Design-Led
Contemporary architecture or interiors that reviewers single out.
34 ryokan
Not every memorable ryokan is old. These inns are singled out by guests for contemporary architecture or interiors — from relocated farmhouses and a stone rice warehouse given new life to rooms designed by well-known architects.
Design-led inns tend to be small, with the emphasis on the room itself. Reviewers sometimes find that striking design comes at the expense of practicality: steep stairs in maisonettes, glass walls with little privacy, or bathrooms that are cold in winter. Our reports point these out room by room.
Compare at a glance
| Ryokan | Area | Price | Overall Score | Cuisine | Onsen Privacy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tawaraya Ryokan | Kyoto | Luxury | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.3 |
| Myoken Ishiharaso | Kirishima | Premium | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Bettei Otozure | Nagato Yumoto Onsen | Premium | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.8 |
| Bettei Senjuan | Minakami | Premium | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.8 |
| Dogo Onsen Dogokan | Dogo Onsen | Classic | 4.5 | 4.6 | 3.6 |
| Unzen Miyazaki Ryokan | Unzen Onsen | Classic | 4.5 | 4.6 | 3.9 |
| Sanso Murata | Yufuin | Luxury | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.9 |
| Yufuin Souan Kosumosu | Yufuin | Premium | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Yufuin Sanso Warabino | Yufuin | Premium | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.6 |
| Fukiya | Yugawara | Premium | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.6 |
| Tosen Goshobo | Arima Onsen | Classic | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.2 |
| Itamuro Onsen Daikokuya | Nasushiobara | Classic | 4.4 | 4.2 | 3.8 |
| KAI Tamatsukuri | Tamatsukuri Onsen | Premium | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Sumiya Kiho-an | Kyoto | Classic | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.3 |
| Bourou Noguchi Noboribetsu | Noboribetsu Onsen | Premium | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.8 |
| Oku-Yugawara Tsubaki | Yugawara | Classic | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.2 |
| Kanazawa Yuwaku Onsen Hyakurakuso | Yuwaku | Classic | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.3 |
| Atami Sekitei | Atami | Premium | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.0 |
| Beniya Mukayu | Kaga Onsen | Premium | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| HOSHINOYA Karuizawa | Karuizawa | Luxury | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.8 |
| Hoshinoya Kyoto | Kyoto | Luxury | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| KAI Enshu | Lake Hamana | Classic | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.4 |
| Kamisuwa Onsen Shinyu | Kamisuwa | Classic | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.5 |
| Ureshino Onsen Taishoya | Ureshino Onsen | Classic | 4.3 | 4.4 | 3.9 |
| Zaborin | Hokkaido | Luxury | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.9 |
| Gero Onsen Sasara | Gero Onsen | Classic | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.3 |
| Ginzan Onsen Fujiya | Ginzan Onsen | Premium | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.5 |
| KAI Nagato | Nagato Yumoto Onsen | Classic | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.7 |
| Akan Yuku no Sato Tsuruga | Lake Akan | Classic | 4.1 | 4.3 | 3.6 |
| Jozankei Yuraku Soan | Jozankei Onsen | Classic | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.5 |
