Beppu vs Yufuin with Kids: Private Baths, Tatami and Resorts
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Beppu and Yufuin are two hot spring towns that pair nicely on a trip from Fukuoka, but with kids in tow it can be hard to decide where to stay. The two towns offer quite different kinds of accommodation. Beppu ranges from small ryokan (traditional Japanese inns) by the station to large resorts overlooking Beppu Bay, while Yufuin has many ryokan with private family baths and detached villa rooms. In this guide we work through it in this order: pick the area first, then look at your child's age, and finally check the room size. Kids Stay lists 42 family-friendly places to stay across Beppu, Yufuin and Kurokawa.
Private family baths (kashikiri-buro)
Private family baths (kashikiri-buro)
Find places where your family can bathe on its own, even if your child isn't ready for the large shared baths yet.
hotelOur top pick
A Yufuin onsen stay with views of Mount Yufu and a free private family bath. It also has a kids' playroom and children's meals.
menu_bookContentsexpand_more
- Choose by area, then child's age, then room size
- Private-bath ryokan near Beppu Station and in Kannawa
- Beppu's large resorts
- Tatami-room ryokan and stays near the station in Yufuin
- If you're heading to Kurokawa Onsen
- Getting there from Fukuoka and how many nights to stay
- Rooms where a family of 4 or 5 can stay together
- Choosing by your child's age
- Frequently asked questions
Choose by area, then child's age, then room size
To put it simply: while your kids are little, a ryokan with private family baths or an in-room hot spring bath is the easy choice. Once they start running around, a resort-style hotel with a pool and kids' room works better.
| Child's age | Best area | Type of stay | What to check first |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | Beppu Station area and Kannawa, Yufuin | Private-bath ryokan, in-room hot spring bath | Private family bath, in-room dining |
| 3 years and up | Beppu large resorts and Beppu Bay | Large resorts, facility-style hotels | Kids' pool, kids' room |
| Three generations or family of 5 | Beppu, Yufuin detached villas | Tatami rooms, detached villas | Tatami rooms, rooms for 5 |
| Onsen-town atmosphere first | Kurokawa | Ryokan reached by car | Private family bath, in-room open-air bath |
- Beppu Onsen has 21 listings, ranging from ryokan within walking distance of the station to large resorts reached by shuttle and ryokan in the Kannawa hot spring district.
- Yufuin Onsen has 10 listings, mostly ryokan with private family baths and detached villa rooms.
- Kurokawa Onsen has 11 listings and suits itineraries where you travel by car.
Private-bath ryokan near Beppu Station and in Kannawa
With a baby aged 0 to 2, a ryokan with only a handful of rooms is the comfortable choice in Beppu. You can see the full list on the Beppu Onsen area page, so here we introduce just two places that show what to look for.
Beppu Onsen Irifuneso
A small inn with just 5 rooms in the Kannawa hot spring district. It has 2 private family baths (kashikiri-buro) that even infants can use, plus a children's plate and baby food made by the okami (the inn's landlady) herself, a baby box, and a dedicated diaper bin. Meals can be served in your soundproofed tatami room. From about ¥39,000 per night for 2 adults.
hotelBaby food provided
A good first place to look if you're planning your baby's first onsen trip.
Beppu Onsen Jikagensen Kakenagashi no Yado Shinhorii
A Japanese ryokan about 3 minutes on foot from the west exit of Beppu Station. It has 2 indoor baths with free-flowing hot spring water (kakenagashi) that you can lock from the inside and use as a private family bath, available 24 hours a day. There are tatami rooms in the traditional sukiya style, including rooms that sleep 5. From about ¥29,000 per night for 2 adults.
hotelFamilies of 5 welcome
Being close to the station makes it a handy base when you're traveling with a baby and lots of luggage.
Beppu's large resorts
Once kids are 3 or older, they spend more time playing than soaking. That's when a large resort with pools and play areas can fill the whole day.
