Welcome to the last word information to Japan’s most charming accommodations—from an ultramodern hideaway in Tokyo to a serene ryokan tucked amongst verdant forests. Whether or not you crave minimalist design, luxurious onsen sizzling spring retreats, or genuine cultural immersion, these 23 handpicked stays as a part of our newly up to date Accommodations We Love checklist devoted to Japan showcase the nation’s unmatched fusion of custom, innovation, and hospitality. Count on considerate picks that put you within the middle of issues or take you off the crushed path, and the place service, fashion, and native storytelling come collectively in good concord.
Aman Tokyo
- Location: Tokyo
- Why we find it irresistible: A real city resort with unmatched service within the coronary heart of the town
- From $1,900
- E book now
Aman Tokyo delivers imaginative cultural experiences and superlative service to the middle of Japan’s capital. Elevators open onto a Thirty third-floor foyer with a hovering atrium, the place the point of interest is a seasonal ikebana flower association, mirrored in a shallow pool surrounded by rock gardens. The 84 visitor rooms, impressed by conventional Japanese ryokans and designed by Singapore-based Kerry Hill Architects, are among the many metropolis’s largest entry-level lodging. They’re a minimalist’s dream, with chestnut flooring, sliding shoji screens, floor-to-ceiling home windows framing metropolis views, and huge stone furo soaking tubs price clearing a complete afternoon for.
Equally worthy of an prolonged exploration, the sprawling spa, which has onsen-style baths and a 98-foot pool, provides remedies that embrace the herb-based Kampo therapeutic philosophy. Of the lodge’s eating choices, the eight-seat Musashi by Aman is probably the most coveted reservation, with its omakase expertise led by grasp chef Hiroyuki Musashi. Learn Afar’s full checklist of high accommodations in Tokyo. —Adam H. Graham
Aman Kyoto
- Location: Kyoto
- Why we find it irresistible: Trendy suites, forest bathing, and centuries-old timber flip a keep right into a meditative retreat within the hills above the town
- From $2,600
- E book now
The placement itself is a significant promoting level: 80 acres of serene forest within the foothills of Mount Daimonji, half-hour from Kyoto Station and 5 minutes by automotive from Kyoto’s well-known Kinkaku-ji temple. Right here, Aman Kyoto’s 26 trendy suites stretch throughout an atmospheric riverbed shaded by timber. The forest is punctuated with native maples, cedars, and blue oaks, a super setting for forest-bathing excursions. A lot of the property was constructed with supplies from the encircling woods: cypress soaking tubs, heated stone rest room flooring, and bamboo dividers with clear, minimalist traces and different textures that provide a restorative setting. —AHG
Asaba
- Location: Shuzenji, Shizuoka
- Why we find it irresistible: A 500-year-old ryokan full with non-public onsen baths and seasonal kaiseki
- From $1,020
- E book now
Since 1494, the Asaba household has been welcoming visitors to their esteemed namesake ryokan in Shuzenji, a sizzling spring city based greater than a millennium in the past by Buddhist monk Kobo Daishi. A member of Relais & Châteaux, this intimate inn has 12 conventional visitor rooms with tatami mat flooring, every overlooking a tranquil pond, a bamboo forest, and a historic Noh stage nonetheless used for infrequent performances. Meals are served in-room whereas visitors calm down in yukata robes; a seasonal kaiseki dinner would possibly characteristic black rice sushi with anago eel, corn tempura, and domestically grown muskmelon. A conventional Japanese breakfast can be included. Each room has its personal non-public onsen bathtub—simply you should definitely request a Western-style mattress if most popular.