| KAI Beppu | Beppu | Classic | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.6 |
| KAI Hakone | Hakone | Premium | 4.1 | 4.4 | 3.3 |
| KAI Matsumoto | Matsumoto | Premium | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.2 |
| Wataya Bessou | Ureshino Onsen | Classic | 4.0 | 4.3 | 3.8 |
KyotoLuxury
Fuyacho-Aneyakoji, Nakagyo, Kyoto — facing Hiiragiya across Fuyacho-dori, a 5-minute walk from Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae Station (Tozai Line) and 15 minutes by taxi from Kyoto Station
10 sources
Tawaraya Ryokan
俵屋旅館
Kyoto's oldest standing inn, bookable online only since 2026: 18 one-of-a-kind sukiya rooms, nearly everything down to the soap designed in-house, and koyamaki-wood tubs instead of a hot spring — from about ¥164,000 a night for two
- Historic Ryokan
- Design-Led
KirishimaPremium
Myoken Onsen, Hayato, Kirishima, Kagoshima — on the Amori river gorge, about 15 minutes by car from Kagoshima Airport
10 sources
Myoken Ishiharaso
妙見石原荘
Seven private springs of fizzy, untouched water, a 1931 stone rice warehouse turned into river-side suites, and a riverbank bath under a great muku tree — Kyushu's finest onsen inn, if you choose your room carefully
- Private Onsen Rooms
- Design-Led
Area photoNagato Yumoto OnsenPremium
Nagato Yumoto Onsen, Nagato, Yamaguchi — 18 rooms on an 8,000㎡ site beside the Otozure river, about 5 minutes by the inn's shuttle from JR Nagato-Yumoto Station
9 sources
Bettei Otozure
別邸 音信
A barefoot, tatami-floored 'modern tōji' retreat where every room has a free-flowing open-air bath and dinner is a light, local kaiseki — adults only, Michelin-keyed, and among western Japan's best-rated inns
- Private Onsen Rooms
- Design-Led
MinakamiPremium
Tanigawa Onsen, Minakami, Gunma — below Mount Tanigawa, about 8 minutes by car from JR Minakami station (free shuttle on request)
10 sources
Bettei Senjuan
別邸 仙寿庵
Eighteen rooms, each with its own free-flowing open-air onsen, in a prize-winning earthen-walled building below Mount Tanigawa — a Relais & Châteaux favourite whose kitchen has lately lost some fans
- Private Onsen Rooms
- Design-Led
Dogo OnsenClassic
Dogo Tako-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime — on a rise above the Dogo Onsen tram terminus, about six minutes' walk from Dogo Onsen Station and five from the Honkan bathhouse
11 sources
Dogo Onsen Dogokan
道後舘
Kisho Kurokawa's postmodern take on an Edo inn town, on the hill above Dogo: some of Shikoku's best-rated kaiseki and service, nine rooms with their own open-air onsen bath — but the shared baths are recirculated and the building shows its age
- Design-Led
- Destination Dining
Unzen OnsenClassic
Unzen Onsen, Nagasaki — right beside the steaming Unzen Jigoku vents that feed its baths, about 80 minutes by bus from JR Isahaya Station
10 sources
Unzen Miyazaki Ryokan
雲仙宮崎旅館
Unzen's 1929 inn, rebuilt from scratch in 2022 as a dim, design-award-winning 39-room house above the steaming Jigoku — milky free-flowing sulphur baths and widely praised local cooking, but most rooms have only a shower and the shared baths close at 9am
- Design-Led
YufuinLuxury
Kawakami, Yufuin, Oita — twelve detached villas on a quiet hillside about 5–10 minutes by car from Yufuin Station
9 sources
Sanso Murata
由布院 山荘 無量塔
Twelve villas built from relocated old farmhouses, each with its own onsen, and a bar with a 1930s theatre speaker — Yufuin's most atmospheric hideaway, if you don't need a view or a big bath
- Private Onsen Rooms
- Design-Led
YufuinPremium
Kawakami, Yufuin, Oita — set back from the Yunotsubo shopping street, a couple of minutes' walk from Lake Kinrin and about 15 minutes on foot from JR Yufuin Station
