Nasu Kogen
Family-Friendly Hotels in Nasu Highlands: Private Baths & Indoor Play
A highland retreat that works for rainy days and babies alike
16 family-friendly hotels in Nasu Highlands, verified by Kids Stay: 11 with tatami rooms, 9 with private onsen baths, 4 with in-room baths, 6 with crib rental and 8 with indoor play rooms. Every listing is checked against the official hotel website or Rakuten Travel.
The Nasu Highlands are an easy place to plan a trip with kids. The cool highland air keeps summer naps from turning into meltdowns, and Nasu Animal Kingdom, Lake Rindo Family Farm, and Nasu Safari Park are all a short drive from the hotels, so you arrive before little ones are worn out from the road. From babies under 1 to elementary schoolers, kids of every age will find plenty to do.
Looking at the 16 Nasu Highlands properties we list, what stands out is how many have indoor play space. Mountain weather often brings a light afternoon shower, and when outdoor plans fall through, you can head back to the hotel and still have fun. At a place like Pension Yamanikki, which has a playroom stocked with 3,000 manga volumes, a rainy evening is easy to enjoy.
Another strength is the private bath. Changing a child in a shared changing room can be a scramble, and doing it away from other guests is a real relief for parents with babies. Prices range widely, from large resorts to cozy, homey pensions and whole-house villa rentals, so you can find a place that suits a first family trip or a family who wants a long, relaxing soak in a hot spring.
If you want to stay affordably with free co-sleeping (a young child sharing your bed at no charge), 3 properties qualify. If you want a tatami room for the whole family, 11 properties offer Japanese-style or combined Japanese-Western rooms (tatami plus beds). The age and number of children who can co-sleep for free, and whether the number of futons in a tatami room changes the terms, differ from hotel to hotel.
Highlights
- check8 of 16 properties have an indoor play area. Some are large all-weather facilities, while others are playrooms in a separate building stocked with manga and toys
- check9 of 16 properties have a private bath, and 2 of them are free. Whether you reserve in advance or use it on a first-come basis depends on the hotel
- check2 properties hold Welcome Baby certification (a Japanese program recognizing baby-friendly hotels). Hotel Epinard Nasu offers baby food by age in months, and Grand Mercure has indoor and outdoor kids' play areas (the garden pool is open in summer only)
- check9 properties offer allergy accommodations, 4 have a kids' buffet, and 9 serve toddler meals. Families with food allergies will find it easy to consult the staff
- checkPension Ajiwai has only tatami rooms, and 99% of its guests are families with children. Crawling babies can move around without worrying about steps
Family-friendly features in Nasu Highlands
Recommended hotels (16)
Grand Mercure Nasu Highlands Resort & Spa
Hotel Epinard Nasu
Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Nasu
Pension Ajiwai
Hotel Sun Valley Nasu
Pension Yamanikki
Hotel Harvest Nasu
Nasu Onsen Mongolia Village Tenger
Nasu Highland Park Official Hotel TOWA Pure Cottages
Bell the CAT
See all hotels in Nasu Highlands (16)expand_more
- Grand Mercure Nasu Highlands Resort & Spa
- Hotel Epinard Nasu
- Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Nasu
- Pension Ajiwai
- Hotel Sun Valley Nasu
- Pension Yamanikki
- Hotel Harvest Nasu
- Nasu Onsen Mongolia Village Tenger
- Nasu Highland Park Official Hotel TOWA Pure Cottages
- Bell the CAT
- Pension Manbou
- Pension Yama no Wagaya
- Nasu Onsen Glamping Nenn
- Wellness no Mori Nasu
- Kyukamura Nasu
- Pension Hummingbird
Kid-friendly facilities at family hotels in Nasu Kogen
Kids Stay checked the official information of 15 family hotels in Nasu Kogen and found 68 kid-friendly facilities on site. Here is a sample by category so you can compare facilities before choosing a room.
