun parlour look out on the sun rising over the Sagami Sea. The hotel also has Brisa Marina, a bathing facility with an open-air bath.
由布院 玉の湯
A ryokan standing in about 10,000 square metres of coppice woodland in the Kawakami area of Yufuin. It began in 1953 as a retreat for a Zen temple and became an inn while keeping those buildings. There are 16 rooms, each with its own garden and a cypress indoor bath fed by the same spring as the public bath. The water is a simple hot spring, weakly alkaline at pH 8.2 and clear. The public bath has both an indoor and an open-air bath on the men’s and the women’s side, and Mount Yufu is in view from the open-air one. About three minutes by car from JR Yufuin Station, and within walking distance of Lake Kinrin and the Yunotsubo shopping street. One Key in the 2026 Michelin selection.
箱根・翠松園
An all-suite ryokan on the high ground at Gora, with a wing that carries over the design of an early Showa villa. The rooms run to around 100 square metres, large for Hakone, and each has a hot spring bath.
紫翠 ラグジュアリーコレクションホテル 奈良
A hotel on Noboriji at the western edge of Nara Park, on the site of the former governor’s residence. It is a three-minute walk from the Kencho-higashi bus stop (by bus from JR Nara Station) and 15 minutes on foot from Kintetsu Nara Station. Kofukuji and Todaiji are within walking distance. The building takes its design from Japanese architecture and looks out on the green of Nara Park. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection.
シャングリ・ラ 東京
A hotel on the upper floors of the Marunouchi Trust Tower main building, facing the Nihonbashi exit of Tokyo Station. JR Tokyo Station is a minute’s walk away, and Marunouchi and Nihonbashi are both within walking distance. The rooms are on high floors with open views over central Tokyo. It holds four stars in the Forbes Travel Guide 2026 and one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection, and has a spa and a pool.
パーク ハイアット ニセコ HANAZONO
On the slopes of the Hanazono area in Niseko, with ski-in, ski-out access and rooms that face Mount Yotei head-on. It has a communal hot spring bath and a pool.
パティーナ大阪
A hotel at Bamba-cho, southwest of Osaka Castle Park, the first Patina hotel in Japan from Capella Hotel Group. It is about ten minutes on foot from Morinomiya and about eight from Tanimachi 4-chome on the Osaka Metro, close to the castle’s outer moat. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection and has restaurants and a spa. Osaka Castle Park and the Naniwa Palace site are within walking distance.
箱根・強羅 佳ら久
An east and a west wing on high ground at Gora, every room with its own open-air hot spring bath. The view runs across the Hakone range and, on a good day, out to Sagami Bay. There is a bath with a view on the top floor.
おちあいろう
A hot-spring ryokan at Yugashima in Amagi, where two rivers meet, housed in buildings registered as Tangible Cultural Properties. It has three hot-spring baths and two saunas.
はつはな
A hotel on the Sukumo river, beyond Hakone-Yumoto. Every room has an open-air hot spring bath on its terrace, fed by the hotel’s own source. Inside are two communal bathhouses and four private baths, each done differently.
ブルガリ ホテル 東京
The Bulgari hotel on the upper floors of Tokyo Midtown Yaesu. The interiors come from the brand's Italian design team, and the rooms, worked in black and gold, carry the house style over intact.
ホテル ラ・スイート神戸ハーバーランド
A hotel built around suites on the waterfront at Kobe Harborland. Most rooms have a round view bath looking out over the port, and the top three suites can only be booked by telephone. The hotel has its own restaurants and spa.
天空の森
A resort near the top of a hill in Kirishima, Kagoshima, where only five villas with their own hot-spring baths stand far apart from one another. Three are for overnight stays: Tenku, the largest on the property; Akanesasu Oka, built to face the sunset; and Rinu no Mori, wrapped in forest. The other two are for day use only. Every villa has an open-air bath looking out over the landscape. It was opened in 2004 by Tateo Tajima, who founded Gajoen at Myoken Onsen.
カペラ京都
A hotel at Komatsu-cho in Gion, Capella’s property in Kyoto, five minutes on foot from Gion-Shijo Station on the Keihan line. Kenninji and the Yasaka Pagoda are within walking distance, and Hanamikoji is close. It holds two Michelin Keys in the 2026 selection. The building draws on the design of machiya townhouses, has a Japanese garden and a spa, and its rooms face inner courtyards.
ザ・プリンス パークタワー東京
A hotel in Shiba Park with Tokyo Tower close at hand. It has the Panoramic Floor at the top of the building and a Premium Club floor with its own lounge, and rooms range up to suites of 50 to 135 sqm. Inside are a natural hot spring drawn from 1,600 metres below Shiba Park, a 25-metre indoor pool and a bowling salon.
ザ・ホテル青龍 京都清水
At the foot of Kiyomizu-dera, in a primary school building from the early Showa era that has been kept and converted. The old façade and its arched windows remain, with rooms and restaurants built inside. The building is itself part of the view around the Yasaka Pagoda.
ふふ 奈良
Beside Nara Park, near the old Daijo-in garden. A low building that Kengo Kuma had a hand in designing, with a hot spring bath in every room. One of the few places of this kind in Nara.
ふふ 軽井沢 陽光の風
A FUFU house in the woods at Karuizawa, every room with a hot spring bath. It is a separate property from FUFU Kyu-Karuizawa in the same town, and differs in both setting and how the rooms are arranged.
べにや無何有
A ryokan at Yamashiro Onsen in Kaga, with rooms set on grounds surrounded by bamboo and hot-spring water drawn to every room. It is about ten minutes by car from JR Kaga Onsen Station. Yamashiro is known for Kutani porcelain and its links to Rosanjin. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection, has a tea room and a reading room, and offers time in the garden each morning to loosen up.
坐忘林
A ryokan of detached villas in the birch woods at Hanazono in Niseko. Each villa has both an indoor and an open-air hot spring bath, and they are placed so that no villa sees another.
妙見石原荘
A hot-spring ryokan on the Amori River in Kirishima, with rooms spread over grounds of about 10,000 tsubo. It is about 15 minutes by car from Hayato Station on the Nippo Line and about 20 minutes from Kagoshima Airport. It faces a river flowing down from the Kirishima mountains and has an open-air bath on the riverbank. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection.
長楽館
A Western-style mansion in Maruyama Park, Kyoto, built in 1909 by the businessman Kichibei Murai and designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 2024. The main house is used as a café and restaurant, and guests stay in the adjoining new wing, which has only six rooms. The rooms make generous use of solid wood, and their design takes its cue from the words of Tatsuaki Kuroda, the Kyoto-born Living National Treasure.
ウェスティン都ホテル京都
A long-established hotel on a rise at Awataguchi in Higashiyama. Besides the main building it has Kasuien, a sukiya-style annex designed by Togo Murano, one of the leading architects of Japanese modernism. Its 2,100 sqm spa, fed by a hot spring drilled on the grounds, is among the largest in Kyoto and has a rooftop garden and an outdoor pool.
フォーシーズンズホテル丸の内 東京
A small hotel with few rooms, on the upper floors of a building connected to the Nihombashi exit of Tokyo Station. It is a different property from the Four Seasons at Otemachi, and different in scale and character. Some rooms look down on the Shinkansen platforms.
山形座 瀧波
A ryokan at Akayu Onsen in Yamagata. All 19 rooms have hot spring water running straight from the source. On the grounds stands KURA, a storehouse moved here and rebuilt as a modern space.
ウェスティンホテル東京
A hotel inside Yebisu Garden Place, opened in 1994. It is about seven to ten minutes from the east exit of Ebisu Station by the Ebisu Skywalk moving walkway. Its interiors recall a European mansion, and it makes an easy base for walking Ebisu and Daikanyama. It has several restaurants and a spa.
セルリアンタワー東急ホテル
A high-rise hotel in Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya, five minutes on foot from JR Shibuya Station, with airport limousine buses from both Narita and Haneda. From the floors above the 19th there are views over the city at night. It has a Noh theatre and a jazz club, several restaurants and a fitness room. The Shibuya Scramble Crossing and Dogenzaka are within walking distance.
ふふ 京都
The FUFU house in Kyoto, on the approach to Nanzen-ji, with a hot spring bath in every room. Temples and old villa grounds surround it, and it sounds nothing like the middle of the city.
丸福樓
A hotel in the Kagiyacho district of Kyoto, built into the former head office of Nintendo. Nintendo began in 1889 when Yamauchi Fusajiro opened a shop making and selling hanafuda cards, and the house traded here under the name Marufuku, which the hotel now carries. The former head office, completed in 1930, is three buildings — office, residence and warehouse — and keeps the straight lines and geometric patterns of the Art Deco style that was fashionable in early Showa Japan. A fourth building, designed under the supervision of Ando Tadao, was added, and the four together hold 18 rooms including four suites. Light meals and all drinks during a stay are included in the room rate. About 15 minutes on foot from Kyoto Station, or six from Shichijo Station on the Keihan Line.
由布院 六花
A small inn in the Kawakami area of Yufuin, where the farmland still remains. It opened in September 2018 and has just six rooms, each a detached cottage with its own open-air bath fed continuously from the spring. It stands where Mount Yufu is in view, and guests are shown from the lobby through a courtyard to their cottage. Dinner is 18:00–21:00 and breakfast 8:00–9:30. It took the Jalan Award 2021 for inns of 50 rooms or fewer in Kyushu, in the overall, dinner, breakfast and service categories.
THE HIRAMATSU 京都
A small hotel built into a Kyoto machiya townhouse at Karasuma Oike, with few rooms and food at its centre. The machiya frontage is kept as it was, with a courtyard garden and modern rooms set behind it. The brand began as a restaurant business, and it shows.
フォーシーズンズホテル大阪
On the upper floors of a mixed-use building in Dojima, the brand's first property in the Kansai region. It holds both modern floors and a "Garden Floor" done in tatami and shoji.
ふふ 日光
Next to the Nikko Tamozawa Imperial Villa Memorial Park, with a hot spring bath in every room and the greenery of the Daiya river in front of it. Toshogu is a few minutes away by car.
ふふ 河口湖
A FUFU house in the woods by Lake Kawaguchi, every room with its own hot spring bath. On the right day Mount Fuji shows itself from the rooms and the public areas, but that is entirely down to the weather.
庭園の宿 石亭
A ryokan of 12 rooms at Miyahama Onsen, across the water from Miyajima. The rooms are spread through a garden of about 1,500 tsubo and fall into three kinds: rooms in the main house, detached rooms and separate pavilions. Every room has its own bath, open-air or semi-open-air among them. Dinner is served in your room and breakfast in the dining hall. It holds two Michelin Keys in the Michelin Guide 2026.
沼津倶楽部
An eight-room inn at Senbon Matsubara in Numazu, Shizuoka. It began in 1913, when Miwa Zenbei — head of the Mitsuwa soap company and a student of tea — built a sukiya-style teahouse in about 10,000 square metres of garden, meaning to hold tea gatherings for a thousand people. Inside it are a three-mat tea room moved here from Kyoto and rooms in a mixed Japanese and Western style. In 2006 a residential wing was added, designed by the architect Watanabe Akira: rammed-earth walls layered from the sand and soil of the Fuji river, a roof of Yoshino cedar laid almost unworked, and a water basin fed by Fuji spring water. Every room looks onto the pine grove and the basin. The spa draws its water from a well on the property, from the same Mount Fuji aquifer as the Kakitagawa springs. Dinner is a course of Chinese cooking supervised by Saito Hirofumi, a Sichuan specialist.
Azumi Setoda
An inn at Setoda on Ikuchijima, on the Shimanami Kaido, in the converted Horiuchi residence of a wealthy merchant, built about 140 years ago. It is two minutes on foot from Setoda Port and about 60 minutes by car from Hiroshima Airport. Kosanji and the Hirayama Ikuo Museum of Art are within walking distance, and it makes a base for cycling. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection, runs a public bathhouse across the street, and boats to the islands of the Inland Sea leave from the port.