9 sources
Yufuin Souan Kosumosu
由布院温泉 草庵秋桜
A 12-room 'cooking inn' remodelled by Seven Stars train designer Eiji Mitooka, steps from Lake Kinrin, with free-flowing spring water in every bath and open-air tubs in the cottages — but it sits on Yufuin's busiest strip, the shared baths are small and the cheapest rooms have only a shower
- Private Onsen Rooms
- Destination Dining
YufuinPremium
Kawakita, Yufuin, Oita — a quiet wooded foothill about 2 km from the Yunotsubo shopping street, 5 minutes by car from JR Yufuin Station and 3 minutes from the Yufuin interchange
11 sources
Yufuin Sanso Warabino
由布院温泉 山荘 わらび野
A 1988 inn rebuilt in concrete after the 2016 earthquake: 13 modern suites in a wooded garden, each with its own free-flowing onsen bath on heated stone floors, and noon check-out — Japanese guests rate it near-perfect, but most baths are indoor tubs with opening windows, not true open-air baths
- Private Onsen Rooms
- Design-Led
YugawaraPremium
Miyakami, Yugawara, Kanagawa — at the top of a steep lane above the hot-spring town, about 3 km and 8 minutes by taxi from JR Yugawara Station
9 sources
Fukiya
ふきや
A 20-room sukiya inn above Yugawara with three free private open-air baths, vintage Scandinavian chairs in every room and old-style in-room dining — but only half the rooms have spring water in their hinoki tubs, and the food under a newer chef divides repeat guests
- Private Onsen Rooms
- Design-Led
Arima OnsenClassic
Arima Onsen, Kobe — in the old town by the Arima River, a few minutes' walk from Arima Onsen Station
11 sources
Tosen Goshobo
有馬温泉 陶泉 御所坊
A shadowy, designer-restored wooden inn with centuries of history and a half-mixed bath of rust-red kinsen water — adored for its staff, divisive for its bath and its creaks
- Historic Ryokan
- Design-Led
NasushiobaraClassic
Itamuro Onsen, Nasushiobara, Tochigi — a riverside inn in the hills above Nasu, about 17km from Kuroiso-Itamuro IC
9 sources
Itamuro Onsen Daikokuya
板室温泉 大黒屋
A hot-spring inn founded in 1551 that doubles as a contemporary-art museum, with silky alkaline water flowing through every bath — calm and unusual, but rooms are old and the baths small
- Historic Ryokan
- Design-Led
Tamatsukuri OnsenPremium
Tamatsukuri Onsen, Matsue, Shimane — beside the Tamayu river in the spa town, about 5 minutes by car from JR Tamatsukuri-Onsen Station (no pick-up)
10 sources
KAI Tamatsukuri
界 玉造
Hoshino Resorts' 24-room inn in Tamatsukuri: every room has its own open-air onsen bath, staff perform Iwami kagura every night and dinner centres on a shijimi-clam beef shabu-shabu — but the water is diluted, heated and recirculated, the building is full of steps, and 2026 reviews note slips in service
- Private Onsen Rooms
- Design-Led
KyotoClassic
Yunohana Onsen, Kameoka, Kyoto — in wooded hills about 8km from JR Kameoka Station, itself about 20 minutes from Kyoto Station by train
10 sources
Sumiya Kiho-an
京都 湯の花温泉 すみや亀峰菴
A quiet hot-spring inn half an hour from Kyoto, with rice cooked over a kamado, inari sushi left in your room at night and an art-filled lobby — choose a room with its own onsen bath, and expect some dated corners
- Private Onsen Rooms
- Design-Led
Noboribetsu OnsenPremium
Noboribetsu Onsen, Hokkaido — at the quiet upper end of the hot-spring town beside the Kusurisanbetsu river, across the road from its sister hotel Sekisuitei; about 15 minutes' gentle uphill walk from the bus terminal, about 20 minutes by bus from JR Noboribetsu Station, with the inn's own shuttle buses from Sapporo Station and New Chitose Airport