Azumi Setoda
- Location: Ikuchijima Island
- Why we find it irresistible: Rooms open onto a non-public Zen-inspired out of doors house with cedar and cypress finishes and a balcony or backyard view
- From $815
- E book now
Ikuchijima Island is known for its lemons and Shimanami Kaido cycle route. And go away it to Adrien Zecha, founding father of Aman Accommodations, to create a wholly new purpose to return right here: Azumi Setoda, a retreat within the 149-year-old former residence of the island’s distinguished Horiuchi household. For the 22-room minimalist inn, which is within the city of Setoda, he employed Kyoto-based architect Shiro Miura. The retreat captures the languorous temper of the Seto Inland Sea whereas nonetheless providing entry to the broader Seto Inland Sea artwork scene, together with Naoshima, with its well-known yellow pumpkin set up by Yayoi Kusama. Curved roof tiles, uncovered beams, and a courtyard with a cherry tree provide a style of Outdated Japan. The visitor rooms are embellished with rice paper screens, cypress wooden bathtubs, and gardens that face a landscaped courtyard, whereas the neighborhood bathhouse throughout the road is complimentary for visitors. —AHG
4 Seasons Osaka
- Location: Osaka
- Why we find it irresistible: Pilgrimage-worthy eating places, rooms that evoke an city ryokan
- From $850
- E book now
Consider the 4 Seasons Resort Osaka as two accommodations in a single: 154 rooms are Western-style, executed up in muted tones impressed by spices, whereas the twenty eighth ground homes Gensui, the town’s first city ryokan, with 21 rooms lined with tatami mats and bedding from 450-year-old model Nishikawa. On the thirty sixth ground is a spa with ofuros (conventional baths), a sauna, and a 52-foot-long infinity pool that appears out over Osaka Fort within the distance. 4 Seasons provides to the town’s spectacular culinary lineup with Jiang Nan Chun, a Cantonese restaurant serving dim sum at lunchtime, and Sushi L’Abysse Osaka, a partnership between French chef Yannick Alléno and Japanese chef Itaru Yasuda, who pair French bites with distinctive twists on sushi and give attention to low-waste ingenuity, comparable to wasabi peel simmered in soy sauce as a garnish for sashimi. See Afar’s full evaluation of the 4 Seasons Resort Osaka. —Yukari Sakamoto
Fufu Kawaguchiko
- Location: Kawaguchiko
- Why we find it irresistible: Each room has a non-public onsen with front-row views of Mount Fuji
- From $525
- E book now
It’s laborious to high the Mount Fuji views on the contemporary-feeling Fufu Kawaguchiko, which opened in 2018 within the wine nation city of Kawaguchiko, about two hours southwest from Tokyo by bullet practice. The 32 visitor rooms have large glass home windows that face serene Lake Kawaguchi, which lies about three miles away, and all have non-public balcony onsen tubs made with Fuji lava stone. The setting will get additional cozy with out of doors firepits and cashmere throws. The on-site restaurant pairs native wine with such seasonal dishes as Fuji Sakura Pork seared on lava stone with blueberry butter. —AHG
Hiiragiya
- Location: Kyoto
- Why we find it irresistible: A storied ryokan with impeccable seasonal kaiseki and heat, generational hospitality
- From $820
- E book now
Established in 1818, this heritage Kyoto ryokan, simply certainly one of Japan’s finest, has been run like a sacred shrine by seven generations of the Nishimura household. Take into account it a sanctuary the place you’ll be able to absolutely immerse your self within the conventional Japanese inn expertise—suppose low-slung lacquer tables, sliding fusuma doorways, multicourse kaiseki meals, and pristine white shoji screens. Watch Japanese white-eye birds flit by means of the non-public camellia backyard; bundle up in your yukata to dine in-room on abalone with miso egg yolk sauce and sea urchin chawanmushi (a savory egg custard) served on Kiyomizu ceramics; and drink a nightcap of sake earlier than sinking into the freshly laid tatami mat in certainly one of property’s 24 visitor rooms. —AHG
Hoshinoya Taketomi
- Location: Taketomi Island, Okinawa
- Why we find it irresistible: Conventional red-roofed villas, coral-sand paths, and starry skies make this Okinawan escape seem to be one other world
- From $700
- E book now
This small southern Okinawan island, a part of the Ryukyu archipelago, is a tropical escape that’s residence to Hoshinoya Taketomi. The resort’s 48 spacious villas characteristic crimson roofs carved with Shisa lion collectible figurines, they usually cluster round a breezy dune made from coral sand. Lodging characteristic massive soaking tubs, day beds designed so you’ll be able to relish refreshing breezes, and stone partitions that provide additional privateness. Chill with a recent shikuwasa juice, produced from a local citrus, and revel in plucky Okinawan music classes and walks alongside the white-sand Kaji Seashore, recognized for its star-shaped grains of sand. Quiet down within the sizzling afternoon by doing laps within the lengthy sunken oval pool, additionally alluring at night time when the celebs above Iriomote-Ishigaki Nationwide Park, an Worldwide Darkish Sky Park, glitter overhead. —AHG
