9 best private Onsens in Japan

1. <KUMAMOTO> Shinmeikan

Facility Overview

It takes about 50 minutes by local bus from JR Aso Station. Shinmeikan is a long-established onsen inn founded in 1902 in Kurokawa Onsen.

Kurokawa Onsen is located in the mountainous area of Kumamoto Prefecture in northern Kyushu. Kurokawa Onsen is a rural onsen village surrounded by lush green mountains, and the nature of the satoyama, which changes its expression depending on the seasons, is attractive with its abundant hot water.

Shinmeikan is located on Kawabata Street, which is convenient for exploring the Kurokawan onsen town. The country-style inn is based on black and brown, and there are Japanese-style rooms with 8 tatami mats and 6 tatami mats. From the window of your room, you can enjoy the scenery of the four seasons while listening to the murmur of the river. As for the cuisine, you can enjoy a meal of local cuisine on the hearth while feeling the taste of the good old countryside. A hearth is a traditional Japan house with a square cut out of the floor to cook and keep warm.

At Shinmeikan, you can enjoy five onsens, including the famous cave bath, which the third-generation owner himself used with a chisel.

Onsen

Shinmeikan has two private onsens (family baths), "Kaze no Yu" and "Kajika no Yu". Both are types of baths in which the bathhouse outside the guest room is reserved on an hourly basis.

The quality of the onsen is sodium chloride sulfate spring. It moisturizes the skin and has been useful as a healthy hot water since ancient times. It is effective for cuts, peripheral circulatory disorders, sensitivity to cold, depressive symptoms, and dry skin.

"Kaze no Yu" is a luxurious open-air bath where you can enjoy the nature surrounded by the forest as it is. In the open-air bath, you can take a relaxing bath while being surrounded by nature as it is. "Kaze no Yu" is for use only by hotel guests.

"Kajika no Yu" has a bathroom that looks like an old folk house. If you soak your body in plenty of hot water filled with a bathtub on the tasteful rock surface, you can take an emotional bath.

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2. <OITA> Yufuin Onsen | HINOHARU RYOKAN

Facility overview

About 15 minutes on foot from JR Yufuin Station, about 5 minutes by taxi. It is an onsen inn located in Yufuin, Oita Prefecture, Kyushu. Yufuin is a famous onsen resort with beautiful nature and old townscapes. Hinoharu Ryokan is close to Yufuin's popular tourist spots, Yunotsubo Kaido and Lake Kinroko, and is a recommended onsen inn for sightseeing in Yufuin.

Hinoharu Ryokan is located in the center of Yufuin but is surrounded by abundant trees. When you enter the premises, there is a quiet and elegant atmosphere. The hall is conscious of barrier-free, such as reducing steps and adding ramps to the passages.

The guest room is a calm pure Japanese-style Japanese-style room based on earth tones. There are 11 guest rooms, some without a bath, and some with an open-air bath and a bath-type indoor bath. In the guest rooms with open-air baths, you can enjoy seasonal Japanese-style kaiseki and Oita Wagyu beef that anticipate the taste of the season.

What I want to try at the ryokan is the "1000 people bath" with a sense of freedom. Sennin Bath is a proud open-air public bath that the ryokan has preserved from generation to generation since its founding. The bathhouse paved with jade gravel is comfortable and refreshing on the soles of your feet.

Onsen

Hinoharu Ryokan has a private onsen (family bath) outside the guest room and inside the guest room.

The quality of the spring is simple. It is an onsen that flows 100% from the source. A simple onsen is an onsen in which the amount of ingredients contained is less than a certain value. The ingredients are thin and there is little irritation, so the elderly, children, and people with sensitive skin can bathe with peace of mind.

The family open-air bath and family cypress bath are private onsens (family baths) outside the guest rooms.

The family open-air bath is a spacious open-air bath. It is recommended for spending time with a large family. You can spend a lively time with the whole family without worrying about people's eyes. The family cypress bath is a cypress bath in a bathtub made of cypress. The unique scent of cypress spreads in the bathroom and enhances the relaxing effect. In the cypress bath with a natural texture, you can spend a luxurious time like forest bathing.