13 sources
Bourou Noguchi Noboribetsu
望楼NOGUCHI登別
An adults-only, all-suite 'Noboribetsu modern' inn where every room has its own big milky sulphur-spring bath and dinner is a Japanese-French kaiseki in a private dining room — superb for doing nothing, but the 20-year-old rooms are showing their age and the dinner divides opinion
- Private Onsen Rooms
- Design-Led
YugawaraClassic
Oku-Yugawara, Yugawara, Kanagawa — at the end of the bus line about 20 minutes from JR Yugawara station, in a ravine below the Hakone outer rim
10 sources
Oku-Yugawara Tsubaki
奥湯河原 海石榴
A sukiya-style inn at the end of the Oku-Yugawara bus line, with in-room meals, a prize-winning five-room guest house and a much-praised breakfast — but its onsen is recirculated and the standard rooms' baths aren't onsen at all
- Private Onsen Rooms
- Design-Led
YuwakuClassic
Yuwaku Onsen, Kanazawa, Ishikawa — on the edge of the hot-spring village, about 35 minutes by car or free shuttle from Kanazawa Station and 20 minutes from Kenroku-en; the village bathhouse is about 500m away
10 sources
Kanazawa Yuwaku Onsen Hyakurakuso
金沢湯涌温泉 百楽荘
Two very different wings in one Yuwaku inn: a photogenic main building with a games lounge, and a suite-heavy annex with a free-drinks lounge and four private baths — 14 of the 24 rooms have their own onsen bath, but the water is recirculated, some smell chlorine, and smoke drifts into the annex's second floor
- Private Onsen Rooms
- Design-Led
AtamiPremium
Wada-chō, Atami, Shizuoka — on a hillside above the town centre, about 10 minutes by taxi from Atami Station; Kinomiya is the nearest station
11 sources
Atami Sekitei
あたみ石亭
A village of sukiya cottages scattered through a 3,000-tsubo stone garden in the Atami hills, with onsen in every room's bath and much-praised kaiseki — but you walk outdoors over stone steps to everything, the shared baths are open-air only, and the cottages show their age
- Private Onsen Rooms
- Design-Led
Kaga OnsenPremium
Yamashiro Onsen, Kaga, Ishikawa
9 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
KaruizawaLuxury
Hoshino, Karuizawa, Nagano — a gated 'valley village' of 77 rooms beside the Hoshino area, about 80 minutes from Tokyo by shinkansen plus a short shuttle
9 sources
HOSHINOYA Karuizawa
星のや軽井沢
Hoshino Resorts' flagship: a car-free village of rooms around a river, with no TVs, a light-and-dark Meditation Bath and seasonal Shinshu kaiseki — deeply restful, but meals cost extra and value is the sore point
- Design-Led
- Easy From Tokyo
KyotoLuxury
Arashiyama, Kyoto — reached by private boat
11 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
Lake HamanaClassic
Kanzanji Onsen, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka — on the shore of Lake Hamana, a minute's walk from the Hamanako Bay Street bus stop, about 45 minutes by bus or 40 minutes by car from Hamamatsu Station
11 sources
KAI Enshu
界 遠州
Hoshino Resorts' tea-themed inn on Lake Hamana: every room looks over the water, there are a dozen-plus teas to brew for free and an eel-and-fugu dinner — but the salty spring is recirculated in two small baths, and most rooms have only a shower
- Design-Led
KamisuwaClassic
Kamisuwa Onsen, Suwa, Nagano — on the lakeshore road facing Lake Suwa, a 10-minute walk (or 5 minutes by free shuttle) from Kami-Suwa Station, about 1.5 hours from Hachiōji on the Chūō Expressway
10 sources
Kamisuwa Onsen Shinyu
上諏訪温泉 しんゆ(親湯)
A 39-room lakeside inn with its own jade-tinted spring in Art Deco tiled, tatami-floored baths, every meal in a private dining room and a free guided bus to all four Suwa Taisha shrines — but the shared baths are indoor, recirculated and chlorinated, and only eight suites have their own bath