BYAKU Narai
An inn in Narai-juku, in Shiojiri, Nagano. Narai-juku sits exactly halfway along the 69 stations of the Nakasendo road and survives as the longest post town in Japan, its Edo-period streetscape intact. The inn occupies four historic buildings, each given back the trading name it carried from the Edo period. The main one, Toshiyoshi-ya, was the Suginomori sake brewery, founded in 1793; the others are Uehara-ya, Shimamo-ya and Kanekami-ya. There are 16 rooms, and because the existing structures were kept, no two have the same layout. The bathhouse, San-sen, draws spring water from the headwaters of the Shinano River — it is not a hot spring. The restaurant, Kura, occupies what was the brewery. Five minutes on foot from Narai Station on the JR Chuo Line.
R with Dog
A ryokan exclusively for guests with dogs at Akiu Onsen, about 40 minutes by car from Sendai Station and 15 minutes from the Sendai-minami interchange. The rooms and dining room are designed to be used together with your dog, and there is a dog run. Akiu is a hot-spring town along the Natori River gorge, long known as Sendai’s retreat, with Akiu Great Falls and Rairaikyo gorge an easy drive away.
THE KUKUNA
A hotel at Asakawa on the north shore of Lake Kawaguchi, run by Kawaguchiko Daiichi Hotel. It is divided into three wings — Daichi no To, Kaze no Wing and Tenku no Terrace — and the rooms run from 35 to 100 square metres, mostly in a style the hotel calls zashitsu: tatami laid on a resort-style floor, with a daybed and a sofa. The terrace rooms in Tenku no Terrace have a Water Terrace with an open-air hot spring bath, a foot bath and a reclining bath. There are two public baths, Ozora no Yu Hoshi and Ozora no Yu Tsuki, swapped between men and women overnight; Hoshi has a standing bath and a steam sauna, Tsuki a half-body bath and a dry sauna, and the cold baths use spring water from Mount Fuji. A garden terrace by the lake is for guests only. About ten minutes from the Kawaguchiko and Fujiyoshida expressway exits, and five minutes by bus from Kawaguchiko Station.
ザ・キャピトルホテル東急
A hotel in Nagatacho, connected directly to Tameike-Sanno and Kokkai-gijido-mae subway stations and about ten minutes by car from Tokyo Station. It stands facing the trees of the neighbouring Hie Shrine. It holds five stars in the Forbes Travel Guide 2026 and two Michelin Keys in the 2026 selection, and has Japanese and Chinese restaurants. Akasaka, Kasumigaseki and Ginza are easy to reach by subway.
ジ・アッタテラス クラブタワーズ
A resort on the high ground at Afuso in Onna, opened in June 2005 by The Terrace Hotels. There are 78 rooms in all — 74 in the tower and four forest villas — and every one is at least 52 square metres. The whole property is run as a club floor, with tea, aperitif and nightcap service and a 24-hour butler. Everything other than the guest rooms — the pool, the restaurants and the rest of the public areas — is limited to guests aged 13 and over, and the facilities are not open to anyone who is not staying. The site covers about 9,738 square metres, with an adjoining garden of about 24,961 square metres. Around 75 minutes by car from Naha Airport.
デュシタニ京都
A hotel in the temple town in front of Nishi Honganji, the first Dusit Thani in Japan, opened in September 2023. It is about twelve minutes on foot from the central exit of JR Kyoto Station, with Nishi Honganji and Higashi Honganji within walking distance. It holds four stars in the Forbes Travel Guide 2026 and one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection, and has several restaurants including a Thai restaurant.
ベネッセハウス
A combined museum and hotel on Naoshima, designed by Tadao Ando, about ten minutes by car from Miyanoura Port. Contemporary art is on permanent display in the building and on the grounds, and guests can view it outside opening hours. Naoshima is one of the stages of the Setouchi Triennale. It holds two Michelin Keys in the 2026 selection. The accommodation is split across four buildings — Museum, Oval, Park and Beach — each built differently.
名古屋観光ホテル
A long-established hotel between Fushimi and Sakae in Nagoya, and one of the city's representative hotels. Its guest floors are divided into the special Espacio floor, New Classic, Deluxe and Comfort; Espacio is made up of 54 special rooms. There are seven suites in three types, topped by the Royal Suite and the Presidential Suite, and a lounge reserved for staying guests.
定山渓鶴雅リゾートスパ森の謌
A Tsuruga Group resort at Jozankei Onsen, about 40 minutes by car from central Sapporo, with a free shuttle as well. The public bath, Mori Spa, is built high and wide with large windows, and has an open-air bath among the trees, a Finnish sauna where guests pour their own water on the stones, and a stone sauna reserved for women. Dining centres on a buffet with pizza and roasts from the oven; at dinner a plated hors d’oeuvre is brought to the table before the buffet. There is also a shabu-shabu course served in semi-private rooms. The building holds a lounge, a terrace, a small art gallery, a bar, a cigar room and a patisserie lab among other rooms. All guest rooms are non-smoking.
志摩観光ホテル ザ ベイスイート
A hotel facing Ago Bay, about three minutes from Kashikojima Station on the Kintetsu line by private transfer, or about ten minutes on foot. Every room is a suite, and it was the venue of the 2016 Ise-Shima Summit. It is run together with the classic main building of Shima Kanko Hotel. It looks out on the sunset over Ago Bay, and its restaurants are known for seafood from Ise-Shima.
有馬温泉 中の坊 瑞苑
A ryokan at Arima Onsen. Arima is said to have begun with twelve lodges built to guard the Buddha of healing, and this house carries on one of them. It is kept as a quiet place and does not accept guests under 13. Check-in is at 14:00 and check-out at 12:00, so a stay can run to 22 hours. Some rooms have an open-air bath fed by the clear radon spring; the finest of them is 138 sqm for up to six, with a twelve-mat Japanese room, a tea room, a twin bedroom and that bath. Guests may also use the baths, the viewing bath on the ninth floor, the lobby lounge and the shop at the sister hotel next door, except on days it is closed. Two minutes on foot from the bus stop.
百名伽藍
An inn facing Hyakuna Beach at Tamagusuku in Nanjo, in the south of Okinawa's main island. The building follows the rocky shoreline, so each room looks out on a different view. Most rooms are the 14 Executive Suites with balconies (68 to 85 sqm); there are also the special rooms Hakuin on the fourth floor and Tansui and Sengai on the first floor, and the Garan Annex on its own grounds. Guests must be ten or older.
インターコンチネンタルホテル大阪
A hotel next to Grand Front Osaka in Umeda, about five minutes on foot from JR Osaka Station and the Hankyu, Hanshin and Midosuji-line Umeda stations. Guests can use the pool, large bath, sauna and fitness room. Umeda’s shopping is within walking distance. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection, has several restaurants and a bar, and Kansai Airport is easy to reach by JR or limousine bus.
ふふ 旧軽井沢 静養の森
A house in the woods of Kyu-Karuizawa with a hot spring bath in every room. The stand of trees on the site was left as it was, so what a room looks onto is forest rather than the next building. A separate property from FUFU Karuizawa in the same town.
ふふ 熱海
A FUFU house on the high ground in Atami, every room with an open-air hot spring bath. What you see depends on whether you face the sea or the hills. The building is given over to rest; it takes no day visitors.
ホテル ザ セレスティン京都祇園
A hotel on Yasaka-dori in Gion. It is a ten-minute walk from Gion-Shijo on the Keihan line and twelve minutes from Kyoto-Kawaramachi on the Hankyu line, with a free shuttle bus from Kyoto Station of about ten minutes. It has a large communal bath. The Yasaka Pagoda and Kiyomizu-dera are within walking distance, and it holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection.
亀の井別荘
A ryokan in the Kawakami district of Yufuin, next to Lake Kinrin, with detached buildings set in a wood of mixed trees. It began as a villa in 1921 and later became an inn. The centre of Yufuin is within walking distance. It holds two Michelin Keys in the 2026 selection, has its own dining room and tea house, and looks out on the landscape at the foot of Mount Yufu.
富士スピードウェイホテル
A hotel next to Fuji Speedway, part of Hyatt’s Unbound Collection, about 25 minutes by car from Gotemba Station and Gotemba Premium Outlets, with a free shuttle bus. It displays motorsport material inside. It sits at the eastern foot of Mount Fuji, with the summit in view on clear days. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection, and some rooms face the circuit, so you can watch races from the hotel.
昼神温泉 石苔亭いしだ
A single-storey ryokan of 17 rooms at Hirugami Onsen, about seven minutes from the Iida-Yamamoto interchange of the Chuo Expressway and about 25 minutes by free transfer (by reservation) from JR Iida Station. It has a Noh stage with regular performances, rooms with open-air baths and a spa. Hirugami Onsen is in Achi village, known for stargazing, with night tours by ropeway.
里山十帖
An inn at Osawa in Minamiuonuma, Niigata. There are 13 rooms, one of them a detached cottage, finished in solid timber and plaster and furnished with Scandinavian vintage pieces by Finn Juhl, Arne Jacobsen and Poul Kjærholm among others. The water comes from the shared Osawa-yama source, a sodium chloride-bicarbonate spring. Because the source is only 27 degrees it is heated and circulated, with fresh spring water fed in continuously. From the open-air bath, called Amanogawa, the mountains on the Joshinetsu border are in view, including Mount Makihata. The restaurant, Sanaburi, works to what it calls local gastronomy — putting the land and culture of Minamiuonuma on the plate — and holds one Michelin star. Guests generally arrive by fixed-fare taxi from Echigo-Yuzawa on the shinkansen.
bar hotel 箱根香山
An inn in the woods at Kowakudani in Hakone, built around a bar. The bar is the first thing inside the entrance, and the rooms are arranged around it. Check-in is at 18:00, and guests are met at the bar counter with a welcome drink; the bar’s standard drinks list is included in the room rate, with some items charged. There are three baths: one facing the mountains, one with a cypress tub, and a private one where you can drink while you soak, with windows that open to make it half open-air. In the morning there is a champagne brunch in a lounge lit from above. Mount Sengen and Mount Myojogatake are in view from the building, and at the foot of the hill the Chisuji falls spread down about 20 metres of mossy rock. Five minutes on foot from the Horaien bus stop.
BUB RESORT
A glamping resort in Chosei, the only village in Chiba prefecture. Meals and activities are included in the room rate; the resort runs more than 200 activities across the year and offers more than 20 on any given day, with no booking and no extra charge. There are four room types: a cottage of 40 square metres with its own bathroom and toilet, a dome tent and a bell tent of 36 square metres each that use shared shower and toilet blocks, and an attic room of 87.76 square metres for six to twelve people. All have air conditioning, a fridge and a wood deck. The food follows a theme the resort calls totaberu — eating the land, crossed with travel — and is served as a buffet built on vegetables from the village and fish landed at nearby Ichinomiya. The operator also has sites at Yatsugatake and Tsukuba.
THE HIRAMATSU 賢島
A hotel built around its food on Kashikojima, facing Ago Bay. It has a thalassotherapy spa using seawater, and rooms looking out at the islands in the bay. Ise Jingu is within driving distance.
オリエンタルヒルズ沖縄
A resort of 14 cottages with pools on a rise in Onna. Every room has an ocean view and its own private pool. It is about 60 minutes by car from Naha Airport.
ザ・テラスクラブ ウェルネスタラソ アット ブセナ
A stay-focused property on Cape Busena at Kise in Nago, about 90 minutes by car from Naha Airport (about 75 minutes using the Okinawa Expressway). It has thalassotherapy facilities using seawater, with meals planned together with the treatments. The Busena Marine Park is close, and The Busena Terrace stands on the same cape, so you can move between the two.
ローズウッド宮古島
A resort in the Nikadori district of Miyakojima, one of Rosewood’s properties in Japan. Miyakojima is linked to Irabu Island by the Irabu Bridge, and the resort faces the East China Sea, with the island’s beaches easy to reach by car. It holds two Michelin Keys in the 2026 selection. Most accommodation is in villas, and the restaurants serve food made with Miyakojima ingredients.
仙石原温泉 きたの風茶寮
A Japanese-style auberge at Sengokuhara in Hakone, serving kaiseki that combines ingredients from Hokkaido and Hakone. It is about 40 minutes by bus from Hakone-Yumoto Station, or about two hours by highway bus from Shinjuku, one minute on foot from the Senkyoro-mae stop. Sengokuhara is a high plateau of pampas grass and museums, and the Pola Museum and the Glass Forest museum are easy to reach by car. It keeps its room count small.