Resort Cultia Dazaifu
- Location: Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture
- Why we find it irresistible: A superbly restored conventional home steps from Dazaifu Shrine
- From $280
- E book now
Leafy temple city Dazaifu and its Tenmangū shrine are a quiet world aside from busy Fukuoka, Kyushu’s largest metropolis, which is half-hour away. Situated throughout the road from the three,000-acre shrine advanced is the four-room, tile-roofed Resort Cultia Dazaifu, comprising Tenth-century buildings, manicured ponds, and forests peppered with 6,000 plum timber. The previous residence of the Yoshitsugu household, whose work and scrolls nonetheless enhance doorways and partitions, is related by out of doors stone paths, every room screened off by sheer linen noren, some with non-public gardens, stone lanterns, and vaulted ceilings. All are accented with pops of modernity like Danish chairs and cellphone charging factors. Don’t miss the lodge’s French fusion restaurant, which plates up dishes like sautéed crimson gurnard, Mitsuse rooster confit, and tender Hakata wagyu beef. —AHG
Resort the Mitsui Kyoto, a Luxurious Assortment Resort & Spa
- Location: Kyoto
- Why we find it irresistible: Centered on a centuries‑outdated courtyard backyard with a sizzling spring spa
- Loyalty program: Marriott Bonvoy
- From $670
- E book now
Resort the Mitsui Kyoto, a Luxurious Assortment Resort & Spa, sits simply throughout from the Seventeenth-century Nijo Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage web site. The grounds have belonged to the celebrated Mitsui household for hundreds of years, lending the lodge each historic gravitas and a main location. Its 160 spacious rooms, designed by André Fu, are organized round a serene, curated backyard.
A spotlight is the thermal onsen pool, the place visitors can put on swimsuits—a uncommon concession in Japan, designed to make worldwide guests extra snug. For a extra conventional expertise, e-book certainly one of two non-public onsen baths. Eating is equally refined: Famous chef Tetsuya Asano, previously of the Ritz Paris, helms the modern Franco-Japanese restaurant Toki, whereas Jean-Georges alum Fumio Yonezawa oversees Forni, the relaxed all-day Italian restaurant. Historical past lovers will adore the rooms with direct views of Nijo Fort that provide a one-of-a-kind perspective. —YS
Kai Beppu
- Location: Beppu, close to Fukuoka
- Why we find it irresistible: A recent ryokan that embraces Beppu’s vibrant onsen tradition—intimate sizzling spring dips included
- From $440
- E book now
Opened in 2021, the 68-room oceanfront Kai Beppu is in Beppu, 90 minutes from Fukuoka on Japan’s southernmost island of Kyushu. Designed by the celebrated Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, the construction is cloaked in sho sugi ban, a way of charring cedar so it doesn’t burn. Like many properties in Beppu, visitors come for the restorative onsen, which takes many types right here: non-public balcony ofuro tubs, a landscaped ground-level onsen, and a dangling glassy infinity footbath, all excessive in hydrogen carbonate. Impressed by onsen cities, Kai Beppu has an in-house road meals market and nightly performances of a rhythmic onsen jug band—a real “solely in Japan” expertise. —AHG
Kayotei Ryokan
- Location: Yamanaka
- Why we find it irresistible: A sublime ryokan the place all the things feels rooted in nature and craftsmanship
- From $830
- E book now
There’s a purpose why famend worldwide cooks like to go to Yamanaka, a sizzling springs city in Honshu’s seaside Ishikawa prefecture: to make a pilgrimage to Kayotei Ryokan, a 10-room non-public inn with onsen baths fed by pure mineral springs from the bottom under it. Right here, multi-course kaiseki meals are ready principally with the encircling agricultural space’s natural produce, from the fish to the tofu. Each ingredient has a narrative: The rice maker makes use of geese for pest and weed management instead of chemical compounds, and the midwinter nori, or seaweed, is harvested by courageous souls who face the big waves and slippery rocks alongside the coast. E book one of many tatami-floored rooms with a non-public onsen, and you should definitely take a look at the spectacular assortment of vintage tansu scrolls and pottery all through the retreat. —Jennifer Flowers
Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo
- Location: Tokyo
- Why we find it irresistible: A sanctuary within the sky the place panoramic metropolis and Mount Fuji views meet Michelin-starred eating and a world-class spa
- Loyalty program: Mates of M.O.
