Ryokan destinations in Japan
A ryokan stay is usually a night or two added to a longer trip. So the question is how far it is from where you already are, what kind of place it is, and when it is at its best.
How far it is
The usual journey by train or bus, from the city most trips pass through. Choose where you will be.
- Atami熱海45 minTokaido Shinkansen from Tokyo Station1 ryokan listed
- Karuizawa軽井沢1 h 10Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo Station1 ryokan listed
- Hakone箱根1 h 20Romancecar from Shinjuku15 ryokan listed
- Kawaguchiko河口湖1 h 55Fuji Excursion limited express from Shinjuku3 ryokan listed
- Nikko and Kinugawa日光・鬼怒川2 hTobu limited express from Asakusa
- Kyoto京都2 h 20Tokaido Shinkansen from Tokyo Station12 ryokan listed
- Nozawa Onsen野沢温泉2 h 20Hokuriku Shinkansen to Iiyama, then bus
- Kanazawa金沢2 h 30Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo Station
- Kusatsu Onsen草津温泉3 hLimited express from Ueno, then bus
- Zao Onsen蔵王温泉3 h 10Yamagata Shinkansen to Yamagata, then bus
- Takayama高山4 h 30Shinkansen to Nagoya, then the Hida limited express
From Kyoto
Choose the setting
Not every ryokan is in a hot-spring town, and not every hot-spring town is in the mountains.
Onsen towns
温泉街Small towns built around their springs. You walk between the baths in a yukata, and the ryokan serves dinner.
Hot spring: at almost every ryokan
Cities
都市A ryokan a short walk or train ride from the sights. The room, the meals and the service are the point.
Hot spring: the exception
Mountains and lakes
山と湖Resort country where the ryokan are spread out and the view from the bath matters as much as the water.
Hot spring: at most ryokan
When to go
Where each season is at its best.
Spring
春March to May
Summer
夏June to August
Autumn
秋September to November
Winter
冬December to February
All destinations, north to south
Chubu中部
Chugoku, Shikoku中国・四国
Okinawa沖縄