大室の杜 玉翠
A hot-spring inn of just nine rooms on a rise at Yawatano in Izu Kogen, about eight minutes by car from Izukogen Station (with a transfer). Every room has an open-air bath with hot-spring water flowing straight from the source, and the inn looks down on the Sagami Sea. Mount Omuro and the Jogasaki coast are close. Dinners are kaiseki centred on Izu seafood, and the rooms are built almost like separate cottages.
熱海パールスターホテル
A hotel on the beach in Atami, right in front of the Omiya Pine. It has an open-air bath and sauna fed by its own hot spring, with an infinity bath that opens toward the sea, as well as a restaurant and a fitness room.
Casa CABaN HAYAMA
An inn at Horiuchi in Hayama, on Sagami Bay, reached by car from Zushi or Shin-Zushi Station. Hayama is known for its imperial villa and beaches, and Enoshima and Kamakura are an easy drive away. It keeps its room count small and holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection. Hayama is about an hour and a half from Tokyo by car, with seaside restaurants scattered along the coast.
hotel nansui
In Kamimachi in Kochi, on the site of the house where Sakamoto Ryoma was born. It sets out to be a place to "launder yourself", and the interiors put Japanese and Western together. There are 33 rooms: sixteen twins of 37 sqm, sixteen corner twins of 38 sqm, and one Premium Sauna Suite of 86 sqm with a sauna and a place to rest in the bathroom. Inside are the restaurant MARGINAL, a bar lounge, a terrace and a free space called Okyakuba.
HOTEL 白林 HAKODATE
A hotel in the former Russian consulate on a hill in Funami-cho, Hakodate, restored and joined by a new wellness wing. The consulate was built in 1908 by Imperial Russia. All six rooms are suites, each with its own private sauna. The hotel has French cuisine at the main dining room, Byakuya, which looks down on Hakodate harbour; Sushidokoro Funami, an eight-seat counter; and a bar.
エースホテル京都
A hotel inside Shinpuhkan at Karasuma-Oike, with Kengo Kuma involved in its design. It is connected directly to the south gate of Karasuma-Oike subway station, three stops and about six minutes from Kyoto Station. Shinpuhkan reuses the former Kyoto Central Telephone Office building and has restaurants and shops. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection. Some rooms have record players.
エスパシオ箱根迎賓館 麟鳳亀龍
A nine-villa property in a ravine at Miyanoshita in Hakone. Guests check in at an upper reception on the old Tokaido road and descend to the valley floor on a private funicular, a ride of about five minutes. The grounds cover about 44,021 square metres with about 2,184 square metres of floor space. The name refers to the four guardian creatures — kirin, phoenix, tortoise and dragon — and a dragon stands at the centre of the courtyard pond with a phoenix at the main reception. Each of the nine villas is assigned to a particular artist, and its interior is built around their work in karakami paper, plaster, kumiko joinery, sculpture, dyeing or lacquer. The water is from the Dogashima spring, fed continuously. Meals are served in the villa rather than in a dining room. About five minutes on foot from Miyanoshita Station on the Hakone Tozan railway.
ザ・サウザンド京都
A hotel about two minutes’ walk east of the Central exit of JR Kyoto Station, which marked its fifth anniversary in 2024. Breakfast is served in either of its two restaurants: KIZAHASHI (Japanese) or SCALAE (Italian).
ジ・ウザテラス ビーチクラブヴィラズ
Villas along the shore at Uza in Yomitan, each with its own pool. Every villa stands on its own, and you step from the room straight out to the water. A different proposition from The Busena Terrace, which belongs to the same group.
強羅花扇 円かの杜
A hot-spring inn at Gora in Hakone, with an open-air hot-spring bath in every room. There is a free transfer from Gora or Sounzan Station, and the Hakone Tozan Railway and cable car reach the surrounding sights. The Hakone Open-Air Museum and Gora Park are close. The building uses timber from Hida, and dinners feature Hida beef. There is also a large communal bath.
御宿 竹林亭
An inn next to Mifuneyama Rakuen at Takeo Onsen in Saga, facing a garden of 150,000 tsubo. Takeo Onsen is said to have a history of 1,300 years, and its tower gate is an Important Cultural Property of Japan. It holds two Michelin Keys in the 2026 selection. The garden is known for its cherry blossom and azaleas in spring, and guests may walk it freely.
御宿The Earth
An inn on the coast at Ijika in Toba, where every room is a suite with an open-air bath and a deck. It is about 35 minutes from Kintetsu Toba Station by free shuttle bus (by reservation). It stands in old-growth forest facing the Pacific, and Ise Grand Shrine is reachable by car. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection and has several baths; Toba Aquarium and Mikimoto Pearl Island are an easy drive.
料亭旅館 金城樓
A ryotei ryokan at Hashiba-cho on the Asano River in Kanazawa, founded in 1890 on the site of a residence of the Maeda family, lords of Kaga. It is about ten minutes by car from JR Kanazawa Station, with the Higashi and Kazuemachi teahouse districts within walking distance. Long run as a ryotei restaurant, it serves Kaga kaiseki.
星のや奈良監獄
A HOSHINOYA that opened in June 2026 in the buildings of the former Nara Prison, built in the Meiji era and designated an Important Cultural Property. The rooms are made by joining the red-brick cell blocks, and the ceilings are high. Because the structure built as a prison has been left as it is, the corridors and the placement of the windows are unlike those of any hotel. There are 48 rooms, one restaurant and one café-lounge.
東山 四季花木
An eight-room inn near Shirakawa Bridge on Sanjo in Higashiyama, about two minutes on foot from exit 2 of Higashiyama Station on the Tozai subway line. It has a private open-air bath and a rooftop terrace. It stands along the Shirakawa, within walking distance of Gion and Heian Shrine, with restaurants along Sanjo-dori nearby.
由布院別邸 樹
An inn of detached cottages on a country lane at Kawakami in Yufuin. There are 14 rooms in 13 buildings, every one of them detached, and each has its own hot spring bath — an indoor one and a half-open-air one. The cottages differ in character and are named after plants: Karin mixes Japanese and Western, Sazanka is a Western room in dark tones, Yamamomo runs a tatami room, a living room and a bedroom together. The lobby is finished in plaster and stone with layered beams and a fireplace, and there is a foot bath among the trees in the garden. Dinner is a creative kaiseki served in the dining room at 18:00 or 19:00, by reservation only. Five minutes on foot from the Yunotsubo shopping street.
ABBA RESORTS IZU ― 坐漁荘
A hot-spring inn (Zagyoso) at Yawatano in Izu Kogen, about five minutes by car from Izukogen Station on the Izu Kyuko line and around two hours 25 minutes by car from Tokyo. The rooms are arranged around a garden, and there are several hot-spring baths. Mount Omuro and the Jogasaki coast are easy to reach, and dinners are kaiseki made with Izu ingredients.
ACホテル・バイ・マリオット東京銀座
A hotel in Ginza 6-chome, the first AC Hotel by Marriott in Japan. It is three minutes on foot from Higashi-Ginza Station, five from Ginza Station and eight from Shimbashi Station, so both central Ginza and Tsukiji are within walking distance. The Kabukiza theatre and Tsukiji Outer Market are close, and Tokyo Skytree is about 15 minutes from Higashi-Ginza without changing trains.
ANAインターコンチネンタル別府リゾート&スパ
A resort at Kannawa in Beppu, about 20 minutes by car from Beppu Station and about 50 minutes from Oita Airport, with a transfer by reservation. It has a hot spring and a spa, in Kannawa, the steaming district of Beppu’s jigoku. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection, has several restaurants and looks out over Beppu Bay.
DANQOO
An inn by the sea in Kyonan, Chiba, made for staying with your dog. All ten rooms have hot-spring baths you can use with your dog, meals are served in private dining rooms, and there are two dog runs lit for use at night.
FIVE SPRING RESORT THE SHIRAHAMA
A hotel facing the sea at Nanki-Shirahama. It is all-inclusive: the rate covers breakfast and dinner, drinks through the stay including alcohol at the bar, use of the public bath, use of the hot spring pool, and parking, with some paid options alongside. There are 18 rooms across three buildings, and each room carries work by a different artist. The public bath uses spring water drawn from 1,000 m down with nothing added to it — a clear sodium bicarbonate-chloride spring. The heated hot spring pool, which the hotel says is the first of its kind in Nanki-Shirahama, is divided at depths of 120, 80 and 20 cm and can be used both before check-in and after check-out. A free shuttle runs from the airport and from JR Shirahama Station.
NOT A HOTEL AOSHIMA
Villas on the seafront at Aoshima, Miyazaki, designed by Shin Ohori of General Design. MASTERPIECE (two bedrooms, up to 8 guests) treats a terrace of more than 560 sqm as an outdoor living room, while SURF is a house for waiting on waves by the pool, a few seconds from the water.
NOT A HOTEL ISHIGAKI
EARTH is a single villa on a 3,000-tsubo plot on Ishigaki Island, designed by Sou Fujimoto. The round building has a bowl-shaped roof, so it reads as a low hill. It has four bedrooms for up to 10 guests, an infinity pool facing the sea, and a sauna lit by light falling through the water of the pool above.
Rainbow Village
Villas on the coast at Mihama, Fukui, about six minutes by car from JR Mihama Station. Every villa has an ocean view and a hot-spring bath, and each stands on its own. It faces Wakasa Bay, a base for swimming and fishing, with the Mikata Five Lakes and the Rainbow Line an easy drive. There is little light around at night, so the stars are easy to see. Wakasa Bay’s water is clear, and summer brings many swimmers.
The Shinmonzen
A hotel on Shinmonzen-dori in Gion, designed by Tadao Ando, on a street of antique dealers along the Shirakawa. Keihan Sanjo and Gion-Shijo stations are within walking distance, and so are Kenninji and Chion-in. It holds two Michelin Keys in the 2026 selection, keeps its room count small and displays contemporary art inside.
ザ レイクビュー TOYA 乃の風リゾート
A resort hotel at Toyako Onsen, about 15 minutes by car from JR Toya Station. Every room faces the lake, and there is an open-air bath on the top floor. Lake Toya is a caldera lake formed by volcanic activity and is part of the Toya Caldera and Usu Volcano Global Geopark. In summer, fireworks are launched over the lake every night and can be seen from the lake-facing rooms. There are several dining rooms, and the lakeside promenade is within walking distance.
ザ・ウィンザーホテル洞爺 リゾート&スパ
On the summit of Mount Poromoi, looking out at Lake Toya on one side and Uchiura Bay on the other. It is known as the site of the 2008 G8 summit.
ふふ 城ヶ島 海風のしらべ
A FUFU house on Jogashima, at the tip of the Miura Peninsula, facing the Pacific. Every room looks at the sea. For somewhere this close to Tokyo, a place of this kind on the open coast is rare.
屋島の宿 桃太郎
A dining ryokan on the top of Yashima in Takamatsu, taking just three groups a day. It is about 10 km from JR Takamatsu Station, reached via the Takamatsu-chuo interchange and Route 11. Yashima is known as a battlefield of the Genpei War, a plateau looking down on the Seto Inland Sea. Dogs are welcome. Yashima-ji temple and the observation points are within walking distance.
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晴鴨楼
A long-established ryokan on Toiyamachi-dori in Higashiyama, Kyoto, two minutes on foot from Kiyomizu-Gojo Station on the Keihan line and about seven minutes by taxi from JR Kyoto Station. It is a traditional Japanese building that keeps its Taisho-era design, close to the Kamo River and Gojo Bridge, with Kiyomizu-dera and Gion within walking distance. It keeps its room count small.
松籟荘
A ryokan in the Yudanaka-Shibu onsen area, in the Heion district of Yamanouchi, Nagano, at the foot of Shiga Kogen. The Jigokudani Monkey Park, known for monkeys bathing in hot springs in winter, is nearby. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection. Yudanaka-Shibu is known for its nine public baths, and the Shiga Kogen ski areas are easy to reach by car.
由布院温泉 山荘 わらび野
A hot-spring inn in the Kawakita district of Yufuin Onsen, about five minutes by car from JR Yufuin Station and about three minutes from the Yufuin interchange; the airport bus from Oita takes about 55 minutes to Yufuin Station. It stands on high ground facing Mount Yufu, with a hot spring, away from the bustle of the centre.