- From $630
- E book now
Occupying the highest 9 flooring of the Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower, designed by famend Argentine architect César Pelli, the Mandarin Oriental showcases postcard views of Mount Fuji to the west, Tokyo Skytree and the Sumida River to the east, and Tokyo Bay to the south. The lodge additionally turns to nature for its design inspiration. The property itself resembles a tree, with its entrance on the backside of the tower representing the bottom; on the highest ground, materials and carpets counsel leaves and branches, creating the sensation of a forest cover. The 157 rooms and 22 suites had been designed with such thrives as bonsai timber and cherry blossom motifs. On the thirty seventh ground spa, a signature “Completely Tokyo” remedy makes use of pine, bamboo, plum, inexperienced tea, and rice hulls to stimulate the senses and restore a way of readability. For dinner, select between French, Spanish, and Italian eating places.
Miyamasou
- Location: Hanase, Kyoto Prefecture
- Why we find it irresistible: A four-room mountain retreat with non-public river-view bathtubs and world-class foraged kaiseki
- From $830
- E book now
Attending to Miyamasou is an expertise unto itself. The hour-long drive from Kyoto on a slim street passes Japanese cedar forests, small cities, temples, and shrines. The ryokan is known for its two Michelin-starred, multicourse kaiseki dinners that showcase substances from the forest like gingko nuts and carp sashimi from a close-by river. After a sizzling bathtub in heated mountain spring water, visitors dine of their yukatas in non-public rooms. The 5 immaculate tatami-floored lodging characteristic sliding doorways that lead out to terraces that grasp over a dashing river, whose sound lulls visitors to sleep at night time. E book properly prematurely, given the inn’s diminutive dimension and outsize status. —JF
Nishimuraya
- Location: Kinosaki Onsen
- Why we find it irresistible: A sublime ryokan in a storied onsen city with non-public forest-view baths, garden-facing rooms, and entry to Kinosaki’s beloved seven public sizzling springs
- From $580
- E book now
The charming seaside city of Kinosaki Onsen, 2.5 hours northwest of Kyoto, is residence to Nishimuraya, set alongside the willow-lined Otani-gawa River. The eighth-century city’s seven tattoo-friendly onsen every have their very own particular person enchantment, and it’s widespread to listen to the sound of picket geta sandals on the pavement, worn by guests who’re hopping from onsen to onsen. Nishimuraya has two properties: the brand new Resort Shogetsutei, and the older Honkan, which has 29 rooms constructed within the Sukiya fashion modeled after teahouses, with picket terraces, sliding screens, and massive home windows dealing with Japanese gardens with sculpted shrubs and timber. The non-public onsen at Nishimuraya Resort Shogetsutei are probably the most dramatic on the town. They give the impression of being out onto a 30-acre mountain forest and are perfect for visitors who need extra privateness.—AHG
Palace Resort Tokyo
- What to anticipate: A modernist retreat subsequent to the Imperial Palace
- Location: Marunouchi
- Loyalty program: Leaders Membership (Main Accommodations of the World)
- From $630
- E book now
Solely a moat separates you from the Imperial Palace at this fashionable and modernist 284-room lodge with newly debuted Premiere Suites. Palace Resort Tokyo dates again to 1961, however it was rebuilt from scratch and reopened in 2012 with 10 eating places and a serene Evian Spa, replete with a high-tech health middle and pool. Visitor rooms and suites are executed up in golds, lotions, and light-weight greens accented in opposition to darkish, polished woods. However better of all are the out of doors balconies—a rarity in Tokyo.
