A night in a good ryokan is the part of a Japan trip most travelers remember longest. You arrive in the afternoon, change into a cotton robe, soak in a hot spring, and sit down to a dinner of many small courses served in your room, and in the morning there’s a quiet breakfast and no checkout rush. The best ryokan are small, often family-run, and they book up months ahead. Here’s how to choose one and what to expect.
What makes a luxury ryokan
A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn, with tatami rooms, futons laid out by staff and a communal or private bath. At the luxury end, four things set one apart:
- A private onsen. A hot-spring bath attached to your room, often outdoors, so you can bathe whenever you like without sharing the water.
- Kaiseki dinner. A multi-course meal built around the season and the region, usually served in your room by an attendant.
- Service. A single attendant, called a nakai, who looks after your room, the meals and your questions.
- Setting. A garden, a river, a mountain view or a historic house, often with only a handful of rooms.
Six well-known ryokan
This isn’t a ranking; it shows the range. Availability and details change, so we confirm each stay when we plan a trip.
- Tawaraya, Kyoto. A small inn that has been run by the same family for about 300 years, in the center of the old city.
- Hiiragiya, Kyoto. Founded in 1818, also in the center, known for its old-style rooms and gardens.
- Hoshinoya Kyoto. A modern ryokan on the Oi river in Arashiyama, reached by boat, opened in 2009.
- Gora Kadan, Hakone. A former villa of an imperial prince, now a ryokan, in the hot-spring hills near Mount Fuji.
- Beniya Mukayu, Yamashiro Onsen. A quiet ryokan in the Ishikawa hot-spring town on the way to Kanazawa, known for its spa and cooking.
- Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, Yamanashi. Recognized by Guinness as the world’s oldest hotel, founded in 705, with a hot spring in the mountains west of Tokyo.
What to expect
A typical evening
Check-in is usually in the afternoon. You change into a yukata, a cotton robe, bathe, and then have dinner at a set time, often between 6 and 7 pm. While you eat, staff lay the futon. Breakfast is Japanese in style, with fish, rice and miso soup. Shoes come off at the entrance, and slippers stay out of the tatami rooms.
The onsen rules
Wash and rinse at the shower stool before you enter any bath, and never put a towel in the water. Public baths in some ryokan restrict guests with tattoos, while a room with a private bath avoids the question. Tell the ryokan about any dietary needs when you book, because kaiseki menus are set in advance.
Taxes to know about
Kyoto City raised its accommodation tax from 1 March 2026. The tax is charged per person per night on a sliding scale by room rate, with the top rate at 10,000 yen for stays priced at 100,000 yen or more per person. Hot-spring towns also add a bathing tax, with a standard rate of 150 yen per person per day, set locally. These taxes are usually paid at the property, and often don’t appear in the price shown when you book online.
How to fit a ryokan into a trip
One or two nights is the right length: any more and you will want to see something else. A common pattern is a night in Hakone from Tokyo, a night in a ryokan in Kyoto, and a second hot-spring night on the way to Kanazawa or Takayama. Choose a stay that isn’t too far from the Shinkansen, and plan to arrive by mid-afternoon so you have time for a bath before dinner. See our luxury Japan itinerary, our Kyoto private tour guide and Japan tour packages.
When to go
Spring, for cherry blossom, and autumn, for colored leaves, are the most beautiful and the hardest to book. Winter is a good time for a ryokan, with snow outside and hot water inside, and the summer months are quieter. For the busiest weeks, book six months or more ahead.
Planning it with Absolute Asia Tours
Absolute Asia Tours has planned private trips in Asia since 1989. For a ryokan stay, that means securing the rooms that book out early, matching each ryokan to the route so you aren’t racing between trains, and arranging luggage forwarding and a private guide for the days around it. We’re rated 4.8 out of 5 across about 900 traveler reviews. Have a look at our Japan tours or tell us your dates.
Sources (read in Japanese): Kyoto City and hotel notices on the 2026 accommodation tax revision; Hotelbank and Hotelpedia on the onsen bathing tax; the ryokan’s own histories. Last checked October 2026.
Luxury ryokan in Japan: FAQ
What is the best luxury ryokan in Japan?
It depends on what you want. Tawaraya and Hiiragiya in Kyoto for history, Hoshinoya Kyoto for a modern setting on the river, Gora Kadan in Hakone for hot springs near Fuji.
What is a ryokan with a private onsen?
A ryokan where your room has its own hot-spring bath, often outdoors, so you can bathe privately at any hour.
How far ahead should you book a luxury ryokan?
Six months or more for popular ones and for spring and autumn. The best rooms book out first.
Do ryokan allow guests with tattoos?
Policies vary, and some shared baths restrict tattoos. A room with a private bath avoids the issue.
Is there an extra tax at ryokan?
Often. Kyoto’s accommodation tax rose in March 2026, and hot-spring towns add a bathing tax, usually paid at the property.