The open-air bath guest room is a private onsen (family bath) in the room.

The pure Japanese-style room with a spacious size of 10 tatami mats has an open-air bath dedicated to the guest room. There is an open-air bath in the room, so you can take a bath as many times as you like. Surrounded by hot water, you can enjoy the onsen while listening to the birds singing.

Check Yufuin Onsen | HINOHARU RYOKAN

3. <OITA>Yufuin Yawaragi-no-sato | YADOYA

Facility overview

About 15 minutes on foot from JR Yufuin Station, about 5 minutes by taxi. It is a simple stay type onsen inn where you can enjoy a walk around Yufuin and natural onsens in Yufuin, Oita Prefecture, Kyushu.

Yufuin is a famous onsen resort with beautiful nature and old townscapes. The ryokan overlooking the famous peak "Mt. Yufu" is close to the sightseeing street of Yufuin, so it is convenient as a walking base.

There are four types of rooms: Japanese-Western rooms, Japanese-style rooms, twin deluxe, and twin rooms according to the purpose. We will treat you with dishes made with plenty of local ingredients.

The universal design of the building includes a restaurant, a children's room, a picture book corner, a table tennis court, and a souvenir shop. The restaurant "Bungotei" has a footbath seat where you can eat while soaking in the footbath for one seat only. The free room has a massage chair that you can use free of charge. There is a children's room with toys and a picture book corner, so it is recommended for family trips with small children.

At Yadoya, you can enjoy 6 onsens with different tastes. There are two large public baths (indoor baths) for men and women, and four private onsens (family baths).

Onsen

Yadoya has a private onsen (family bath) outside the guest room. They are the private open-air baths "Yawaragi no Yu", "Naka Yu", and "Goemon no Yu" and the private indoor baths "Family Bath".

The quality of the spring is a simple onsen. It is less irritating to the skin, so it can be enjoyed by the whole family, from small children to adults. The hot water is 100% natural onsen. It is effective for joint pain, frozen shoulder, bruises, sensitivity to cold, fatigue recovery, chronic digestive diseases, etc.

In the private open-air bath, you can take a bath while feeling the beautiful nature of Japan.

Yawaragi no Yu is the most popular private bath in Yadoya. While looking at the majestic Mt. Yufu, you can heal the fatigue of your trip. In the onsen inside, you can enjoy the onsen slowly while looking at the starry sky on a sunny night. At Goemon's onsen, you can enjoy three types of bathtubs, including Goemon kettles.

The family bath in the private indoor bath has a lift, so you can take a bath regardless of generation.

Depending on the quality of the onsen, if you stay in the onsen for a long time or repeatedly, you may feel unwell a few days after bathing. The quality of Yadoya's onsen is a simple onsen with little irritation to the skin, so it is safe for everyone from small children to the elderly.

Check Yufuin Yawaragi-no-sato | YADOYA

4. <YAMANASHI> Nishiyama Onsen | Keiunkan

Facility overview

Surrounded by mountains, the secret onsen has been loved by many people since ancient times, including city people, warlords, and literati, since its opening in 705. Abundant onsens are still gushing out from the source at the time of its opening. In addition to the historic source, you can enjoy more than 1,630 liters of new hot water per minute that was drilled to commemorate the 1,300th anniversary of the opening of the onsen. The hot water has a source temperature of 52 degrees or more, and it is a high-quality onsen as it is, without adding water or heating.

All rooms are pure Japanese-style spaces with a taste of wood that cherishes the traditions of Japan. From the room, you can enjoy a view of the natural mountains and the Hayakawa and Yukawa valleys. For the dishes, you can enjoy the taste of the special mountain river with seasonal ingredients. On-site amenities include a tea lounge, karaoke rooms and souvenir shops.

There are several baths with different tastes in the onsens. There are three types of open-air baths (open-air baths): an observatory bath for men and women, an open-air bath with an observatory, a mountain stream open-air bath, and a private open-air bath. There is also a sauna bath.