- Design-Led
- Easy From Tokyo
Ureshino OnsenClassic
Ureshino Onsen, Saga — in the middle of the spa town, two minutes' walk from the Ureshino Onsen bus stop and about 5 minutes by car from Ureshino-Onsen shinkansen station
12 sources
Ureshino Onsen Taishoya
嬉野温泉 大正屋
Ureshino's century-old town-centre inn: Junzo Yoshimura architecture around a cedar garden, spring water in every room's bath and the famous 'melting' onsen tofu at breakfast — but the shared baths are recirculated, the much-extended building is a maze of stairs, and the dining hall is big and busy
- Historic Ryokan
- Private Onsen Rooms
HokkaidoLuxury
Hanazono, Kutchan (Niseko area), Hokkaido
9 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
Gero OnsenClassic
Mori, Gero, Gifu — on a small hill on the station side of the Hida River, looking across at the onsen town; free taxi transfer from JR Gero Station, and a 5–6-minute walk from the town's municipal car park
9 sources
Gero Onsen Sasara
下呂温泉 紗々羅
Gero's self-styled 'art inn' on the hill: antique-crammed lobbies, 20 of 44 rooms with their own open-air onsen, in-room Hida-beef dinners and a top-floor bath over the town lights — but breakfast underwhelms, the Moriyama wing is a long walk from the baths, and renovation noise runs until the end of 2026
- Design-Led
Ginzan OnsenPremium
Ginzan Onsen, Obanazawa, Yamagata
9 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
Area photoNagato Yumoto OnsenClassic
Nagato-Yumoto Onsen, Nagato, Yamaguchi — on the Otozure river in the rebuilt onsen town, about 15 minutes on foot from JR Nagato-Yumoto Station or 30 minutes by car from the Mine IC
11 sources
KAI Nagato
界 長門
Hoshino Resorts' craft-filled anchor of a revived onsen town: walkable riverside evenings, free post-bath sake and fugu in winter — but a small bath, heated water and some lacklustre 2026 meals
- Design-Led
Lake AkanClassic
Akanko Onsen, Kushiro, Hokkaido — on the shore of Lake Akan in the onsen town, about 60 minutes by car from Kushiro Airport and 90 from Memanbetsu Airport
9 sources
Akan Yuku no Sato Tsuruga
あかん遊久の里 鶴雅
The Tsuruga group's big flagship on Lake Akan: Ainu art everywhere, three bath complexes with a lake-level garden bath and a rooftop tub, and a huge Hokkaido buffet — but it's a busy, tour-heavy hotel, and 2026 reviews flag worn baths, smells in cheaper rooms and an offsite car park
- Design-Led
Jozankei OnsenClassic
Jozankei Onsen, Minami-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido — beside the Toyohira river, about 45 minutes by car from central Sapporo or an hour on the inn's free shuttle from Sapporo Station
10 sources
Jozankei Yuraku Soan
定山渓 ゆらく草庵
A new 102-room inn built like a tea-ceremony hut, tatami from the entrance to the lifts, a hiba onsen tub in every room and four free private baths — but it's big, busy with tour groups, and 2026 reviews complain about slow dinners and thin staffing
- Private Onsen Rooms
- Design-Led
BeppuClassic
Kitahama, Beppu, Oita — on the Beppu Bay seafront in the city centre, about 10 minutes on foot from JR Beppu Station or 10 minutes by car from the Beppu IC
10 sources
KAI Beppu
界 別府
Kengo Kuma's bayfront 'onsen town under one roof': sea views from all 68 rooms and a festival in the lobby every night — but a small shared bath, shower-only standard rooms and uneven 2026 dinners
- Design-Led
HakonePremium
Yumoto-chaya, Hakone-Yumoto Onsen, Hakone — on the old Tōkaidō road above the Sukumo river, about 7 minutes by car or a short local bus ride from Hakone-Yumoto Station