Indoor playrooms and kids' spaces(5 hotels, 12 items)
- Grand Mercure Nasu Highlands Resort & Spa · Family Floor 'Safari Resort' (4th Floor): The entire 4th floor is given over to families with children. Rooms suited to different ages line the floor, including the animal-motif Safari Kids, Forest Baby for ages 0 to 3 onl
- Hotel Epinard Nasu · Baby & Kids Floor (dedicated guest rooms): A dedicated floor with Baby Rooms, Baby Deluxe Rooms and Baby Corner Rooms for ages 0 to 3; Kids Corner Rooms and Kids Deluxe Rooms for children aged 3 up to school age; and Family
- Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Nasu · POKO POKO play area: A play area inside POKO POKO, an indoor facility with a ceiling about 10 meters high, where children can use the net play equipment and ball pit whatever the weather. It is a relia
- Pension Yamanikki · The playroom in the separate log house: The playroom is in a log house separate from the main building, with about 3,000 manga along with toys, games and DVDs. Children can read late into the night or borrow things for t
- Pension Manbou · Kids' space in the dining room: The dining room has a kids' space that is available at any time. It holds toys, picture books and an aquarium, so children can play within their parents' sight even during meals. T
Pools and water play(4 hotels, 4 items)
- Grand Mercure Nasu Highlands Resort & Spa · Garden Pool: An open-air garden pool included in the all-inclusive stay. There is a kids' area made shallower for children, so children who are new to water play, or about to be, can enjoy it w
- Hotel Epinard Nasu · Indoor heated pool: Three zones: a 25 m pool and children's pools 30 cm and 60 cm deep. Babies from age 0 can use it while wearing a swim diaper, and you may bring your own float ring, which makes it
- Hotel Sun Valley Nasu · Aqua Venus outdoor onsen pool: An outdoor onsen pool about 50 m around. Within the one pool there are 10 kinds of spots, including jacuzzi baths, reclining baths, a rapids section and Mizu Basshaan ("water splas
- Hotel Harvest Nasu · Indoor pool (with jacuzzi): An indoor heated pool on the second floor of the spa wing. It has a lap pool (15 m, 0.8 m deep), a children's pool (9.6 m, 0 to 0.5 m deep) and a jet pool, and staying guests can u
Baby gear you can borrow(5 hotels, 8 items)
- Grand Mercure Nasu Highlands Resort & Spa · Rental Items: Baby and kids' equipment prepared for staying guests. Please check with the front desk on the day for details of where items are kept, stock levels and how to request them.
- Hotel Epinard Nasu · Baby-item rentals and shop: Available to borrow free of charge: crib, baby futon, bed guard, stroller, baby bath, bath chair, baby soap, toilet-training seat, waterproof sheet, diaper bin, baby bottle-washing
- Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Nasu · Baby and kids' items available to borrow: A crib, bed guard, diaper bin, step stool for children and toilet-training seat are available to borrow free of charge. A baby bath and a baby-bottle sterilizing set can be request
- Kyukamura Nasu · Baby items available to borrow (baby bed and baby chair, plus kids' rental items): A baby bed and a baby chair are placed in the changing room of the communal bath Ai-no-Yu, and kids' rental items are also available.
- Pension Ajiwai · All Japanese-style tatami rooms, baby equipment and toddler meals: Every room is a Japanese-style tatami room, which is reassuring for co-sleeping. For babies and young children, the pension provides a children's chair, a bath bowl, a baby bath, a
Kids' meals and baby food(5 hotels, 14 items)
- Grand Mercure Nasu Highlands Resort & Spa · Buffet Restaurant: A buffet venue using ingredients from the local Nasu Highlands. Children's chairs and children's cutlery are provided, and baby food is prepared to match the child's age in months.