The lodge’s vary of curated actions is deliberate in-house and consists of visits to sumo-wrestling occasions and modern artwork and structure excursions with native consultants. The wonderful Western breakfast on the Grand Kitchen provides a parade of French-inspired baked items—raspberry croissants, completely puffy cream-filled doughnuts, and kugelhopf—together with duck confit, sausage, and pâté en croûte, which you’ll order on the leafy moat-side terrace. See Afar’s full checklist of the most effective accommodations in Tokyo. —AHG
Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono
- Location: Niseko (Hokkaido)
- Why we find it irresistible: An alpine sanctuary for each powder lovers and summertime adventurers
- Loyalty program: World of Hyatt
- From $310
- E book now
Park Hyatts in Japan are usually not solely subsequent degree, they’re arguably probably the most Japanese of the worldwide chains within the nation, with beneficiant touches of omotenashi all through. Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono’s 100 spacious rooms—together with 28 suites, every with a non-public onsen—occupy 4 separate buildings and overlook the Annupuri vary. The spa is surrounded by a stream and hemmed by birch timber. It features a pool and a tattoo-friendly onsen—a rarity in Japan, the place tattoos are sometimes nonetheless discovered to be taboo.
Lodging have deep soaking tubs, oversize beds, big walk-in closets for storing cumbersome winter baggage, and sofas that convert to an additional mattress for households or small teams. Near a dozen eating places are on provide, together with a deli, sushi counter, cozy charcoal-grill robata, and French-Japanese teppanyaki, to not point out a non-public karaoke eating room. Onsite ski valet companies pamper powder pilgrims, whereas an early-bird First Tracks program with the final supervisor himself will get you on the piste earlier than it opens. Summer time actions bookable onsite embrace all the things from golf and zip-lining to biking, rafting, and excursions to the Nationwide Ainu Museum, which showcases the tradition of the Ainu individuals. —AHG
Patina Osaka
- Location: Osaka
- Why we find it irresistible: Historic magnificence with cutting-edge wellness subsequent to Osaka Fort
- From $660
- E book now
Opened in 2025 with interiors formed by pure gentle, clean woodwork, and natural textures, Patina Osaka is a contemporary retreat that sits between Osaka Fort and the industrial district of Umeda. The 221-room property consists of minimalist suites with massive soaking tubs, some with fort views. However the high draw could also be its wellness middle, which incorporates cryotherapy, oxygen chambers, forest-bathing rituals, and even poolside yoga in a dramatic glass-walled house. 5 eating ideas embrace a rooftop Basque restaurant, a contemporary teppanyaki grill, and a tea lounge that nods to conventional Japanese teahouses. —JF
The Ritz-Carlton Nikko
- Location: Nikko Nationwide Park, Tochigi Prefecture
- Why we find it irresistible: A lakeside sanctuary with an onsen, panoramic verandas, and world-class eating amid shrines and cedar forests
- Loyalty program: Marriott Bonvoy
- From $695
- E book now
Situated in Nikkō Nationwide Park—residence to marshy grasslands, dense forests, and sacred peaks—The Ritz-Carlton, Nikko provides 94 trendy visitor rooms, every with a veranda overlooking both Lake Chūzenji or Mount Nantai. The lodge is the primary within the Ritz-Carlton portfolio to have an on-site sizzling spring, drawing its restorative waters from close by Yumoto Onsen. Visitors can unwind right here after a day of cross-country snowboarding, guided nature walks, or temple visits led by native monks. Japanese and Western design influences mix all through the property, from Nikko-bori woodcarvings and kumiko latticework to the usage of Mashiko pottery within the eating places. Eating highlights embrace native specialties like yuba (soy milk pores and skin) and Tochigi wagyu beef, whereas Western menus are overseen by famous chef Kanji Kobayashi. —YS
Shisui, a Luxurious Assortment Resort
- Location: Nara
- Why we find it irresistible: A contemporary sanctuary steps from Nara Park, with non-public out of doors onsen within the visitor rooms
- Loyalty program: Marriott Bonvoy
- From $430
- E book now
On the jap fringe of Nara, simply throughout from the grazing deer and greenery of Nara Park and the Mount Kasuga Primeval Forest, sits Shisui, a Luxurious Assortment Resort. Opened in fall 2023 and redesigned by Kengo Kuma and Associates, the property facilities round a low-slung picket constructing initially constructed in 1922 because the Nara governor’s residence. Classical touches like a tiled roof gate and the tranquil Yoshikien backyard—as soon as a part of a temple advanced—imbue the lodge with a robust sense of place.