From any of the bathhouses in the hotel, you can see the magnificent view of nature in the mountains, and you can feel the eternal passage of time while soaking in the historic secret onsen.

Onsen

Keiunkan has a private onsen (family bath) outside the guest rooms. It is the "river sound" and "setone" of the private outdoor bath.

The quality of the onsens is sodium, calcium, sulfate, chloride springs (hypotonic alkaline onsens). It is effective for gastrointestinal diseases, muscle pain, constipation, and skin-beautifying effects. The water is colorless and transparent, but it has a faint scent peculiar to onsens. You can enjoy plenty of abundant hot water from your own source.

The private open-air baths, Kawane and Seon, are large stone open-air baths that can each accommodate about 15 people. The spacious open-air bath is ideal for large families and group trips. Of course, couples and solo travelers can also monopolize the luxurious space. While being healed by the superb scenery of nature, you can enjoy the ultimate sense of liberation.

Check Nishiyama Onsen | Keiunkan

5. ＜GUNMA＞Urakusatsu Tou

Faility overview

About a 5-minute walk from Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal. It takes about 28 minutes by bus from Naganohara Kusatsuguchi Station. This hotel opened in 2022 in "Ura-Kusatsu" in Kusatsu Onsen in Gunma Prefecture.

Kusatsu Onsen is one of the three famous onsens in Japan and boasts the largest amount of hot water in Japan and excellent healing properties. At the symbol of Kusatsu Onsen, "Yuhata", 4,000 liters of onsen spring gushes out every minute. The area around Yubata is called "Urakusatsu" and the area around Jizo no Yu, which is about a 3-minute walk from Yubata, is called "Urakusatsu". Ura-Kusatsu is an area that is attracting attention as a new tourist spot for Kusatsu Onsen.

The concept of the hotel is "1/f fluctuation". "1/f fluctuation" is the harmony between regular and irregular things.

Like the human heart rate, the inconsistent rhythm that exists in all natural objects in the world makes the human mind feel comfortable. The flames of the bonfires and hearths, the flowing water, the rustling of the trees, and the swaying lanterns in the back of Kusatsu at dusk. Here, you can enjoy the fluctuations and spend a healing time.

Furnished in a traditional Japan architectural style, the rooms are an emotional space where you can feel the warmth of soft wood and the taste of Japan. There are Western-style rooms with semi-open-air baths and Western-style rooms with showers. As for the cuisine, you can enjoy a creative kaiseki with ingenuity on traditional Japan kaiseki cuisine, as well as robata dishes finished over charcoal. In addition to the large public bath and the semi-open-air bath in the guest room, there are four private baths.

Onsen

The hotel has private onsens (family baths) in and outside the rooms. There are Western-style rooms with semi-open-air baths, private baths "Numa MOKU" and "Ao AO", and rooftop private baths "SUI" and "OBORO".

The Jizo onsen that fills the hotel's bathtub has been popular since ancient times as a "onsen cure" that cures diseases. Hot water is a famous onsen that enhances people's natural self-healing power and moisturizes the skin.

The quality of the spring is acidic, sulfur-aluminum-sulfate-chloride spring. It is slightly white and cloudy, with a strong acidity and hydrogen sulfide odor. The texture of the hot water is thick yet slightly tangy. It is effective for neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain, frozen shoulder, motor paralysis, bruises, etc.

In the Western-style room with a semi-open-air bath, you can enjoy the famous onsen "Jizo Gensen" to your heart's content at any time you like. If you soak your body in the bathtub, you will heal the fatigue of the trip and increase your self-healing power.

In the private bath, you can enjoy two baths with different tastes: "Numa MOKU", which has a soft atmosphere based on wood, and "Ao AO", which is paved with stones. Please spend a special time talking with your loved ones and bathing.

At the rooftop private baths "SUI" and "OBORO", you can see the magnificent sky and mountains during the day and the starry sky at night. You can throw yourself into the nature of Kusatsu and enjoy a pleasant slumbering moment.