- Hotel Epinard Nasu · Kids' buffet and baby food corner: The lavish buffet of 100 Japanese, Western and Chinese dishes includes a dedicated kids' buffet corner set at children's eye level. The restaurants provide commercially sold baby f
- Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Nasu · Children's menu and kids' chairs: The buffet restaurant SHAKI SHAKI has high chairs, low chairs and swing chairs, and meals are free for children aged 3 and under. Baby food is prepared to match the child's age in
- Kyukamura Nasu · Baby chairs, children's chairs and tableware in the restaurant: The restaurant provides baby chairs, children's chairs and children's tableware. Meals are served buffet-style with a wide range of dishes, from the noodle bar to tempura and sushi
- Pension Yamanikki · A kids' meal for children aged 2 and over: Children aged 2 and over who have not yet started elementary school are served a kids' meal at dinner. At breakfast they are served the same menu as the adults, minus egg, in a min
Baby-friendly bathhouses(5 hotels, 14 items)
- Grand Mercure Nasu Highlands Resort & Spa · Onsen Communal Bath: The onsen communal bath on the 1st floor has an open-air rock bath, the communal bath itself (the indoor bath uses heated water), a sauna and an onsen lounge for after your bath (3
- Hotel Epinard Nasu · Onsen communal bath, open-air bath and sauna: A simple onsen with a large open-air bath surrounded by trees and the murmur of a river, a sauna that seats more than 20 people, a hinoki (cypress) bath and a jacuzzi. The changing
- Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Nasu · Baby facilities in the communal bath: The communal bath is fully equipped with items such as baby chairs and baby beds, so you can bathe with your baby with peace of mind. Children who are not yet out of diapers should
- Pension Yamanikki · Two baths used privately by each room: There are 2 baths, and both are used privately by one room at a time with the door locked; there is no time-slot reservation system. The larger one is a rock bath for 3 to 4 people
- Bell the CAT · Five private-hire onsen open-air baths, free 24 hours a day: On the grounds are 4 private-hire onsen open-air baths, 2 of them with a loyly sauna, plus 1 private-hire onsen indoor bath, all free to use 24 hours a day. No reservation is neede
Themed and family rooms(3 hotels, 3 items)
- Hotel Epinard Nasu · Chuggington Room (limited to 3 rooms per day): A themed guest room recreating the world of the popular CG animation Chuggington, limited to 3 rooms per day. It is packed with playful touches, including a diorama where children
- Nasu Onsen Glamping Nenn · Twin dome tent: The twin dome tent, formed by joining two 6 m tents, sleeps up to 6 guests, the largest capacity among the 17 tents. It has air conditioning for both heating and cooling as well as
- Hotel Harvest Nasu · Japanese-Western rooms, Deluxe Japanese-Western rooms and cottages: The Japanese-Western room is 43 sq m and sleeps up to 5, with two beds and a 6-tatami-mat area, while the Deluxe Japanese-Western room is 54 sq m and sleeps up to 6, with two beds
Kids' programs and activities(4 hotels, 5 items)
- Hotel Epinard Nasu · Piyo Piyo Room childcare service: A childcare service staffed by people who hold childcare qualifications. Parents can leave their child in good hands while they enjoy the onsen or a spa treatment.
- Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Nasu · Nursery (free childcare service): While you have dinner at the main dining room OTTO SETTE NASU, you can use Nursery, a free childcare service in which staff look after your child.
- Pension Yamanikki · Watching kuromado firefly larvae from June to October: From June to October you can watch the glow of rare kuromado firefly larvae along the stream that runs right in front of the pension and in the surrounding area. The firefly calend
- Nasu Onsen Mongolia Village Tenger · Family plan benefits (children's rates, fireworks gift): On certain accommodation plans, children's rates are set at 65% of the adult rate for elementary school children and 45% for children under school age (with meals and futon bedding
Outdoor play and gardens(5 hotels, 6 items)
- Grand Mercure Nasu Highlands Resort & Spa · Outdoor Activity Facility 'NASOBO': An outdoor play area whose symbol is a large slide that catches the eye. It is divided into a kids' athletic course and a slide for younger children, so children can play according
- Pension Yamanikki · Handmade play equipment in the lawn garden: The lawn garden has handmade wooden play equipment, including a two-seater swing, a rocking horse and a seesaw. The approach to the entrance is paved with stepping stones cut from
- Pension Yama no Wagaya · Walks and bug hunting in a treasure house of nature: The surroundings are wide-open nature, starting with Nasu Heisei no Mori. Rhinoceros beetles and stag beetles live here in numbers, and there is nature to enjoy in every season, fr