登大路ホテル奈良
A small hotel in Noborioji-cho, Nara, at the foot of Kofukuji, a World Heritage site. Its 13 rooms are three suites of 70 to 85 sqm, eight deluxe rooms of 40 to 43 sqm, one connecting unit of two rooms facing each other across a private corridor, and one single. The hotel has its own French restaurant.
西村屋 本館
A traditional Japanese ryokan at Kinosaki Onsen, founded in the Ansei era of the Edo period. It is a 15-minute walk from Kinosaki Onsen Station (with a free bus from the ryokan association), and about 18 minutes by car from the Toyooka-Izushi interchange. Kinosaki is known for its round of public baths, and all seven are within walking distance. It holds two Michelin Keys in the 2026 selection, has its own garden and serves kaiseki made with ingredients from Tajima.
ANAインターコンチネンタル安比高原リゾート
A resort at Appi Kogen in Hachimantai, Iwate, about five minutes by car from Appi-Kogen Station. It is next to the ski area, a base for skiing in winter and golf and trekking in summer. An ANA InterContinental property, it holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection and has restaurants and a hot spring.
GAKUTO VILLAS ガクト・ヴィラ
Villas in the Wadano forest area of Hakuba, each two-storey terrace house rented as a whole, about ten minutes by taxi from Hakuba Station or about 15 minutes on foot from the Happo bus stop. The gondola of the Happo-one ski area is close, making it a base for skiing in winter and climbing in summer.
NIPPONIA HOTEL 大洲 城下町
A hotel spread across the castle town of Ozu, using old houses scattered through the town as guest rooms. It is about six minutes by car from JR Iyo-Ozu Station (transfer by reservation) and about an hour by car from Matsuyama. Ozu Castle and Garyu Sanso are within walking distance, along streets by the Hiji River. Meals use local ingredients.
NOT A HOTEL KITAKARUIZAWA
Villas scattered through a large forest in Kitakaruizawa. IRORI (three bedrooms, up to 8 guests) is a glass-walled house built around a sunken hearth; BASE, directed by Yosuke Aizawa, has a rock bath filled with hot-spring water. One of the two IRORI houses has a dog run, so you can bring a dog.
NOT A HOTEL MINAKAMI
TOJI is a group of five villas on a hilltop in Minakami, near the source of the Tone River. SUPPOSE DESIGN OFFICE planned it as a modern hot-spring village under copper roofs laid in the traditional ichimonji style. A 15-metre infinity pool wraps around the living room, with a natural hot-spring bath, sauna and cold plunge alongside.
TAYUTA
An inn at Aitsu in Matsushima-machi, Kami-Amakusa, reached from Misumi across the Five Bridges of Amakusa, a chain of islands joined by bridges. It lies between the Ariake and Yatsushiro seas, and the area is known as a base for dolphin watching. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection, keeps its room count small and stands on grounds facing the sea. Amakusa’s churches are known as part of Japan’s hidden Christian heritage.
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キンプトン新宿東京 by IHG
A hotel in Nishi-Shinjuku 3-chome, IHG’s Kimpton in Japan, about twelve minutes on foot from the south exit of Shinjuku Station. Shinjuku Gyoen and the Yoyogi area are within walking distance, and it has a restaurant and a bar. The rooms are calmly decorated, and the Metropolitan Government Building and Shinjuku Central Park are a walk away. Shinjuku is a hub of rail lines with many airport buses.
ザ・カハラ・ホテル&リゾート 横浜
A hotel in Minatomirai, about eight minutes on foot from Shin-Takashima and Minatomirai stations on the Minatomirai Line. It is the Japanese outpost of The Kahala of Hawaii, close to Yokohama Station and Landmark Tower. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection and has restaurants and a spa. Rinko Park and the Minatomirai shopping areas are within walking distance.
フェアモント東京
A hotel in BLUE FRONT SHIBAURA at Hamamatsucho and Shibaura, opened in July 2025 as the first Fairmont in Japan. It is six minutes on foot from the south exit of JR Hamamatsucho Station, twelve from Daimon Station and ten from Hinode Station on the Yurikamome. Haneda Airport is easy to reach by monorail. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection.
レジーナリゾート箱根仙石原
An inn at Sengokuhara in Hakone where you can stay with your dog. It is about five minutes on foot from the Daigatake stop of the Hakone Tozan bus, with a free transfer, about 30 minutes by car from Gora Station and about 20 minutes from the Gotemba interchange of the Tomei Expressway. The rooms are equipped for time with dogs, and there is a dog run. Sengokuhara is one of the highest parts of Hakone and stays cool even in summer.
信州松本 浅間温泉 別亭 一花
A ten-room inn at Asama Onsen, known as Matsumoto’s retreat, about ten minutes by car from JR Matsumoto Station and one minute on foot from the Shimo-Asama Hiroba bus stop. Matsumoto Castle and the city centre are easy to reach, and it makes a base for Kamikochi. Guests can use the Asama Onsen water. Buses from Matsumoto Station run to Kamikochi and Utsukushigahara.
別邸 仙寿庵
A ryokan at Tanigawa Onsen in Minakami, with an open-air bath fed directly from the hot spring in every room. It is about 25 minutes by bus from Jomo-Kogen Station on the Joetsu shinkansen, about eight minutes by car from Minakami Station on the Joetsu line and about ten minutes from the Minakami interchange. It sits at the foot of Mount Tanigawa and holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection, with a large bath and a dining room.
別邸 音信
A ryokan at Nagato-Yumoto Onsen, with a free transfer (by reservation) from JR Nagato-Yumoto Station. It stands on the Otozure River and combines the feel of an old bathing inn with modern facilities. Nagato-Yumoto is said to be the oldest hot-spring town in Yamaguchi, and the inn holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection. It has several baths, and the riverside promenade is easy to walk.
太陽と星が輝く宿 季楽～KIRA～
A whole-house rental in Isumi, Chiba, about ten minutes by car from Kazusa-Ichinomiya Station. It has five bedrooms, an open-air bath, a pool and barbecue facilities, and is rented as a whole building. It is at the southern end of Kujukuri Beach, with the Outer Boso coast an easy drive, surrounded by sea and farmland.
洞爺湖 鶴雅リゾート 洸の謌
A Tsuruga Group resort at Sobetsu Onsen on the south shore of Lake Toya, surrounded by 56,000 square metres of garden, with 48 rooms across 12 types. They range from suites and Japanese-Western rooms with an open-air hot spring bath, through designer twins and a family room fitted out for children, to rooms where dogs can stay. The public bath, Tosen, looks out through large windows to the lake, its island and Mount Yotei, with an open-air bath, an auto-loyly sauna and a cold bath (the women’s side also has a silky bath). The water is a sodium bicarbonate-sulphate spring (hypotonic, neutral, high temperature), reheated and filtered in circulation. Carvings, prints and paintings drawing on the Ainu view of the world are placed throughout the building. About an hour and 20 minutes by car from New Chitose Airport, and about two hours from Sapporo.
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熱海・伊豆山 佳ら久（オリックスホテルズ&リゾーツ）
A hotel at Izusan in Atami, about seven minutes by car from JR Atami Station, with a transfer (first come, first served, by reservation). It stands on a slope looking down on Sagami Bay and has a hot spring. It has held one Michelin Key in 2024 and 2025 and again in the 2026 selection. There are several baths, and the rooms look out to sea.
熱海倶楽部 迎賓館
A hot-spring inn on the heights of Izusan in Atami, about eight minutes by car from Atami Station and next to Atami Golf Club. Every room has a semi-open-air bath with hot-spring water flowing straight from the source. It looks down on Sagami Bay, a little away from the town centre. On the night of Atami’s fireworks, they can sometimes be seen from the sea-facing rooms.
白浜温泉 ホテル川久
A resort hotel on the coast at Nanki-Shirahama, about ten minutes by car from JR Shirahama Station (free shuttle bus) and about ten minutes from Nanki-Shirahama Airport. Most rooms are ocean-view suites, and guests can use the Shirahama hot spring. Meals are mainly buffet-style. Nanki-Shirahama is known for Shirarahama Beach and its hot springs, about an hour from Haneda by air.
秋保温泉 茶寮宗園
A Japanese-style ryokan at Akiu Onsen, known as Sendai’s retreat, about 30 minutes by car from JR Sendai Station and 15 minutes from the Sendai-minami interchange, with a shuttle bus by reservation. It sits in the onsen town along the Natori River, with rooms arranged around a Japanese garden, and guests can use the Akiu water.
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箱根翡翠
An inn at Sengokuhara in Hakone. It is about 30 minutes from Gora Station by the sightseeing bus, about 15 minutes by taxi, and there is a paid transfer from Odawara Station. The buildings are laid out along a garden and a stream. Sengokuhara is a high plateau known for its pampas grass and scattered museums, and guests can use the hot spring inside.
雅叙苑
A ryokan at Myoken Onsen in Kirishima, about 15 minutes by car from Kagoshima Airport and from the Mizobe-Kagoshima-Kuko interchange. Its buildings are thatched farmhouses moved to the site, with sunken hearths, and it serves food made with vegetables from its own garden. It stands in the hills along the Amori River and holds two Michelin Keys in the 2026 selection. It keeps its room count small.
Dear Wan Spa Garden
A villa property for staying with your dog, on the grounds of the Resol no Mori spa resort in Nagara, Chiba. It takes ten parties a day, in two room types: VILLA twin for one to three people and VILLA fourth for three to five. Each unit has its own natural hot spring bath and a private dog run of at least 135 square metres, surfaced with wood chips that are easier on a dog’s legs. The water is a dark brown sodium bicarbonate spring drawn from 600 m below ground. Meals can be taken in the room, as a barbecue on the private terrace, or as a kaiseki course in a historic building on the grounds. About 60 minutes by car from central Tokyo.
THE HIRAMATSU 宜野座
A resort built around its food, on high ground at Ginoza on the east coast of Okinawa's main island — the opposite side from where the resorts cluster on the west coast, with little built up around it. Every room has a pool.
The Pool & Sauna Villa MOTOBU
A villa property at Shinzato in Motobu, in the north of Okinawa’s main island. There are seven separate units, each with its own private pool and a barrel sauna beside it (the saunas were completed across all seven in February 2026). Each unit is 160 square metres, with two bedrooms holding four semi-double beds and a Japanese-style room; with futons added, up to eight people can stay. Kitchen appliances and a full set of cookware, a washer and dryer, two toilets, a bathroom and a shower room are provided. There is no restaurant on site, so meals are ordered in — a breakfast box, a barbecue set and so on. About an hour and 40 minutes by car from Naha Airport, and well placed for the Churaumi Aquarium and the Bise fukugi tree lane.
TRUNK(HOTEL)YOYOGI PARK
A hotel facing Yoyogi Park in Tomigaya, Shibuya, within walking distance of Yoyogi-Hachiman Station on the Odakyu line and Yoyogi-koen Station on the Chiyoda line. It has a rooftop pool looking out over the park, and central Shibuya is within walking distance. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection and has a restaurant and a bar; park-side rooms look down on the trees.
イヌヤド ‐愛犬と宿泊する小さなホテル‐
An inn in Minoshima, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, taking just one group a day, about 20 minutes on foot from Hakata Station and about 12 minutes by taxi from Fukuoka Airport. The whole house is rented, and it is designed for staying with your dog. Nakasu and Tenjin are easy to reach.
オーベルジュ ときと
An auberge at Nishiki-cho in Tachikawa, within walking distance of JR Tachikawa Station, offering a stay built around its food. Tachikawa is the hub of the Tama area, about 30 minutes from Shinjuku on the JR Chuo line, and Showa Kinen Park is within walking distance. It keeps its room count small and holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection.
スミスのいえ長生
A whole-house rental in Chosei village, Chiba, about 17 minutes by car from JR Mobara Station. It has hot-spring water piped in, and dogs are welcome. It is in the southern part of Kujukuri Beach, with the coast an easy drive, about an hour and a half from Tokyo by car, surrounded by farmland and pine woods.
せとうちリトリート 青凪
An auberge of seven rooms, converted from a museum Tadao Ando designed. The architecture — concrete and reflecting pools — is the subject of the stay.
