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Find a Ryokan

Independent guide, written in English

Discover Japan’s Finest Ryokans

Handpicked traditional inns, private onsen retreats, and unforgettable Japanese hospitality.

Explore Ryokans Learn About Ryokan Stays
A woman walking a dog down a lantern-lit lane in Pontocho, Kyoto, at dusk

Photo: Pexels

Start with what matters most to you

Choose a region and the kind of stay you want. This takes you to our current featured inns; full search is not available yet.

How this site works

Editors choose the listings

No inn can pay for a place on this site. Featured ryokans are selected by our editorial team.

Written for overseas guests

Each listing explains what is included, what is expected of you, and what to bring.

Commissions disclosed

When a booking link earns us a commission, we say so at the top of every page.

Browse by destination

Hot spring country changes completely from one region to the next. Start where your trip already takes you.

  • Kyoto

    Townhouse inns in the old capital, where the building and the neighbourhood are as much the stay as the bath.

  • Hakone

    Six onsen districts inside one caldera, around ninety minutes from Shinjuku by direct express.

  • Izu & Atami

    Coastal inns along a warm peninsula, with sea-facing baths and seafood at dinner.

  • Kanazawa & Kaga

    Craft and garden culture in the city, with the four Kaga hot spring towns half an hour further on.

What makes a ryokan different

A ryokan is not a hotel with tatami floors. The room, the bath and the meals are one experience, arranged around the rhythm of an evening.

The room changes through the day

You arrive to a low table and floor cushions, take dinner, and come back to find the futon laid out on the tatami. One room, two purposes, turned over while you bathe.

Bathing comes before dinner

You wash and rinse at the low taps first, then soak in the onsen to warm through. Many guests bathe again before bed, and once more at dawn.

Dinner is the kitchen’s argument

A kaiseki dinner follows the season and the local catch, course by course, at a set hour. For many travellers it is the reason to make the journey.

Service is quiet and attentive

Omotenashi means staff anticipate rather than ask: slippers turned to face you, tea poured on arrival, the bath left free when you want it.

Your first ryokan stay, in order

Three moments that surprise most first-time guests. None of this needs to be learned in advance, but knowing it helps.

  1. Book the meals, not just the room

    Rates are usually quoted per person and include dinner and breakfast. Tell the inn about allergies and dietary needs when you book, not on arrival.

  2. Arrive in the late afternoon

    Check-in is typically between 3pm and 6pm, leaving time to bathe before dinner is served at a fixed hour. Shoes come off at the entrance.

  3. Wash before you soak

    Shower seated at the taps, rinse thoroughly, and keep your small towel out of the water. Bathing is nude and separated by sex; some inns offer private bathing times.

Read the full ryokan guide, including tattoo policies and travelling with children

From the journal

Notes from our editors on where to go next, and when.

Find the ryokan that suits your trip

Tell us the region and the kind of stay you have in mind, and see the inns we are featuring now.

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