Where to stay
Most trips start in Tokyo. Every city is a train ride away, and every ryokan on the site shows its walk from the nearest station.
Times from Tokyo (Shinjuku for Hakone). Kanazawa: direct Hokuriku Shinkansen. Takayama: Shinkansen to Nagoya, then the Hida limited express. Ryokans in Osaka are on the Kyoto page.
Kyoto69 ryokans · 4 with a private onsen2 h 15 from Tokyo by Shinkansenfrom €22 per person
Hakone71 ryokans · 27 with a private onsen1 h 25 from Shinjuku by Romancecarfrom €34 per person
Tokyo27 ryokans · 1 with a private onsenWhere most trips startfrom €13 per person
Takayama16 ryokans · 2 with a private onsen4 h 30 from Tokyo by Shinkansen + Hida via Nagoyafrom €17 per person
Kanazawa18 ryokans · 3 with a private onsen2 h 30 from Tokyo by Shinkansenfrom €25 per personOur picks
Three ryokans from our list, one per reason.
Best private onsen♨ Private open-air onsenfrom €234per person / nightKanazawa
Bus or taxi from Nomachi station
Rooms with their own open-air hot-spring bath, rated 9.7/10 by 218 guests: the best score among ryokans with a private open-air onsen and at least 50 reviews.
9.7 218 reviewswith dinner from €234
See dates and prices
Best ratedfrom €118per person / nightNishijin · Kyoto
18 min on foot from Imadegawa
Rated 9.9/10 by 402 guests, the best score in our list among ryokans with at least 100 reviews.
9.9 402 reviews
See dates and prices
Best valuefrom €25per person / nightKanazawa
Bus or taxi from Hokutetsu Kanazawa station
The lowest price among ryokans rated 9 or more: from €25 per person and per night.
9.3 280 reviews
See dates and pricesFirst time?
A traditional Japanese inn. Four things set it apart from a hotel.
You sleep on futons laid out on straw mats, often by the staff while you are at dinner.
A seasonal dinner of many small courses, served in your room or in a private dining room.
Hot-spring baths, shared or private. Shared baths are separated by gender and you bathe without a swimsuit.
A light cotton robe you wear in the inn, to the bath and to dinner.
Per person and per night, for two guests, across the 210 ryokans on the site. The median is €101; with dinner and breakfast, €185.
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37 ryokans on the site have rooms with a private onsen, 31 of them in the open air. No timetable, no strangers, no tattoo rules.
Only with a private onsenQuestions
A ryokan has tatami rooms and futons, often a kaiseki dinner and hot-spring baths. Prices are per person, often with dinner and breakfast included.
It depends on the room: some share toilets and baths, many have their own. 37 ryokans on the site have rooms with a private hot-spring bath.
Because dinner and breakfast are often included and charged per person. On the site the median is €101 per person and per night; with dinner, €185.
One or two nights is the usual choice on a trip to Japan, often in Hakone or Kyoto, with dinner included: the meal and the bath make the stay.
Many ryokans do not allow tattoos in their shared baths. A room with a private onsen solves it, since the bath is yours alone. Check the house rules on the booking page.
Lowest price per person and per night seen for 2 guests, for 2 nights in March or May 2027. Your price depends on your dates and is shown before you book.