ホテル プレミアム・レイク トーヤ
A hotel on the shore of Lake Toya at Toyako Onsen, inside the Shikotsu-Toya National Park. There are 18 rooms: 16 standard rooms (11 deluxe twins, three deluxe doubles, one superior double and one executive twin) plus one Deluxe Suite and one Premium Suite. Every room faces the lake and every room has a bath fed continuously from the hot spring. The public bath looks out to the lake through a large window and has a reclining bath, a sauna and a cold bath. The water is a calcium-sodium sulphate spring (hypotonic, weakly alkaline, low temperature), reheated at source. To keep the place quiet, children under 12 are not accepted. About ten minutes from JR Toya Station by free shuttle.
ホテル四季の館箱根芦ノ湖
A 30-room inn on high ground at Moto-Hakone, overlooking Lake Ashi, reached by bus from Odawara Station, with a free transfer by reservation. Rooms have open-air baths and are finished in hinoki cypress. Hakone Shrine and the Hakone Checkpoint are close, and the Lake Ashi sightseeing boats are an easy drive. It has its own restaurant and sits in one of Hakone’s higher areas, surrounded by woods by the lake.
レジーナリゾート富士 Suites&Spa
A resort in the forest at the foot of Mount Fuji where you can stay with your dog. It is about 20 minutes by car from Kawaguchiko Station on the Fujikyu line. The rooms are suites, each with a terrace, and there is a spa. Lake Kawaguchi and Lake Sai are easy to reach by car, and on clear days Mount Fuji is in view.
ワンスイート ザ・グランド
An inn on Kouri Island where every room has an ocean view, about 100 minutes by car from Naha Airport and connected to the main island by the Kouri Bridge. The island’s beaches are about ten minutes by car. The stay is built around its cuisine, and it holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection. It keeps its room count small. Kouri Island is known for the view of its bridge and the colour of its sea.
別邸 天降る丘
An inn on high ground in Higashikata, Ibusuki, taking just eight groups a day, about 15 minutes by car from JR Ibusuki Station. Ibusuki is known for its sand baths, in an area looking across Kinko Bay to Sakurajima and Mount Kaimon. It keeps its room count small. Ibusuki is near the southern tip of the Satsuma Peninsula, about an hour and a half by car from central Kagoshima.
強羅花壇 富士
Opened by Gora Kadan on 20 July 2025 at Subashiri in Oyama, on the eastern foot of Mount Fuji. All 42 rooms are suites, three of them detached villas. The communal baths, fed by a natural alkaline spring from below the grounds, have both indoor and open-air pools, and the heated swimming pool is set so that the window runs out towards Fuji. There is a golf course on the grounds.
旅亭 半水盧
An inn of separate villas at Unzen Onsen, with 14 sukiya-style villas on about 5,000 tsubo, each with its own garden. It is about 90 minutes by bus or 55 minutes by taxi from JR Isahaya Station. Unzen was the first area in Japan to be designated a national park and is known for its steaming jigoku. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection and has a hot-spring bath; Unzen’s walking trails are a short walk away.
有馬温泉 旅湯 アブリーゴ
A whole-house rental at Arima Onsen, one of Japan’s three oldest hot springs, about five minutes on foot from Arima-Onsen Station on the Kobe Electric Railway, close enough to walk the Yumoto-zaka streets. The building is rented to one group and has hot-spring water piped in. Its name means ‘hideaway’ in Portuguese. Arima is known for its two waters, Kinsen and Ginsen, and is about 30 minutes by car from central Kobe.
雪ニセコ
A hotel in Niseko Hirafu, about 15 minutes by car from JR Kutchan Station. Every room has a kitchen and a washing machine, suited to longer stays. Hirafu is the heart of the ski area, drawing visitors from Japan and abroad in winter. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection, is kept quiet inside, and looks out toward Mount Yotei and Annupuri.
BUB RESORT Yatsugatake
A resort in Kiyosato, Takane-cho, Hokuto, on the southern slopes of Yatsugatake, about 30 minutes by car from JR Kobuchizawa Station, with a transfer by reservation. Activities during the stay are included at no extra charge. Kiyosato is high up and known as a summer retreat, and Yatsugatake and Seisenryo are easy to reach by car.
Cocolo OCEAN＜淡路島＞
A whole-house rental at Tonouchi on Awaji Island, about four minutes by car from the Hokudan interchange of the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway and about 50 minutes from Kobe Airport. The building is rented to one group, and dogs are welcome. It is on the west coast of Awaji, an area looking out over the Akashi Strait.
JWマリオット・ホテル東京
A hotel in Takanawa, opened in October 2025, connected directly to JR Takanawa Gateway Station and three minutes on foot from Sengakuji Station on the Asakusa and Keikyu lines. It is the first JW Marriott in the Tokyo area. Shinagawa Station is close, making the shinkansen and Haneda Airport easy to reach. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection, has restaurants and a spa, and its rooms are on high floors with open views over the city.
MUWA NISEKO
A residence-style resort in Niseko Hirafu, about 120 minutes by car from New Chitose Airport. It has direct access to the slopes and a wellness facility. Niseko is known for its snow, and in summer it is a base for rafting and climbing. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection. The rooms have kitchens.
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NOT A HOTEL FUKUOKA
An urban property in the residential streets of Yakuin, Fukuoka, made up of eight rooms with different characters. Every room has a private sauna; some add a study, others a bar counter. The PENTHOUSE on the top floor has a rooftop terrace with an outdoor kitchen and a fireplace.
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NOT A HOTEL NASU
A group of private villas on the Nasu highlands, designed by Makoto Tanijiri's SUPPOSE DESIGN OFFICE. Each house is built around a different idea: MASTERPIECE (three bedrooms, up to 10 guests) has a pool cantilevered out over the plateau, CAVE sets its cold plunge in a dim, cave-like room, and THINK adds a detached study. Every house has its own sauna and fireplace.
sankara hotel & spa 屋久島
An auberge in the Mugio district of Yakushima, about 40 minutes by car from Yakushima Airport and 25 minutes from Anbo Port. It is on the southeast of the island and makes a base for the cedar forests and Yakusugi Land. Part of Yakushima is a World Natural Heritage site. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection and has a restaurant and a spa; Shiratani Unsuikyo and Ohko Falls are reachable by car.
Yufuin Luxury Villa -zakuro-
An inn of separate villas in the Kawaminami district of Yufuin Onsen, taking just three groups a day, about five minutes by car from JR Yufuin Station. Every room is a suite with an open-air hot-spring bath, designed for two. The villas stand apart, so your path rarely crosses other guests’. Yufuin is a hot-spring town in a basin in central Oita, facing Mount Yufu.
インターコンチネンタル横浜 Pier 8
A hotel on Shinko Pier in Yokohama, about ten minutes on foot from exit 4 of Bashamichi Station on the Minatomirai Line and twelve minutes from Minatomirai Station. It is attached to a cruise terminal, and harbour-facing rooms look out over the port of Yokohama. The Red Brick Warehouse and Yamashita Park are within walking distance. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection and has restaurants and a bar.
ザ・プリンス さくらタワー東京、オートグラフ コレクション
A hotel in Shinagawa and Takanawa, about three minutes on foot from the Takanawa exit of JR Shinagawa Station and about five from Takanawadai Station on the Asakusa line. It is part of the Autograph Collection, and guests can use the sauna and gym. It holds four stars in the Forbes Travel Guide 2026 and has restaurants. Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa and a Japanese garden share the grounds.
ユサンディ
Five pool villas at Fukai, in the north of Ishigaki island. They sit on about 20,000 square metres of ground that was left as close to its natural contours as possible, so each villa has a garden of a different character. The architect was Dan Norihiko. Interiors are minimal and white, and the walls use Ryukyu limestone, the stone of Shuri Castle and the island’s field walls. Four of the five are one-bedroom villas for two adults, with two semi-double beds pushed together and a gazebo with a daybed in the grounds. Bath amenities are by Aromatherapy Associates of Britain. The restaurant serves breakfast and dinner, the latter Italian cooking built on Ryukyu ingredients. The name means dusk in the language of Okinawa.
一 能登島
A sushi auberge on Notojima, about eleven minutes by car from Wakura-Onsen Station and about 13 minutes from the Wakura interchange of the Nanao-Tatsuruhama bypass. It faces Nanao Bay and has a hot spring. Notojima has an aquarium and a glass museum and is linked to the mainland by two bridges. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection, serves sushi-centred meals and keeps its room count small.
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伊豆高原オーベルジュ ベルエキップ La Belle Equipe
An auberge in the Ike district of Izu Kogen, about five minutes by car from Izukogen Station on the Izu Kyuko line. Every room has an open-air bath, French cuisine is served, dogs are welcome, and there is a garden. Mount Omuro and the Jogasaki coast are an easy drive. It keeps its room count small.
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別府温泉 べっぷ昭和園
A traditional Japanese ryokan in the Otobaru district of Beppu Onsen, founded in 1926, with eleven detached cottages on about 6,000 tsubo, each with its own hot-spring bath. It is about five minutes by car from Beppu Station and about 15 minutes from the Beppu interchange of the Higashi-Kyushu Expressway, with a transfer by reservation. Beppu is one of Japan’s great hot-spring towns, with eight onsen areas known as Beppu Hatto.
富士ビューホテル
A resort hotel at Katsuyama, south of Lake Kawaguchi, part of the Fujiya Hotel chain, about ten minutes by taxi from Kawaguchiko Station. It has a garden of about 30,000 tsubo and faces Mount Fuji head on. The lake cruise and ropeway are easy to reach by car, and the hotel has a restaurant and a garden you can walk.
富士河口湖温泉 湖南荘
A hot-spring inn at Funatsu on Lake Kawaguchi, close to Kawaguchiko Station on the Fujikyu line and about 4 km from the Kawaguchiko interchange of the Chuo Expressway. It has a large bath and an observation foot bath with views of Mount Fuji, and rooms face either the mountain or the lake. Meals are served in your room, and the lakeside path is a short walk away.
旧軽井沢KIKYOキュリオ・コレクションbyヒルトン
A hotel in Kyu-Karuizawa, the first Curio Collection by Hilton in Japan, about five minutes from Karuizawa Station by free guest shuttle or about 15 minutes on foot. Kyu-Karuizawa Ginza is within walking distance, in an area of holiday villas. It has a restaurant, and Kumoba Pond and the villa district are easy to explore on foot. Kyu-Karuizawa has been a summer retreat since the Meiji era.
東山ニセコビレッジ・リッツ・カールトン・リザーブ
A Ritz-Carlton Reserve hotel at Niseko Village, connected directly to the ski resort. There is a free shuttle bus from Kutchan Station and it is about ten minutes by taxi from Niseko Station; in winter, ski buses run from New Chitose Airport and Sapporo. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection, has restaurants and a spa, and looks out toward Mount Yotei.
柊家
A ryokan on Fuyacho street, in business since the end of the Edo period. Many writers stayed here, Kawabata Yasunari among them. The rooms divide between the sukiya architecture of the main house and a newer wing with modern fittings.
由布院温泉 朝霧のみえる宿 ゆふいん花由
A hot-spring inn on high ground in the Kawakita district of Yufuin Onsen, about a minute by car from the Yufuin interchange and about seven minutes from JR Yufuin Station, with a free transfer by reservation. It faces Mount Yufu directly, and guests can use its alkaline water of pH 9.2. In the misty season you can look down on the fog-filled basin.
箱根小涌園 天悠（藤田観光リゾート）
A hot-spring inn at Ninotaira in Hakone, with an open-air hot-spring bath in every room and an infinity-style hot spring looking down on the valley. It is right by the Tenyu bus stop, with a shuttle bus from Gora Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway. The Hakone Open-Air Museum is close, and there are several dining rooms.
黒川温泉 旅館 山河
A ryokan on the Tanohara River at the lower end of Kurokawa Onsen, about 50 minutes by bus from Aso Station. Kurokawa is known for its pass that lets you visit the public baths, and this inn is a little away from the centre. Guests can use the Kurokawa water, and there are open-air baths. A riverside road links it to the centre of town.
1 Hotel Tokyo
A hotel in Akasaka with direct access from its grounds to exit 12B of Tameike-Sanno subway station, served by the Ginza, Namboku, Chiyoda and Marunouchi lines. It belongs to a lifestyle brand built around environmental care, with plenty of planting inside. Akasaka, Roppongi and Toranomon are within walking distance, and it holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection.