Beppu Onsen Suginoi Hotel
A large onsen resort made up of three wings: Sora, Hoshi and Niji. A kids' pool, a kids' room and baby food are confirmed. Children aged 2 and under stay free when sharing existing beds, and a fee applies from age 3. It's about 10 minutes from Beppu Station by free shuttle bus and has a guest rating of 4.6 on Rakuten Travel, a major Japanese booking site (13,250 reviews).
hotelKids free when sharing existing beds
From about ¥103,000 per night for 2 adults, with rooms that sleep 5 also available.
Grand Mercure Beppu Bay Resort & Spa
An all-inclusive resort overlooking Beppu Bay. Preschoolers stay free when sharing existing beds (up to 1 child per adult). There's a nursing room and a summer pool, and it's also an official hotel of Harmonyland, the local Sanrio theme park. About 20 minutes by car from JR Beppu Station. From about ¥70,000 per night for 2 adults.
hotelKids free when sharing existing beds
With a kids' pool and kids' room, it's an easy place to spend a full day inside the resort with children 3 and up.
Tatami-room ryokan and stays near the station in Yufuin
Yufuin suits families who want to enjoy the hot springs quietly on their own. For a closer comparison of ryokan, see also How to choose a family ryokan in Yufuin.
Yufuin Onsen Yufuin Yawaragi no Sato Yadoya
An onsen stay with views of Mount Yufu, where you can use the private family bath free of charge. With tatami rooms, a kids' playroom and children's meals, it works well for families with kids from babies through elementary school age. It's 5 minutes by car from Yufuin Station and has a guest rating of 4.7 on Rakuten Travel (1,032 reviews). From about ¥61,000 per night for 2 adults.
hotelPrivate family bath
Even on rainy days, the kids can spend time in the playroom.
Yufuin Baien Garden Resort
A stay where you can enjoy free-flowing hot spring water in both the detached villas and the main building. The private family bath has a baby bed where you can lay your baby down while you change, and you can book a guaranteed private dining room for dinner and breakfast. Children aged 2 and under stay free when sharing existing beds. Rooms that sleep 5 start from about ¥127,000.
hotelKids free when sharing existing beds
Choosing a detached villa room means you won't have to worry as much about a crying baby.
Yufuin Onsen Yufuin Sansuikan
A long-established ryokan about 8 minutes on foot from JR Yufuin Station. It offers stroller rental and a play corner, and the buffet and all-inclusive setup make mealtimes easy for kids. Children aged 2 and under stay free when sharing existing beds, on eligible plans only. From about ¥71,000 per night for 2 adults.
hotelStroller rental
A good fit for families traveling to Yufuin by train without a rental car.
If you're heading to Kurokawa Onsen
It's best to plan Kurokawa Onsen around traveling by car. According to the inns' own access information, it takes about 1 hour from Hita IC on the Oita Expressway, or from Aso Station about 40 minutes by car or about 1 hour by the Kyushu Odan (cross-Kyushu) bus. Some places, like the 300-year-old Kurokawa Onsen Rekishi no Yado Okyakuya, have steep stairs and no elevator, so a baby carrier may be easier than a stroller (Should you bring a stroller? A decision chart). For a family of 5, a self-contained rental cottage such as Kurokawa Mori no Cottage, where every unit has its own kitchen and bathroom, is another option. You can see the full list on the Kurokawa Onsen area page.
Getting there from Fukuoka and how many nights to stay
By train, Hakata Station to Beppu Station takes about 2 hours 10 minutes (according to Beppu Onsen Hotel Shiragiku's access information). For Yufuin, the base is Yufuin Station on the JR Kyudai Line, and by car you'll use Yufuin IC or Beppu IC on the Oita Expressway. Please check highway bus travel times and timetables on the official websites or booking sites.
With young kids, staying 2 nights in one place so you unpack fewer times is the easy approach. If you want to see both towns, add a night and split your stay with one night each in Beppu and Yufuin, so you get to experience two very different kinds of stays. We've laid out a full Kyushu itinerary in Kyushu with kids: itinerary and onsen stays.
Rooms where a family of 4 or 5 can stay together
Below are places confirmed to have rooms that sleep 5. Prices are for those 5-person rooms.