- Nasu Onsen Mongolia Village Tenger · Open area on the grounds and insect hunting: On fine days, families and groups can move around and play to their heart's content in the open area on the grounds. The property is surrounded by forest, where everyone is free to
- Nasu Onsen Glamping Nenn · Outdoor activities (swing, kids' scooter, badminton): A swing is set up on the grounds as a photo spot. At the front desk you can borrow, free of charge, a kids' scooter for ages 3 to 10, a kick scooter for children in the upper grade
Seasonal collections for Nasu Highlands
Winter Onsen With Kids
Winter onsen towns from north to south, where an in-room bath, a reservable private bath and meals in your room mean you never have to go out
Christmas With Kids in Japan
Book December weekends early. Three ways to spend it: city hotels, dinner-included resorts, or snow and hot springs
Winter Break With Kids
Travel in the first or second half of winter break and skip the New Year crush. Choose by snow play, hot springs, the warm south, or city playgrounds
Autumn Leaves With Kids
Peak color timing, plus hotels in autumn leaf areas you can manage with a baby or toddler, from Hokkaido to Kyushu
Autumn Farms and Harvest
Hotels with farm activities and animal encounters, plus the areas that make the best base for fruit picking and harvest days, from Hokkaido to Kyushu
Autumn Highland Play
In the season that is neither hot nor cold, find hotels where kids can run around outside. Highland areas with outdoor play areas and adventure courses, from north to south
Nearby attractions
Travel tips
Nasu is an area where you really need a car. Sightseeing spots are spread out, and getting anywhere from your hotel means driving. During summer vacation (July and August), traffic builds up around the Nasu Interchange (Nasu IC) and in front of the outlet mall, so it pays to head out early in the morning. Because of the elevation, mornings and evenings stay cool even in summer, so tuck a thin long-sleeved layer into your bag. Snow piles up in winter, so winter tires are a must. Some facilities lend strollers, but the number available and stock during busy periods vary, so check each facility's official website. If your baby is not yet crawling, bringing your own stroller is the safest bet.
Best season
Summer (July and August) is the top pick, since you can combine pool time and outdoor play in a single day. May and June, when everything is fresh and green, and October, with its autumn leaves, are also comfortable and less crowded. In winter you can ski and play in the snow, but if you are not used to driving on snowy roads, it becomes a bit more challenging with small children.
Getting there
From Tokyo, you can drive to Nasu on the Tohoku Expressway, exiting at Nasu IC. By Tohoku Shinkansen, the closest station is Nasushiobara Station. From there, take a local bus or a hotel shuttle to the center of the highlands. It is wise to check travel times and bus frequency on each operator's official timetable. If you arrive by Shinkansen, arranging a rental car makes getting around much easier.
Frequently Asked Questions
What age can children start enjoying the Nasu Highlands?
expand_more
From birth. Many attractions have nursing rooms and diaper-changing areas, and for the youngest babies the cool highland air is a destination in itself. Nasu Highland Park, which focuses on rides, becomes even more fun once children reach elementary school age (please check each facility's official website for equipment and age requirements).
Which hotels are especially good for babies?
expand_more
Hotel Epinard Nasu is a reassuring choice. It has a dedicated floor with rooms matched to your baby's age in months, including a baby room for ages 0 to 3, with rounded furniture corners and soft flooring. There is also an on-site childcare service staffed by licensed childcare workers. Pension Ajiwai provides children's chairs, baby baths, and a dedicated diaper bin, and welcomes babies from 8 months old.
Can kids still have fun on a rainy day?
expand_more
Yes. Pension Ajiwai has a free kids' room and holds hands-on craft classes every day. Grand Mercure's indoor activity facility has soft-floored areas where even babies under 1 can be comfortable, and it can be used before check-in and after check-out. For sightseeing, you can also choose indoor spots such as the Nasu Stained Glass Museum and Treasure Stone Park.
Are there hotels with a private bath?
expand_more
Yes. Of the 16 Nasu Highlands properties we list, 9 have a private bath. Pension Ajiwai's is fully reservation-based in 50-minute slots, while at Pension Yamanikki each room's group locks the door and uses the bath privately, and the larger rock bath is available 24 hours. Rules differ by hotel, so it is safest to check before booking.
Can I combine Nasu with Kinugawa Onsen?
expand_more
Yes. You can drive from the Nasu Highlands to the Kinugawa Onsen area (travel time varies by route, so please check before you set out). Kinugawa also has theme parks such as Tobu World Square, and a 3-day, 2-night trip pairing it with Nasu Animal Kingdom is a classic family itinerary.