AKARI東山二条
An apartment-style hotel at Higashiyama-Nijo in Kyoto, about ten minutes on foot from Keihan Sanjo Station and about 15 minutes from Gion. Rooms have a kitchenette and cookware, suited to longer stays. Heian Shrine, Nanzen-ji and the Okazaki area are within walking distance. The building has only a few rooms, and the Tozai subway line makes it easy to get around the city.
INOVE VILLA OSAKA
A whole-building rental at Matsugaeda-cho in Kita-ku, Osaka, five minutes on foot from exit 9 of Minami-Morimachi and Osaka-Temmangu stations. It offers 120 square metres for one group, suited to staying with several people. Osaka Tenmangu Shrine and the Tenjinbashi-suji shopping street are within walking distance, and Umeda is easy to reach by subway. The surrounding area keeps a down-to-earth, old-town feel, with many places to eat.
Solana富士山中湖
Trailer-style accommodation by Lake Yamanaka, about 22 minutes by car from Fujisan Station and about five minutes from the Yamanakako interchange. Each room is a separate trailer, looking out toward Mount Fuji and the lake. Lake Yamanaka is the largest of the Fuji Five Lakes and, being high up, stays cool in summer. The lakeside paths and the viewpoints for ‘Diamond Fuji’ are reachable by car.
ホテルグランバッハ熱海クレッシェンド
A hotel at Izusan in Atami, renovated in August 2024, with rooms that have hot-spring baths and look down on Sagami Bay and the town of Atami. It is about 15 minutes by car from JR Atami Station. Izusan is the area around Izusan Shrine, on high ground a little away from central Atami. It keeps its room count small and serves seasonal food.
仙台 秋保温泉 迎賓館 櫻離宮
An inn of separate buildings on the Natori River at Akiu Onsen, about 15 minutes by car from the Sendai-minami interchange of the Tohoku Expressway and about 40 minutes from central Sendai, with a shuttle bus from the east exit of JR Sendai Station by reservation. The rooms combine Japanese and Western styles, some with open-air baths, and it faces the gorge.
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伊豆長岡温泉 三養荘（プリンスホテルズ&リゾーツ）
A ryokan at Izu-Nagaoka Onsen run by Prince Hotels & Resorts, with some of its buildings registered as Tangible Cultural Properties. It is about 26 km from the Numazu or Nagaizumi-Numazu interchanges via the Izu-Jukan Expressway, with a transfer. Rooms have free-flowing hot-spring baths, and dinner is kaiseki. The grounds include a Japanese garden. Izu-Nagaoka is known for its links to Minamoto no Yoritomo, and Shuzenji is an easy drive.
南阿蘇 野ばらINN
A small inn at Kawayo in Minami-Aso, about 40 minutes from the Kumamoto interchange of the Kyushu Expressway via Routes 57 and 325. It serves course meals made with local ingredients, and has one room where dogs are welcome. It is inside the Aso caldera, so you will need a car, and it looks out on the outer rim and grasslands of Aso.
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天からの贈り物 Villa Montpetre（ヴィラ モンペトル）
A villa-style inn at the foot of the Kirishima mountains, about five minutes by car from Kirishima Shrine and about 40 minutes from Kagoshima Airport. The rooms are separate buildings with hot-spring baths, and French cuisine is served. It is surrounded by forest within the national park.
富士河口湖温泉 秀峰閣 湖月
A hot-spring inn on the north shore of Lake Kawaguchi, about ten minutes by car from Kawaguchiko Station on the Fujikyu line. Every room and the open-air bath face Lake Kawaguchi and Mount Fuji directly. The north shore is known for views of Fuji reflected in the lake, and Oishi Park is close. It has a large bath and serves seasonal food.
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愛犬と楽しむ温泉旅館 鬼怒川 絆
A hot-spring ryokan at Kinugawa Onsen where you can stay with your dog, five minutes on foot from Kinugawa-Onsen Station on the Tobu line. The building and rooms can be used with your dog, and the rooms have hot-spring baths. Kinugawa is an onsen town of inns along a gorge, and Nikko Toshogu is reachable by car, as are the Kinugawa river cruise and Tobu World Square.
愛犬と泊まれる宿 D＋KIRISHIMA
A hot-spring inn in the Kirishima onsen area where you can stay with your dog, one minute on foot from the Shioyu Onsen bus stop (about 30 minutes by bus from Kagoshima Airport) and about 15 minutes by car from Kirishima Shrine. The rooms have open-air baths fed directly from the source, and there is a dog run. It sits at the foot of the Kirishima mountains and keeps its room count small.
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扉温泉 明神館
A ryokan at Tobira Onsen in the mountains of Matsumoto, about 40 minutes by car from the Matsumoto interchange, with a free shuttle bus from Matsumoto Station. A member of Relais & Châteaux, it is known for its standing bath beside the mountain stream. It is close to the trailheads for the Utsukushigahara plateau and holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection. There are several baths, and meals use local ingredients.
旅亭 嵐月
A ryokan on the bank of the Oi River in Arashiyama, 15 minutes on foot from JR Saga-Arashiyama Station, seven from Randen Arashiyama and ten from Hankyu Arashiyama. Tenryuji and the Togetsukyo Bridge are within walking distance, and so is the bamboo grove of Sagano. It serves seasonal kaiseki and keeps its room count small, a little away from central Arashiyama.
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有馬山叢 御所別墅（ごしょべっしょ）
A hot-spring inn deep in Arima, surrounded by the nature of the Arima area, with ten rooms on about 1,400 tsubo. There is a transfer from Arima-Onsen Station on the Kobe Electric Railway, about 30 minutes by rail from Shin-Kobe Station. The rooms are suites, and guests can use the Arima water. Arima is one of Japan’s three oldest hot springs.
熱海温泉 古屋旅館
A hot-spring ryokan in Higashi-Kaigan-cho, Atami, with 220 years of history. It is about five minutes by taxi or 13 minutes on foot from JR Atami Station, and three minutes on foot from Atami Sun Beach. It draws free-flowing hot-spring water, serves meals in your room, and added rooms with open-air baths in 2026. There are several baths in the house.
HOTEL みなと-MINATO-
A hotel in Nishi-Azabu, one minute on foot from the Nishi-Azabu crossing and nine minutes from Roppongi Station. Its rooms are on the larger side, with Japanese-modern interiors, and it keeps its room count small. Roppongi, Hiroo and Ebisu are within walking distance, in an area full of restaurants.
THE HIRAMATSU 熱海
A hotel built around its food, on the high ground in Atami. Every room has a bath fed by the hot spring, and the view is over Sagami Bay. The brand began as a restaurant business, and dinner sits at the centre of the stay.
アルカナ イズ
An auberge on the Kano River at Yugashima in Izu, surrounded by the Amagi mountains, reached by car from Shuzenji Station. The stay is built around its cuisine, and the rooms are spread across the grounds. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection. Amagi is known as the setting of Yasunari Kawabata’s The Dancing Girl of Izu.
いろりの湯宿 別邸 藤屋
A hot-spring inn at Shioya in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima, five minutes on foot from JR Onoura Station (the inn suggests using its transfer, as the way is uphill). It has free-flowing hot-spring water and a dining room with sunken hearths, and dogs are welcome. Miyajima is reachable by ferry. It keeps its room count small, in an area facing the Seto Inland Sea.
おやど 開花亭
An inn of separate cottages in the Kawakami district of Yufuin Onsen, about five minutes by car from JR Yufuin Station. Each cottage has two rooms of eight and seven tatami mats and its own open-air bath. The buildings stand apart, so you rarely meet other guests. Yufuin is a hot-spring town in a basin in central Oita, with many small inns built around separate cottages.
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かげつ別邸～The ONE～
A hot-spring inn at Isawa Onsen where you can stay with your dog, about five minutes by car or 20 minutes on foot from JR Isawa-Onsen Station and about ten minutes from the Ichinomiya-Misaka interchange of the Chuo Expressway. The building and rooms can be used with your dog. Isawa is in the Kofu basin, among vineyards and wineries, and Kofu and the Katsunuma wineries are an easy drive.
ギャリア・二条城 京都 by バンヤン・グループ
A hotel at Ichinocho in Nakagyo-ku, near Nijo Castle, two minutes on foot from Nijojo-mae Station on the Tozai subway line and about twelve minutes by car from JR Kyoto Station. It is Banyan Group’s Garrya brand, within walking distance of Nijo Castle, a World Heritage site, and close to the Imperial Palace and Nishijin. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection and has a restaurant.
ザ・レイクスイート湖の栖（グランベルホテルズ&リゾーツ）
An inn at Toyako Onsen, the annex of Toya Sun Palace Resort & Spa, about 20 minutes by car from JR Toya Station. The rooms look out on Lake Toya, and there is a spa. Lake Toya is a caldera lake formed by volcanic activity, with Mount Usu and Showa-shinzan nearby. There are several dining rooms, and the lakeside promenade is within walking distance.
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ジバナ宮古島
An inn in the Ikemasoe district of Irabu Island, connected to Miyakojima by the Irabu Bridge and reachable by car from Miyako Airport. It faces the East China Sea, with Shimoji Island’s 17END and Toguchi Beach an easy drive away. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection, keeps its room count small and looks out over the sea.
ホテルシギラミラージュ＜宮古島＞
A hotel within Shigira Seven Miles Resort in the Ueno district of Miyakojima, reached by shuttle bus from Miyako Airport. The resort brings together a golf course, a hot spring and beaches, linked by transfers. It has several restaurants, and the rooms look out to sea. Miyakojima is connected to the surrounding islands by the Irabu and Kurima bridges.
下湯原温泉 わんこと泊まれる宿 わんこあん
A hot-spring inn at Shimo-Yubara in Okayama’s Yubara Onsen where you can stay with your dog. All five rooms have an open-air bath and a foot bath. It is about 30 minutes by taxi from Chugoku-Katsuyama Station on the JR Kishin line and about five minutes from the Yubara interchange. Yubara is known for Sunayu, a riverside open-air bath. The building and rooms can be used with your dog.
全室露天風呂付客室 仙石原温泉 センチュリオン箱根別邸
A 13-room hot-spring inn at Sengokuhara in Hakone, with an open-air bath in every room. It is about 25 minutes by car from Hakone-Yumoto Station and about 25 minutes from the Gotemba interchange of the Tomei Expressway. Sengokuhara is a high plateau of pampas grass and museums, and Owakudani and the Pola Museum are easy to reach by car.
宮島潮湯温泉 錦水館
A ryokan on Miyajima, the island of Itsukushima Shrine, beside the Omotesando shopping street. It is about ten minutes by ferry from Miyajimaguchi Station and about five minutes on foot from the Miyajima pier. It has rooms with semi-open-air baths and a rooftop terrace, and added suites with hot-spring baths in 2025. Guests can use the Miyajima Shioyu hot spring.
山翠ニセコ
A hotel in the centre of Niseko Hirafu, about 20 minutes by car from JR Kutchan Station, within walking distance of the ski gondola. It keeps its room count small, in an area looking towards Mount Yotei, and holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection. There is a lounge, and restaurants cluster nearby. Niseko draws visitors from Japan and abroad.
強羅 月の泉
A nine-room inn at Gora in Hakone, each room with its own open-air hot-spring bath. It is reached by taxi from Gora Station, or about five minutes on foot from Naka-Gora Station on the cable car. Gora is halfway up the Hakone mountains, and the railway and cable car reach the surrounding sights. Gora Park and the Hakone Open-Air Museum are an easy drive.
強羅温泉 自家源泉掛け流しの宿 強羅環翠楼
A 14-room inn of Japanese-style rooms in Gora, Hakone, three minutes on foot from Gora Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway. It draws free-flowing water from its own hot spring and serves kaiseki. The Hakone Open-Air Museum, Gora Park and Owakudani are easy to reach, and it has a large bath.
愛犬と微笑む温泉リゾート ウブドの森 伊豆高原
A hot-spring resort at Futo in Izu Kogen where you can stay with your dogs, about ten minutes by car from Izukogen Station and about 105 minutes via Route 135 from the Odawara interchange of the Odawara-Atsugi Road. It accepts large dogs and more than one dog. The Jogasaki coast and Mount Omuro are close. It has a dog run, and the rooms and dining room can be used with your dog.