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6. <GIFU> Hidatei Hanaougi

Facility overview

About 10 minutes by taxi from JR Takayama Station. It is an onsen ryokan located in Takayama City, Hida Takayama Onsen in the northern part of Gifu Prefecture.

Hida Takayama Onsen is an onsen resort consisting of a basin surrounded by steep mountains to the east and west and harsh river canyons to the north and south. Hida Takayama, where the old townscape remains, has many attractions where you can feel the history and culture, and is also known as a popular tourist spot.

Hida-tei Hanaougi is a pure Japanese-style onsen inn that values the old-fashioned "Japanese heart". At a ryokan that sticks to traditional "Japan hospitality", the same nakai is in charge of everything from welcoming guests to seeing them off.

The hotel and guest rooms are made of rare and valuable Jindai cedar trees. The term "age of the gods" refers to trees that have been buried in the ground for more than 1,000 years and stored for a long time, and have become discolored due to the action of underground components. In an extraordinary space where you can feel healing and peace with your five senses, quiet time flows slowly.

The guest rooms are Japanese-style rooms with the theme of "trees" such as Jindai cedar, Jindai keyaki, and Yoshino cedar. You can relax in your room while being embraced by the warmth of wood. There are rooms with and without open-air baths.

As for the dishes, you can enjoy the special selection of Hida beef unique to the real place. You can enjoy a variety of dishes such as steak and shabu-shabu in a private room. In the hotel, there is an onsen salon where you can rest your hot body after a hot bath, an observation corner with free Wi-Fi, a Japanese-style restaurant, and souvenir shops.

The onsen is one of the few private onsens among the onsen inns in Hida Takayama. You can enjoy the proud private spring "Jindai Yu" in the large public bath, open-air bath, private open-air bath, guest room open-air bath, and foot bath.

Onsen

Hida-tei Hanaougi has a private onsen (family bath) with open-air baths inside and outside the rooms.

The private spring "Jindai Yu", which springs from 1,200 meters underground, is so soft that it becomes lukewarm to the touch when you touch it in hot water, and the quality of the spring is attractive like a thick serum. The quality of the spring is sodium bicarbonate onsen. It is effective for neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain, frozen shoulder, sensitivity to cold, recovery from fatigue, health promotion, chronic skin diseases, etc.

In the guest room with an open-air bath, you can enjoy the lukewarmly soft and thick serum-like beautiful skin water all night long without worrying about the surroundings. The moist and smooth feeling of the hot water makes you want to soak it again and again. You can choose from several rooms of different sizes and tastes for private onsens (family baths).

In the spacious private open-air bath, you can spend your private time without worrying about your surroundings. You can thoroughly enjoy the hot water with thick and beautiful skin.

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7.<KOBE> Arima Onsen | Ginsuiso Choraku

Facility Overview

Ginsuiso Choraku, located on a hill overlooking Arima Onsen town and Mount Rokko, is a Onsen inn conveniently accessible from Arima Onsen Station on the Kobe Electric Railway in a 10-minute walk and a 20-minute drive from Kobe Sannomiya Station. 

Arima Onsen, known as one of Japan's three oldest Onsens and considered the oldest Onsen in Japan, has been loved and frequented by people as the hidden retreat of the west for a very long time.

This Onsen inn, established in 1927, boasts a long history in the Arima Onsen town. It is the only inn where you can enjoy both types of Onsens that characterize Arima Onsen: the golden spring (Kinsen) and the silver spring (Ginsen).

The elegantly appointed guest rooms, incorporating a blend of Japanese and modern styles, offer both Japanese-style and Japanese-Western-style rooms, ensuring a comfortable stay. Additionally, for those seeking a more private and relaxing experience, there is the Shiki Villa, which comes with its own Onsen.

This villa provides a completely private space, allowing guests to conduct check-in and check-out procedures within their room. Despite the easy access from the city, you can enjoy a leisurely time in the deep, serene forests of Arima.