- Beppu Onsen Nogami Honkan (8 minutes on foot from Beppu Station, from about ¥22,000, all rooms tatami, 3 types of private family bath)
- Beppu Daiichi Hotel (1 minute on foot from Beppu Station, from about ¥32,000, baby bed rental)
- Kurokawa Mori no Cottage (Kurokawa, from about ¥34,000, cottages with kitchens)
- Yufuin Onsen Omoide no Yado Hanasen (Yufuin, from about ¥54,000, baths used as private family baths)
- Grand Mercure Beppu Bay Resort & Spa (Beppu Bay, from about ¥57,000)
- Beppu Onsen Jikagensen Kakenagashi no Yado Shinhorii (3 minutes on foot from Beppu Station, from about ¥74,000)
- Yufuin Baien Garden Resort (Yufuin, from about ¥127,000)
- Beppu Onsen Suginoi Hotel (Beppu, from about ¥160,000)
For more options, see Hotels and ryokan in Japan for families of 5.
Choosing by your child's age
Under 1 year
Look first for a private family bath (kashikiri-buro) and baby food provided rather than the large shared baths. Beppu Onsen Irifuneso has private family baths that infants can use plus baby food, and Yufuin Baien Garden Resort has a baby bed in its private family bath.
1 to 2 years
Checking for kids free when sharing existing beds can cut your accommodation costs. At Beppu Onsen Suginoi Hotel and Yufuin Baien Garden Resort, children aged 2 and under stay free when sharing existing beds.
3 to 5 years
Beppu's resorts with a shallow kids' pool and a kids' room are the best fit. Grand Mercure Beppu Bay Resort & Spa has both, and preschoolers stay free when sharing existing beds (up to 1 child per adult). At Beppu Onsen Hotel Yell, preschoolers also stay free when sharing existing beds, with meals charged separately.
Elementary school age
At Beppu Daiichi Hotel (up to 1 child per bed) and Resort Ougiyama Grandpia Resort OUGIYAMA, children up to elementary school age stay free when sharing existing beds. Beppu Ryokan Yumoto Miyoshi does not accept children aged 3 and under, but guests can use its 6 private family baths free of charge.
Frequently asked questions
Up to what age can kids bathe with a parent of the other sex at an onsen?
The rules differ by property. For example, at Ooedo Onsen Monogatari Premium Hotel Fugetsu, children aged 7 and over or 120cm and taller use the large bath for their own sex. If age limits are a concern, a place with a private family bath is the safest option. For details, see Onsen with a baby in Japan: from what age?.
Can a baby in diapers use the large shared bath?
This varies by property, so please check on the official website or booking site. Beppu Onsen Resorpia Beppu has a baby bed in the large bath's changing room, and Ooedo Onsen Monogatari Premium Hotel Fugetsu has a baby bathtub in its large bath. We've covered how to choose a place in Japanese onsen with a baby in diapers.
How should we split rooms when traveling with grandparents?
Beppu Kannawa Onsen Yunosato Hayama has rooms made up of two connected rooms, and the family rooms at Beppu Onsen Hotel Shiragiku, which combine tatami and beds, can be used by 2 to 6 people. For tips on room arrangements, see A three-generation onsen trip in Japan with grandparents.
Up to what age do kids stay free when sharing existing beds?
In this area, the cutoff varies by property: 2 and under, preschoolers, or up to elementary school age. Conditions such as eligible plans only or a limit per bed may also apply. You can find the full rules in Child rates and free co-sleeping at Japanese hotels.
There's no single right answer between Beppu and Yufuin: the right choice is whichever town has a place that fits your child's age right now. With little ones, take it slow at a ryokan with a private family bath. Once they're old enough to run around, let a Beppu resort fill the day.
Find family stays in Beppu and Yufuin by condition
Find family stays in Beppu and Yufuin by condition
Use the tatami room filter to narrow down places in Beppu and Yufuin in one go.
Private family baths (kashikiri-buro)
Private family baths (kashikiri-buro)
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