有馬温泉 天地の宿 奥の細道
A hot-spring inn in the Oyashiki district of Arima Onsen, with a free transfer from Arima-Onsen Station and the bus stop, and about five minutes on foot from the Arima Onsen ropeway station. Dishes are finished in front of you, and guests can use the Arima water. It is a little away from the centre of the onsen streets.
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有馬温泉 橋乃家別館 嵐翠
A small Japanese inn on high ground at Arima Onsen, close to the onsen streets. The usual route is from Shin-Kobe Station by Kobe Electric Railway to Arima-Onsen Station. It serves Japanese kaiseki and guests can use the Arima water. It keeps its room count small and stays quiet. Arima is known for its two waters, Kinsen and Ginsen.
木曽御岳温泉 つたや季の宿 風里
A hot-spring inn on the Kaida highlands in Kiso, at about 1,200 metres, about 30 minutes by bus from Kiso-Fukushima Station, on Route 361. The area looks out toward Mount Ontake, and the Kiso horse village is close. It has a hot spring and stays cool even in summer. It keeps its room count small and serves food made with Shinshu ingredients.
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源泉掛け流し露天風呂付全室離れの宿 旅籠 彩くら
An inn of separate cottages in Kokonoe, Oita, about five minutes by car from Bungo-Nakamura Station on the JR Kyudai line. Every room is a separate cottage with a free-flowing open-air hot-spring bath. Kokonoe is an area of the Kuju mountains and the Handa highlands, and the Kokonoe ‘Yume’ Suspension Bridge is an easy drive. It keeps its room count small and serves local food.
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由布院 蔓蕩蒼 - Matousou -
An inn taking just three groups a day in the Nakagawa district of Yufuin, about three minutes on foot from JR Minami-Yufu Station and about five minutes by car from the Yufuin interchange. It is away from central Yufuin, surrounded by fields and mountains, and keeps its room count small. Minami-Yufu is one stop before Yufuin on the JR Kyudai line.
箱根芦ノ湖温泉 和心亭 豊月
An inn on the shore of Lake Ashi, just east of Hakone Shrine, renovated in July 2024. It is reached by bus or taxi from Hakone-Yumoto Station, with a transfer from the Moto-Hakone and Moto-Hakone-ko bus stops. It looks out on the lake, has a hot spring and serves kaiseki. Hakone Shrine is within walking distance.
鬼怒川渓翠
A resort at Kinugawa Onsen, opened in December 2022, with an open-air hot-spring bath and balcony in every room. It is about three minutes on foot from Tobu World Square Station and about ten minutes by car from Kinugawa-Onsen Station (with a transfer). The Kinugawa gorge spreads out in front. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection, and Nikko and Kawaji Onsen are easy to reach by car.
AZUMA FARM Koiwai
An inn in the forest of Koiwai Farm in Shizukuishi, about 30 minutes by car from Morioka Station. The stay is built around the life of the farm, at the foot of Mount Iwate. Koiwai Farm is a private farm founded in the Meiji era, and some of its buildings are Important Cultural Properties. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection, and the farm’s lone cherry tree and Kamimaru cowsheds are within walking distance.
DOGGYWOOD 淡路島＜淡路島＞
An inn for guests with dogs at Nagasawa on Awaji Island, about ten minutes by car from the Hokudan interchange of the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway. It opened in July 2024 and accepts large dogs with no limit on numbers. Each building stands apart, and there is a dog run. Awaji is about an hour from Kobe by car.
ENOWA YUFUIN
An auberge in the Maruo district of Yufuin, about five minutes by car from JR Yufuin Station, with rooms and dining spread across large grounds at the foot of Mount Yufu. Its cuisine is built around fermentation and farming, using vegetables from its own farm. It holds two Michelin Keys in the 2026 selection and keeps its room count small.
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THE HIRAMATSU 仙石原
A hotel built around its food, in the woods at Sengokuhara in Hakone. The hot spring runs straight from the source, and the rooms face the forest. Both the water and the landscape differ from Gora, on the other side of Hakone.
お宿うち山 伊豆高原 全室露天風呂付き隠れ宿
An inn in the Ike district of Izu Kogen where every room has an open-air bath, about eight minutes by car from Izukogen Station on the Izu Kyuko line, and about 90 minutes from the Atsugi or Numazu interchanges. The baths look out to the distant sea. Mount Omuro and the Jogasaki coast are close, and Izu Kogen’s museums are an easy drive. Meals are served in your room, and it keeps its room count small.
シギラベイサイドスイート アラマンダ ＜宮古島＞
An all-suite hotel within Shigira Seven Miles Resort in the Ueno district of Miyakojima, reached by shuttle bus from Miyako Airport. Guests can use the resort’s hot spring, golf course and beach. It is on the south coast of the island, with Kurima Island an easy drive. It has restaurants and a pool, and there are transfers between the resort’s facilities.
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パルコール嬬恋リゾートホテル
A highland resort at Baragi Kogen in Tsumagoi, directly connected to its own ski slopes. It is about 70 minutes by car from the Usui-Karuizawa interchange and about 50 minutes from the Ueda-Sugadaira interchange. It is high up and known as a place to see seas of cloud and starry skies. In summer it is a base for golf and activities.
フォレストヴィラ 南総の丘
Villas at Shirahama in Minami-Boso, about 25 minutes by car from JR Tateyama Station and about five minutes from the Awa-Shirahama highway bus stop. Each villa stands on its own with a terrace and a dog run, built for staying with dogs. It is at the southern tip of the Boso Peninsula, mild all year, on the Boso Flower Line, with the Nojimazaki Lighthouse and the coast an easy drive.
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ホテル椿山荘東京
A hotel set in a garden at Sekiguchi in Bunkyo, on the Mejirodai slope. The garden was laid out in 1878 by Yamagata Aritomo, who bought a scenic spot then known as Tsubakiyama; most of it was lost to air raids in 1945, and it was rebuilt by transplanting more than ten thousand trees, reopening in November 1952 as a garden restaurant called Chinzanso. In 1992 the Four Seasons Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo opened on the same grounds, and in 2013 the two were merged into what is now Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo. Rooms run from the 45-square-metre Prime Superior to the 280-square-metre Imperial Suite, and suites of 60 square metres and above come with the executive lounge. Since 2020 the garden has carried a mist installation called Tokyo Unkai, which changed in July 2026 to a new version. Entry to the garden is limited to people using the hotel. About ten minutes on foot from Edogawabashi Station on the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line.
ラ・ドッグリゾート 伊豆高原 全室露天付き客室と部屋食の愛犬の宿
A resort at Yawatano in Izu Kogen where you can stay with your dog, with an open-air bath in every room and meals served in your room. It is about ten minutes by taxi from Izukogen Station. The Jogasaki suspension bridge and Mount Omuro are an easy drive. The building and rooms can be used with your dog, and it keeps its room count small.
ルーシーキキ 伊豆高原 ウェルカムベビー ファミリー 全室露天風呂付き客室の宿
An inn at Yawatano in Izu Kogen with an open-air bath in every room, about five minutes by car from Izukogen Station. Meals are served in your room, and it has facilities for families with babies and small children. Mount Omuro and the Jogasaki coast are close. It keeps its room count small and serves kaiseki made with Izu ingredients.
京蘭ー幻月邸
A whole-house rental in Higashi-Kujo, south of Kyoto Station, about five minutes on foot from Kyoto Station and from Kujo subway station. It has an open-air rock bath and a bar counter and is rented as a whole building. It is about 90 minutes from Kansai Airport by public transport, and Toji and Kyoto Tower are within walking distance.
伊豆高原 城ケ崎温泉 花吹雪
A hot-spring ryokan at Yawatano in Izu Kogen, ten minutes on foot from Izukogen Station on the Izu Kyuko line. Its rooms, private baths and dining rooms are scattered through a forest. It is about 120 minutes from the Atsugi interchange of the Tomei via the Odawara-Atsugi Road. The Jogasaki coast is close, and the area’s museums and walking paths are within reach on foot.
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伊豆高原 離れ御宿 夢のや
An inn of six separate cottages at Futo in Izu Kogen, about five minutes by taxi from Izukogen or Jogasaki-Kaigan Station (transfer available). Each room has a semi-open-air bath with doors that open and close. The Jogasaki suspension bridge and Mount Omuro are an easy drive. Meals are served in the room, and the inn is surrounded by woods.
十勝まきばの家 Winery&Villas
Villas at Ikeda in Tokachi, about seven minutes by car from JR Ikeda Station and about 40 minutes from Obihiro Station. There is a winery on site, and food and drink during the stay are included. Ikeda is known for its town-run winery, in the east of the Tokachi plain. Each villa stands on its own, and meals use Tokachi produce.
指宿温泉 いぶすき秀水園
A Japanese-style ryokan in the Yunohama district of Ibusuki Onsen, with a transfer from JR Ibusuki Station and about 50 minutes by car from the Taniyama interchange of the Kyushu Expressway. It serves kaiseki made with Satsuma ingredients, and guests can use the hot spring. Ibusuki is known for its sand baths and is a base for Mount Kaimon and Lake Ikeda.
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旅籠Hatago 香乃蔵 （旧名：湯亭 香乃蔵）
An inn of separate cottages in the Kawanishi district of Yufuin Onsen, about ten minutes by car from JR Yufuin Station. Each cottage stands on its own with an open-air bath, and meals use seasonal ingredients. It is away from the centre of Yufuin, surrounded by farmland.
有馬温泉 四季の彩 旅篭 客前料理と全室金泉露天付の湯籠り宿
An inn of six rooms at Arima Onsen, each with an open-air bath of Kinsen water, renovated in March 2023. It is about nine minutes on foot from Arima-Onsen Station on the Kobe Electric Railway and about ten minutes by car from the Nishinomiya-kita interchange of the Chugoku Expressway. Meals are finished in front of you, and the onsen streets are within walking distance.
河口湖温泉寺 露天風呂の宿 夢殿
An inn of separate buildings at Kawaguchiko Onsen, every room with an open-air bath, about five minutes by car from Kawaguchiko Station on the Fujikyu line. It is on the south shore of Lake Kawaguchi, an area looking across the lake to Mount Fuji. The Fuji Five Lakes and Fuji-Q Highland are easy to reach by car, as are the lake cruise and ropeway.
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由布院温泉 おやど 二本の葦束
An inn of separate cottages in the Kawakita district of Yufuin Onsen, with 13 cottages on about 4,500 square metres, about seven minutes by car from JR Yufuin Station. All the baths, including the open-air ones, are used privately. The grounds are wooded, with the cottages spaced well apart.
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由布院温泉 湯富里の宿 一壷天
A hot-spring inn in the Kawakami district of Yufuin, about seven minutes by car from the Yufuin interchange and about five minutes from JR Yufuin Station. Its interiors combine antiques with contemporary furniture. Lake Kinrin and Yunotsubo Kaido are a short drive away, and guests can use the hot spring. It keeps its room count small and stays quiet inside.
町家ホテル 町の踊場
A hotel in a machiya townhouse at Hyotan-machi in Kanazawa, about twelve minutes on foot from JR Kanazawa Station, with the Kazuemachi teahouse district and Omicho Market within walking distance. The rooms face a garden and have private hot-spring baths. It is in central Kanazawa but set back from the street in a quiet spot.
箱根料理宿 弓庵
A ten-room inn at Ninotaira in Hakone, with seven rooms in the main building and three in the annex, every one with an open-air bath. There is a transfer from Chokoku-no-Mori Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway or the Kowakien bus stop. The Hakone Open-Air Museum and Kowakudani are close. Dinner is kaiseki served to staying guests, and the house is kept quiet.
箱根芦之湯 松坂屋本店
A long-established inn at Ashinoyu in Hakone, founded in 1662 and depicted in a woodblock print by Hiroshige. It is about 25 minutes by car from Hakone-Yumoto Station, high up along the old Hakone road, and Lake Ashi and Owakudani are easy to reach. It has hot-spring baths; Ashinoyu is one of the seven historic hot springs of Hakone. It keeps its room count small.
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芦ノ湖温泉 匠の宿 佳松
A seven-room inn on the shore of Lake Ashi, near the site of the Hakone checkpoint. It is a sukiya-style building, and each room has its own open-air bath. It is reached by bus or taxi from Hakone-Yumoto Station. The lake cruises, Hakone Shrine and the cedar avenue of the old highway are close, and the lakeside path is a short walk away.
