Family-Friendly Hotels in Nozawa Onsen (Hot Spring) & Kijimadaira

When you look for a family stay in Nozawa Onsen, you find plenty of historic hot spring inns, but it is hard to tell which ones welcome small children, or whether you can walk to the slopes on a snowy morning. Nozawa Onsen is a village built along a hillside, with the hot spring streets spreading across the slope and the runs of Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort coming down to just above town. Neighboring Kijimadaira village has its own separate ski area, so which village you choose changes how your whole day is shaped.

Of the 4 properties listed here, three sit in the hot spring streets of Nozawa Onsen village. Sakaya Ryokan pipes water that rises naturally on its own grounds straight into the baths with no added water, and the tubs are set at different temperatures, hot, lukewarm, and a shallow waist-deep bath, so a child who dislikes hot water still has a tub they can get into. The reservable family bath "Matsu-no-yu" is free of charge, and 2 properties here offer a free private bath. There are also seven detached cottages called "Jumyoen," each with a kitchen and a washer-dryer, which suit families who want to cook for themselves and settle in for a longer stay. At Kawaichiya Ryokan, the indoor bath draws from the same source as Ogama, a naturally boiling hot spring cauldron designated a natural monument, while the open-air bath flows from the Shinyu source, so you can soak in two different waters under one roof. Note that children are limited to two per room, and some room types cannot accept children at all, so confirm when you book.

Nozawa Onsen Hotel has its own private source, and the large bath with a shallow lie-down tub and the open-air bath are all free-flowing. Japanese-style rooms sleep up to 6, and the two rooms in the building with their own open-air bath let you soak with your children away from other guests. There is also a free private open-air bath called "Akada-no-yu," but it closes through the winter and in bad weather, so it is not available on a ski trip. If you want a bath just for your family in winter too, it is safer to choose one of the 2 properties with a bath in the room, or an inn whose private bath can be reserved year-round.

If you would rather stay in Kijimadaira village, Pension Siesta sits right beside the slopes of Kijimadaira Ski Resort. All six rooms have a loft, in both Japanese and Western style, and both the large bath and the small bath can be reserved for your family alone. The water here is an artificial hot spring rather than a natural one, but soaking with your children without worrying about anyone else is just the same as at the inns in the hot spring town. From spring through fall there are blueberry picking, firefly watching, and soba noodle making, so it is worth a trip in the snow-free months as well. 4 properties have Japanese-style rooms, and families with a crawling baby will feel more at ease choosing from those.