The 43 visitor rooms are vibrant and serene, because of floor-to-ceiling home windows that body views of close by Mount Wakakusa; choose deluxe rooms and suites have in-room sizzling springs or open-air baths. Visitors may also calm down within the lodge’s spa and onsen, which makes use of volcanically fed waters, or make the most of a 24/7 health middle. Eating choices embrace a sushi bar and Suiyou, a restaurant impressed by the Silk Highway culinary traditions that formed Nara throughout its period as Japan’s capital (710–794 C.E.). However the standout often is the elegant bar that spills into the backyard—a super place to sip glowing sake throughout the blue hour after a day spent exploring Nara’s UNESCO-listed treasures. —AHG
Simose Artwork Backyard Villas
- Location: Hiroshima
- Why we find it irresistible: A floating artwork resort on the Seto Inland Sea
- From $1,600
- E book now
Simose Artwork Backyard Villas, a brand new artwork advanced and resort on the Seto Inland Sea in Otake, which is a part of the Hiroshima prefecture, opened in April 2023 close to Miyajima’s UNESCO-listed Itsukushima Shrine. The constellation of buildings are the work of Pritzker Structure Prize winner Shigeru Ban. 4 of the ten villas date again to the Nineties and had been rebuilt right here this yr and embrace Le Corbusier-inspired constructions with colourful Mondrian panels. 5 new waterside villas use an Austrian light-weight Kielsteg design that includes sliding picket panels with key holes to let in gentle, whereas two rooms have deep cypress ofuru tubs. A glass-walled French restaurant and a mirrored museum that includes floating and glowing gallery modules, each designed by Ban, are open to the general public, however museum entry is unique and free to visitors within the evenings and mornings. —AHG
Six Senses Kyoto
- Location: Kyoto
- Why we find it irresistible: An city sanctuary the place Heian-era magnificence meets interior courtyards, a biohacking spa, and hyperseasonal delicacies
- Loyalty program: IHG One Rewards
- From $1,260
- E book now
Kyoto, a metropolis of 1.5 million individuals recognized for its Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, and historical crafts traditions, is an ideal match for Six Senses, whose Kyoto property embraces its setting by means of considerate design and visitor programming. Designed in soothing impartial tones by Blink Design Group, the 81 visitor rooms and suites—the grandest is a sprawling Three Bed room Penthouse—both face outward towards the town or inward to inexperienced gardens.
On the indoor-outdoor Sekki restaurant, the menu modifications each two weeks, taking part in into the hyperseasonal method that’s evident within the veggie-focused, root-to-stem dishes that comprise greater than half the choices. In the meantime, Sushi Oga Higashiyama, an outpost of a famous Osaka sushi restaurant, serves top-quality sushi with the crimson vinegar rice for which it’s well-known. Learn Afar’s full evaluation of Six Senses Kyoto. —Kathryn Romeyn
Yagyu No Sho
- Location: Shizuoka
- Why we find it irresistible: A 15-room retreat with non-public and communal baths tucked inside a bamboo forest
- From $640
- E book now
Tucked right into a bamboo grove within the riverside village of Katsura Imperial Villa in Shizuoka prefecture, the modern-feeling Yagyu no Sho ryokan is constructed within the Sukiya-zukuri fashion, an architectural aesthetic as soon as reserved for conventional teahouses. The 15 serene rooms act as a meditative retreat, with bell-shaped home windows, sliding doorways, and tatami mats—some with non-public out of doors areas that overlook quiet ponds. The standout amenity right here, although, is the onsen: a number of non-public baths crammed with mineral-rich volcanic water and a big open-air communal bathtub that borders a mossy forest. —AHG
This text was initially printed in Might 2023. It was up to date with new reporting in June 2025.
