OKU
Japanese Guest Consensus

The local verdict on Japan's ryokan

We read the stay reports Japanese guests write for each other about ryokan — and translate the consensus for you.

How we research
Ryokan reviewed
9
Japanese sources cited
49
Languages
6

Browse by area

Gōra Park, Hakone

Hakone

1 ryokan

Shuzenji Onsen, Izu

Izu

1 ryokan

Arashiyama and the Hozu River, Kyoto

Kyoto

1 ryokan

Utsukushigahara plateau, above Matsumoto

Matsumoto

1 ryokan

Kinosaki Onsen

Kinosaki Onsen

1 ryokan

Sōyu public bath, Yamashiro Onsen

Kaga Onsen

1 ryokan

Ginzan Onsen at night, January

Ginzan Onsen

1 ryokan

Mount Yufu from Yufuin Station

Yufuin

1 ryokan

Mount Yōtei from Niseko Annupuri

Hokkaido

1 ryokan

Browse by style

Private Onsen Rooms6 ryokan

Ryokan where at least some rooms have their own bath fed with real hot-spring water.

Destination Dining4 ryokan

Ryokan whose cuisine Japanese guests consistently single out as a reason to go.

Historic Ryokan4 ryokan

Long-established inns and heritage buildings with a documented history.

Design-Led4 ryokan

Contemporary architecture or interiors that reviewers single out.

Secluded Retreats3 ryokan

Hard-to-reach settings — forests, gorges, boat-only access — built for quiet.

Easy From Tokyo2 ryokan

Within about two and a half hours of central Tokyo.

All ryokan

Hakone

1 Ryokan

HakonePremium

Gora, Hakone, Kanagawa

4.4/5

7 sources

Gora Kadan

強羅花壇

A FORMER IMPERIAL VILLA WHERE THE ROOM TIER YOU BOOK CHANGES THE VERDICT ENTIRELY

  • Private Onsen Rooms
  • Historic Ryokan
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Izu

1 Ryokan

IzuLuxury

Shuzenji, Izu City, Shizuoka

4.4/5

8 sources

Asaba

あさば

A 540-YEAR-OLD RYOKAN WITH A WORKING NOH STAGE, AND SERVICE THAT ISN'T ALWAYS AS POLISHED AS THE HISTORY

  • Private Onsen Rooms
  • Historic Ryokan
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Kyoto

1 Ryokan

KyotoLuxury

Arashiyama, Kyoto — reached by private boat

4.3/5

4 sources

Hoshinoya Kyoto

星のや京都

Reached only by boat, with no TV and no onsen by design — a stay built around stillness, with a few service slips

  • Secluded Retreats
  • Design-Led
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Matsumoto

1 Ryokan

MatsumotoPremium

Tobira Onsen, in the mountains above Matsumoto, Nagano

4.5/5

4 sources

Tobira Onsen Myojinkan

扉温泉 明神館

A valley hideaway with a famous standing bath and warm, attentive service — the French dinner is the one thing guests argue about

  • Private Onsen Rooms
  • Destination Dining
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Kinosaki Onsen

1 Ryokan

Kinosaki OnsenPremium

Kinosaki Onsen, Toyooka, Hyogo

4.5/5

5 sources

Nishimuraya Honkan

西村屋本館

Kinosaki's grand old ryokan wins on service and crab — just know the private baths aren't onsen

  • Historic Ryokan
  • Destination Dining
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Kaga Onsen

1 Ryokan

Kaga OnsenPremium

Yamashiro Onsen, Kaga, Ishikawa

4.3/5

4 sources

Beniya Mukayu

べにや無何有

A calm, design-led ryokan with an onsen on every terrace and a kitchen that wins Japanese critics over — the layout is where it stumbles

  • Private Onsen Rooms
  • Destination Dining
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Ginzan Onsen

1 Ryokan

Ginzan OnsenPremium

Ginzan Onsen, Obanazawa, Yamagata

4.1/5

6 sources

Ginzan Onsen Fujiya

銀山温泉 藤屋

Kengo Kuma's eight-room inn in the heart of Ginzan — five private onsen baths, and a design that sometimes forgets practicality

  • Design-Led
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Yufuin

1 Ryokan

YufuinPremium

Kawakami, Yufuin, Yufu, Oita — beside Lake Kinrin

4.4/5

6 sources

Kamenoi Bessou

亀の井別荘

Yufuin's century-old forest retreat: Japanese guests rave about the space and the baths, and are more measured about the food

  • Private Onsen Rooms
  • Historic Ryokan
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Hokkaido

1 Ryokan

HokkaidoLuxury

Hanazono, Kutchan (Niseko area), Hokkaido

4.3/5

5 sources

Zaborin

坐忘林

Every room has its own source-fed onsen — the service is where Japanese guests hesitate

  • Private Onsen Rooms
  • Secluded Retreats
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Photo credits