The meals, both dinner and breakfast, are luxurious dishes that make the most of local and seasonal ingredients. You can enjoy them leisurely in the comfort of your room.

In addition to the private Onsens attached to the villa's guest rooms, there are three types of baths: the 'Large Public Bath', the slightly more intimate 'Kunugi no Yu' surrounded by kunugi trees, and the private open-air bath. Each bath offers the Kinsen and Ginsen Onsens sourced from within the property.

Onsen

At Ginsuiso Choraku, you can enjoy both the Kinsen and Ginsen, which are characteristic of Arima Onsen, making it the only place in the Arima Onsen area where this is possible. Moreover, the Onsens are drawn directly from the sources within the property and are completely free-flowing.

The private open-air baths offer both Kinsen and Ginsen, allowing you to spend private moments while gazing at the expansive forest below.

The villa has three guest rooms, each with its own private bath. The 'Ariake Sakura' and 'Yuyama Momiji' rooms feature open-air Kinsen baths and Ginsen steam baths, while the 'Arima Fuji' room offers an open-air Kinsen bath and a Ginsen foot bath, allowing you to relax and unwind completely.

Arima Onsen's Kinsen has a brownish color, while the Ginsen is colorless and transparent. These two types of Onsens have made Arima famous throughout Japan, and it is recorded in the Nihon Shoki that an emperor of the time visited. Since then, it has continued to be loved by powerful figures through the ages up to the present day.

This brown Onsen, known as Kinsen, emerges from various locations in Arima Onsen, with each source having slightly different components.

At Ginsuiso Choraku, the Onsen's composition is a strong sodium chloride spring containing iron, known for its high moisturizing and antibacterial effects, making the skin feel smooth. It is believed to be effective for conditions such as poor circulation, lower back pain, muscle and joint pain, peripheral circulatory disorders, infectious skin diseases, chronic eczema, urticaria, wounds, burns, and various allergic skin conditions.

The Ginsen is a radioactive spring (radon spring), and inhaling the gas through the respiratory system allows it to reach tissues throughout the body, enhancing natural healing abilities. It is believed to be effective for conditions such as hypertension, peripheral arterial occlusive disease, functional arterial circulatory disorders, non-healing wounds, and localized circulatory disorders in the hands and feet.

Here, you can thoroughly enjoy the famous Onsens of Japan's three oldest Onsens in a private space surrounded by the rich nature of Arima. Such baths are available here.

Check Arima Onsen | Ginsuiso Choraku

8.<KANAGAWA> Aura Tachibana

Facility Overview

Aura Tachibana is located in the Hakone Yumoto Onsen town, the gateway to ' Hakone Jushichito(Hakone Seventeen Spas),' the oldest of the renowned Hakone Onsen area. Situated on a hill slightly away from the Yumoto Onsen town, it offers magnificent views of Hakone's landscape.

It is a 13-minute walk from Hakone Yumoto Station on the Hakone Tozan Line and can be reached in about an hour from Tokyo Station by using the Tokaido Shinkansen and other trains."

With a daily output of 25,000 tons, Hakone Onsen ranks among the top in Japan, and it boasts a variety of 20 different types of Onsens. In addition, it is a famous Onsen area where you can admire the majestic and beautiful sight of Mount Fuji. The history of the Onsen is quite old, dating back approximately 1,200 years."

Aura Tachibana, located in the Onsen resort area of Hakone, was renovated in 2008 with the concept of creating a hotel where you can feel the refreshing breeze of Hakone in various places. It offers comfortable spaces such as rooms, a sky terrace, a garden terrace, and a dining area."

The guest rooms are broadly divided into two types: the modern 'Kaze no Tachi' with open-air baths and the Japanese-style 'Mori no Tachi.' In every room, you can enjoy the refreshing breeze and the breathtaking views of Hakone while spending a leisurely time."

The meals, both dinner and breakfast, feature creative cuisine based on Japanese dishes, using local and seasonal ingredients. From appetizers to desserts, 'beppin cuisine' is offered."