10 sources
KAI Hakone
界 箱根
Hoshino Resorts' Hakone-Yumoto inn, reopened in August 2025 full of yosegi marquetry: every room faces the river, there's a free teahouse and a fun craft class — but the shared bath is a single heated, chlorinated semi-open-air tub, and most rooms have only a shower
- Design-Led
- Easy From Tokyo
MatsumotoPremium
Asama Onsen, Matsumoto, Nagano — in the old spa quarter north of the castle town, about 15–20 minutes by car or taxi from JR Matsumoto Station, or a city bus to the Hot Plaza Asama-mae stop, a minute's walk away
10 sources
KAI Matsumoto
界 松本
Hoshino Resorts' music-themed inn, rebuilt in August 2026 around record players, Nagano wine and a nightly lobby concert — but the dinner is now Italian, the onsen is recirculated, and almost every review predates the relaunch
- Design-Led
- Private Onsen Rooms

Ureshino OnsenClassic
Ureshino Onsen, Saga — 20,000 tsubo of grounds spanning the Ureshino river, with a Kisho Kurokawa tower and a detached annex
9 sources
Wataya Bessou
和多屋別荘
A sprawling riverside resort reinventing itself with tea, books, a Pierre Hermé shop and workspaces around a 1977 Kisho Kurokawa tower — great water and dinners, but choose a renovated room
- Design-Led
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Photo credits
- Arashiyama and the Hozu River, Kyoto · KimonBerlin / CC BY-SA 2.0
- Steam rising over the Kirishima hot springs, with Sakurajima beyond · 663highland / CC BY 2.5
- Ontō public bath, Nagato Yumoto Onsen, Yamaguchi · Bsx / Public domain
- Mount Tanigawa, Minakami, Gunma · TANAKA Juuyoh / CC BY 2.0
- Dogo Onsen Honkan at dusk, Matsuyama · Japanexperterna.se / CC BY-SA 3.0
- Unzen Onsen town from Mount Myoken, Nagasaki · 663highland / CC BY 2.5
- Mount Yufu from Yufuin Station · Kitayama / CC BY-SA 4.0
- The Fujiki river through Yugawara Onsen, Kanagawa · Quercus acuta / CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tosen Goshobo — the entrance, Arima Onsen · iloverjoa / CC BY 3.0
- Autumn colours in Nasushiobara, Tochigi · Raita Futo / CC BY 2.0
- The Tamayu River in spring, Tamatsukuri Onsen, Shimane · Matsue / CC BY-SA 4.0
- Jigokudani (Hell Valley), Noboribetsu Onsen, Hokkaido · Calistemon / CC BY-SA 4.0
- Yuwaku Onsen, Kanazawa, Ishikawa · 663highland / CC BY 2.5
- Ajiro, Atami, Shizuoka · Asturio Cantabrio / CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sōyu public bath, Yamashiro Onsen · 掬茶 / CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kumoba Pond in autumn, Karuizawa, Nagano · Hiroaki Kaneko / CC BY-SA 3.0
- Hoshinoya Kyoto — the water garden · Hoshino Resorts / CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lake Hamana from the Kanzanji Ropeway, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka · Motokoka / CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kamisuwa Onsen, Suwa, Nagano · 663highland / CC BY 2.5
- Siebold-no-yu public bath, Ureshino Onsen, Saga · STA3816 / CC BY-SA 4.0
- Mount Yōtei from Niseko Annupuri · MIKI Yoshihito / CC BY 2.0
- Gero Onsen and the Hida River, Gifu · Asturio Cantabrio / CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ginzan Onsen Fujiya — the facade, Ginzan Onsen · bryan... / CC BY-SA 2.0
- Lake Akan, Kushiro, Hokkaido · 663highland / CC BY 2.5
- Jozankei Onsen in winter, Sapporo · MIKI Yoshihito / CC BY 2.0
- Beppu city and its hot-spring steam, Oita · Japanexperterna / CC BY-SA 3.0
- Gōra Park, Hakone · Daderot / CC0
- Utsukushigahara plateau, above Matsumoto · MitsunoriEgawa / CC BY 4.0
- Wataya Bessou on the Ureshino river, Ureshino Onsen · STA3816 / CC BY-SA 4.0