貴船 右源太
An inn at Kurama-Kibune-cho in Kyoto, close to Kibune Shrine, reached by bus from Kibuneguchi Station on the Eizan Railway. In summer the area sets up kawadoko dining platforms over the Kibune River, and it is cooler than the city. A mountain path leads to Kurama-dera. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection. The road up from Kibuneguchi Station is a steady climb, and the summer kawadoko and autumn leaves draw crowds.
逆さ富士を望む湖畔の絶景宿 湖楽おんやど富士吟景
An inn on the shore of Lake Kawaguchi in the Asakawa district, about five minutes from Kawaguchiko Station by transfer (at set times). It looks across the lake to Mount Fuji, and on clear days you can see the mountain reflected in the water. The rooms include separate cottages, and there is a hot-spring bath. The lakeside path is a short walk away.
遠刈田温泉 別邸 山風木
An inn at Togatta Onsen in Zao, about 40 minutes by bus from Shiroishi-Zao Station on the Tohoku shinkansen. It has a hot spring and sits at the foot of the Zao mountains. The Okama crater lake and kokeshi doll workshops are close, and in winter it is a base for the ski areas. It keeps its room count small and stays quiet.
GOOD NATURE HOTEL KYOTO（グッド ネイチャー ホテル キョウト）
A hotel on Kawaramachi-dori just south of Shijo, about two minutes on foot from exit 4 of Kyoto-Kawaramachi Station on the Hankyu line. It is designed with the environment and health in mind and has WELL certification. Nishiki Market, Gion and the Kamo River are within walking distance, and it has a restaurant and a shop. Shijo-Kawaramachi is Kyoto’s main shopping district and a transport hub.
Hotel La Neige（ホテル ラ・ネージュ）
A resort hotel in the Wadano forest at Happo, Hakuba, with free transfers from JR Hakuba Station and the Hakuba Happo bus terminal, and about 60 minutes by car from the Azumino and Nagano interchanges. Each room is decorated differently, and French cuisine is served. It makes an easy base for skiing and climbing on Happo-one.
K5
A hotel in Kabutocho, Nihonbashi, Tokyo, about five minutes on foot from both Nihombashi and Kayabacho stations on the Tokyo Metro, and about seven minutes by taxi from the Yaesu side of Tokyo Station. It keeps its room count small; every room has a record player, and the largest, the K5 Suite, is 80 sqm with a kitchenette. There is a restaurant, bars and a café on site. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection.
OSTERIA SINCERITA
An auberge taking just three groups, at Akayu Onsen, the annex of the ryokan Yamagata-za Takinami, about eight minutes by car from JR Akayu Station. The rooms have open-air baths and saunas. Akayu is in Nanyo, among vineyards and wineries, and the auberge holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection. It serves Italian cuisine and stands apart from the main Takinami building.
2 videos
Ryokan 尾道西山
An inn at Sannami-cho in Onomichi, about ten minutes by car from JR Onomichi Station and about five minutes from Higashi-Onomichi Station. Onomichi is a port town of slopes and lanes, a base for Senko-ji and the Shimanami Kaido. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection, keeps its room count small and looks out over the sea and islands of the Seto Inland Sea. Onomichi is also known as a setting for films and anime.
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SIMOSE ART GARDEN VILLA
A museum and villas in one, on the coast at Otake, Hiroshima, about ten minutes by car from JR Kuba Station, with a transfer by reservation. The villas, designed by the architect Shigeru Ban, line the Seto Inland Sea, each with a different design. Guests can use the museum. Miyajima is reached by car and ferry. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection.
The Aoyama Grand Hotel
A hotel in Kita-Aoyama, Tokyo, on the site of the former Bell Commons building. The rooms are done in mid-century modern throughout and are generously sized: 32 sqm for a standard, 39–41 for a superior, 46–48 for a deluxe, 51 for the two-room premium twin and 56–61 for a suite. There is a gym and shower room for guests only. Eating and drinking covers a lot of ground: an all-day dining room, a Japanese counter, an Italian restaurant and a rooftop bar on the top floor, an Edomae sushi counter, and a lunch-only tonkatsu room supervised by Kuroki Jun of the Tokyo restaurant Kurogi. Three minutes on foot from exit 3 of Gaienmae Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line.
5 videos
UMITO ATAMI HONTEI（旧：UMITO VOYAGE ATAMI）
An inn on the coast at Kami-Taga in Atami, every room with its own ocean-view hot-spring bath. It is about 13 minutes by taxi from Atami Station, or three minutes on foot from the Akao Forest stop on the Tokai bus to Ajiro. It stands on a slope facing Sagami Bay, away from the town centre, keeps its room count small and looks out on the bay and Hatsushima. Meals use Izu ingredients.
イラフ SUI ラグジュアリーコレクションホテル 沖縄宮古＜伊良部島＞
A hotel on Irabu Island, about 20 minutes by car from Miyako Airport over the Irabu Bridge, with a free transfer by reservation from both Miyako and Shimojishima airports. It is a Luxury Collection hotel on the sea. Irabu is linked to Miyakojima by bridge, and 17END and Toguchi Beach are close. It has restaurants and a pool, and the rooms look out to sea.
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グランシャリオ北斗七星135°＜淡路島＞
An inn on a hill at Kusumoto in the north of Awaji Island, about three minutes by car from the Awaji interchange (with a shuttle bus) and about ten minutes from Iwaya Port. The rooms are spread across the hilltop, and with little light around, the stars are easy to see. Awaji is linked to Honshu by the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, an easy drive from Kobe. Each building stands apart, and meals use Awaji ingredients.
5 videos
ハシェンダ ヴィソン ホテル
A hotel within VISON, a commercial resort in Taki, Mie, connected directly to the Seiwa-Taki and Taki-VISON Smart interchanges of the Ise Expressway, about 20 minutes to Ise Grand Shrine by expressway. It opened in August 2024 with design supervised by The Conran Shop, and holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection. VISON brings together restaurants and shops.
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バンヤンツリー・東山 京都
A hotel at Seikanji Ryozen-cho in Higashiyama, opened in summer 2024 as Banyan Tree’s first property in Japan, about 20 minutes by car from JR Kyoto Station. It stands at the foot of the Higashiyama hills, close to Kodai-ji and Kiyomizu-dera, and holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection. The rooms are set along the slope, and there is a spa. A taxi is the easiest way from Kyoto Station.
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五島リトリート ray by 温故知新
An inn at Kamisakiyama-machi on Fukue Island in the Goto Islands, about ten minutes by car from Fukue (Goto Tsubaki) Airport. Goto’s churches are part of a World Cultural Heritage site, and the islands are a landscape of coastline and hills. Run by Onko Chishin, it holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection, keeps its room count small and serves food made with Goto ingredients. Getting around is mainly by car, and ferries run from Fukue to the other islands.
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京都祇園 柚子屋旅館
An eight-room inn on the south side of Gion, right next to Yasaka Shrine, close to the Gion city bus stop and reached on route 206 from Kyoto Station. The stay is built around its food. Yasaka Shrine and Maruyama Park are next door, and Kiyomizu-dera and Kodaiji are within walking distance.
伊豆山温泉 ホテルニューさがみや
A hot-spring inn at Izusan in Atami, about five minutes by car from JR Atami Station. Every room faces Sagami Bay, and there are three private open-air baths free to use. Izusan, home to Izusan Shrine, is on high ground a little away from central Atami. Meals use produce from the mountains and the sea.
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強羅温泉 強羅花扇
A hot-spring inn at Gora in Hakone, where every room has an open-air bath fed from its own source, known for a building made with Hida timber. There is a free transfer from Gora or Sounzan stations. Gora is halfway up the Hakone mountains, close to the Hakone Open-Air Museum and Gora Park. Dinner is Kyoto-style kaiseki, and there is a large communal bath. The Hakone Tozan Railway runs from Gora down to Hakone-Yumoto.
汀渚 ばさら邸
An inn on high ground at Ago-cho in Shima, looking out over Ago Bay, about five minutes by car from Kintetsu Kashikojima Station (free transfer). It is within Ise-Shima National Park, with the Yokoyama observation point and the Pearl Road an easy drive, and Ise Grand Shrine reachable by car. The rooms look out on the bay, and meals are served at the inn.
7 videos
洲本温泉 夢泉景別荘 天原 ＜淡路島＞
A villa-style inn on the coast at Sumoto Onsen on Awaji Island, every room with its own open-air bath, facing Osaka Bay. It is about 15 minutes by car from the Sumoto interchange; highway buses reach Sumoto Bus Center in about 120 minutes from Osaka and about 80 from Sannomiya. Its name comes from Takamagahara in the Kojiki.
7 videos
熱海温泉 味と湯の宿 ニューとみよし
A hot-spring inn facing Nagahama beach at Shimotaga in Atami, about 7 km from Atami towards Ito on Route 135. It has several private open-air baths and saunas, free to use, and faces Sagami Bay. Rooms look out over the bay, and meals feature seafood such as spiny lobster. Shimotaga is a seaside village between Atami and Ito, easy to get around by car.
3 videos
狗賓大山（旧：HOTEL&RESORT 狗賓）
A dog-friendly resort at the foot of Mount Daisen in Hoki, Tottori, about ten minutes by car from the Mizokuchi interchange of the Yonago Expressway. Daisen is the highest peak in the Chugoku region, a base for skiing in winter and climbing in summer. Rooms and facilities are designed to be used with your dog. Each unit stands on its own, there is a dog run, and the property is surrounded by the woods of Daisen’s lower slopes.
由布院温泉 山荘 無量塔
A hot-spring inn in the Kawakami district of Yufuin Onsen, about ten minutes by car from JR Yufuin Station and about 15 minutes from the Yufuin interchange of the Oita Expressway. It stands away from the centre of Yufuin, Lake Kinrin and Yunotsubo Kaido, on the lower slopes of Mount Yufu. Guests can use the hot spring.
1 videos
由布院温泉 旅亭 田乃倉
A Japanese-style ryokan in the Kawakami district of Yufuin Onsen, about two minutes on foot from Lake Kinrin and about five minutes by taxi from JR Yufuin Station. Meals are served in your room and feature Oita wagyu, and guests can use the Yufuin water. The walking paths around Lake Kinrin are close.
3 videos
直島旅館ろ霞
A ryokan in the Honmura district of Naoshima, reached by bus from Miyanoura port, with the Art House Project and ANDO MUSEUM within walking distance. Naoshima is one of the venues of the Setouchi Triennale, and the Chichu Art Museum and Benesse House Museum are reached by bus. It holds one Michelin Key in the 2026 selection and keeps its room count small. Getting around the island is mainly by bus and bicycle.
1 videos
花彩亭 伊豆高原 ウェルカムベビー ファミリー 1日2組全室露天風呂付き客室の宿
An inn taking just two groups a day, in the villa district at the foot of Mount Omuro in Izu Kogen, about ten minutes by taxi from Izukogen Station. Every room has an open-air bath, and it has facilities for families with babies and small children. Mount Omuro and the Jogasaki coast are an easy drive. Meals are served in your room.
雪月花別邸 翠雲（共立リゾート）
An inn in Gora, Hakone, with an open-air bath in every room, seven minutes on foot from Gora Station on the Hakone Tozan Railway and one minute from Koen-shimo Station on the cable car. It is run by Kyoritsu Resort. Gora Park is close, and it has a dining room.
9 videos
霧島温泉 料亭旅館 竹千代 霧島別邸
A ryotei ryokan on the approach to Kirishima Shrine, about 15 minutes by car from JR Kirishima-Jingu Station or the Maruo bus stop and about 50 minutes from Kagoshima Airport, with a transfer from the station or bus stop. Guests can use the Kirishima hot spring, and dinner is kaiseki. Kirishima Shrine is within walking distance.
1 videos
黒川温泉 源流の宿 帆山亭＜離れ宿＞
An inn of separate buildings at the very top of Kurokawa Onsen, along the source of the Chikugo River, with rooms spread over about 5,000 tsubo. It is about 50 minutes by car from the Hita interchange of the Oita Expressway, with a transfer from the Kurokawa Onsen bus stop by reservation. Guests can use the Kurokawa water, and dinner is kaiseki.
3 videos
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