In addition to the private Onsens attached to the rooms, there are large public baths, open-air baths, and private open-air baths, allowing you to enjoy the views while bathing."

Onsen

There are several types of Onsen water in Hakone Yumoto, but the Onsen at Aura Tachibana is a colorless and transparent alkaline simple Onsen. With low mineral content and gentle on the skin, it is a Onsen you can enjoy bathing in multiple times.

This Onsen, also known as a 'beauty Onsen,' is said to be effective for neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain, frozen shoulder, motor paralysis, bruises, chronic digestive diseases, hemorrhoids, poor circulation, recovery from fatigue, health promotion, and improving skin beauty.

In addition to the indoor and open-air baths, the large public bath also features a sauna and a jacuzzi, providing a relaxing space where you can leisurely enjoy the picturesque view of the Hakone mountain range from the hilltop.

The private open-air baths are panoramic open-air baths located on the sky terrace. As the name suggests, they are on the top floor, offering an exceptional sense of openness where you can fully experience the setting sun or the star-filled night sky. There are three baths: 'A-noyu,' 'U-noyu,' and 'Ra-noyu,' each offering a luxurious experience.

The open-air baths attached to the rooms provide a space where you can enjoy natural Onsens at your leisure while valuing your private time, and you can also have exclusive views of the magnificent Hakone scenery.

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9.<SHIZUOKA> ATARAYO | NISHI-IZU

Facility Overview

Atarayo Nishi-Izu is located in Toi Onsen, in the Nishi-Izu region on the west coast of the Izu Peninsula, an area known for its famous Onsen resorts.

It is about a 35-minute drive from JR Shuzenji Station and approximately a 2-hour journey from Tokyo by Shinkansen or car. Toi Onsen, the largest and oldest Onsen in the Nishi-Izu region, was discovered around 400 years ago during the Edo period when gold mining was being developed in the area."

Located on the western side of the Izu Peninsula, Toi Onsen is renowned for its beautiful views of the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean. Among these, Atarayo Nishi-Izu is an Onsen inn where you can enjoy particularly spectacular views due to its location and facilities.

Renovated in 2023, this Onsen inn is named with the concept of wanting to provide a rich evening enjoying the spectacular sunset, making guests reluctant for the next day to arrive.

There are 16 different types of guest rooms with various Onsens, allowing guests to choose according to their preferred style of stay. Of course, there are also large public baths, open-air baths, and panoramic open-air baths, where you can fully enjoy the Onsens while taking in the beautiful view of Suruga Bay."

Meals, centered around seafood from Suruga Bay, are creative kaiseki cuisine incorporating local and seasonal ingredients, served at the on-site dining 'Dan.' In the live kitchen, where you can experience the heat, aroma, and sounds, you can enjoy a meal that satisfies all your senses."

Onsen

Toi Onsen has six Onsen sources, which are used as a mixed spring. The main Onsen types are calcium-sodium sulfate and chloride springs. At Atarayo Nishi-Izu, the Onsen is a calcium-sodium sulfate spring, rich in the blessings of the sea."

The Onsen is popular as a 'beauty bath' that aids in recovery from fatigue and is gentle on the skin. Its benefits are said to include relief from neuralgia, muscle pain, bruises, fatigue recovery, health promotion, wound healing, and rheumatism, among other conditions."

The large public bath and the panoramic open-air bath offer a space where you can feel the famous Onsens of Toi on your skin while enjoying the beautiful views of Suruga Bay and the Amagi Mountain Range

On the top floor, there is a private panoramic open-air bath where you can enjoy a private time with a great sense of openness. You can spend blissful moments soaking in the famous Onsens of Toi with your close friends while admiring the sunset or the star-filled night sky."

There are 16 rooms with Onsens, including Western-style and Japanese-Western-style rooms, each featuring an open-air bath. You can choose a room according to the number of people and your preferred style, allowing various guests to enjoy the famous Onsens of Toi in a private setting.

Check ATARAYO | NISHI-IZU