Highland Play
Autumn Highlands With Kids: Outdoor Play Areas, Adventure Courses, and Easy Hikes
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
21 areas ยท 792 hotels (total listings across these areas)
Autumn in Japan's highlands is the single best season for letting children play outside to their heart's content. Without the summer heat or the winter cold, outdoor play areas, adventure courses, and short hiking trails are a pleasure to work your way around. Choose a hotel with a play area on its own grounds and you can head straight back to the room when everyone tires, which makes the day much easier to build even with babies and toddlers.
This collection lists the highland areas where hotels with outdoor play areas, adventure courses, and kids' programs are clustered, ordered by how easy they are to reach from the Tokyo and Kansai areas. On each area page you can narrow the list by features such as an outdoor play area or adventure course, an indoor adventure course or bouldering wall, kids' programs and activities, and a kids' playroom. Whether there is an indoor play space to escape to on a rainy day matters just as much when you are choosing an autumn highland stay.
Age limits, operating seasons, and what happens in the rain differ from one play area or adventure course to the next. Check the hotel's latest information before you set out. From late October the mornings and evenings turn sharply colder, so bring one extra layer.
Features to look for in this collection
Highlands close to the Tokyo area
Two to three hours by car, or a little over an hour by Shinkansen. Plenty of clear days, ideal for outdoor play.
Yatsugatake
The Kiyosato and Nobeyama highlands, with many hotels that have outdoor play areas and adventure courses
Karuizawa
Reachable by Shinkansen. Forest play areas and a walkable town
Kita-Karuizawa
A quiet highland at the foot of Mount Asama, with hotels on wide grounds where kids can run free
Nasu Kogen
A highland with hands-on attractions and zoos clustered together, and large resorts with indoor play spaces too
the Fuji Five Lakes
With Mount Fuji in view. Lots of outdoor play areas and cottages, and an easy drive from the Tokyo area
Minenohara Kogen
A village of small family-run pensions next to the Sugadaira highlands. Star-filled skies and highland play
Shinetsu and Hokkaido (cool autumn highlands)
In the ski resorts' off season, the slopes turn into adventure courses and open meadows.
Echigo-Yuzawa
From summer into autumn the ski slopes become a playground. Reachable by Shinkansen
Hakuba
At the foot of the Northern Alps. Autumn highlands and hot springs
Niseko
Large resorts in autumn, with a wide choice of outdoor activities
Furano
Rolling hills and farms. Autumn brings comfortable walking weather
Hokkaido
Search highland and outdoor-play hotels across all of Hokkaido together
Niigata
Search the prefecture's highland and outdoor-play hotels together
Kansai, Chubu, and western Japan
Wide lakeside and highland parks, plus hotels with outdoor play areas.
Awaji Island
Island resorts on generous grounds, with outdoor play areas and theme parks nearby
Daisen
At the foot of Mount Daisen. Family-friendly pensions and highland play
Aso
Grasslands on the outer crater rim. Farms and outdoor play
Shizuoka
Search the prefecture's highland and outdoor-play hotels together
Tips for traveling with kids
- checkChoosing a hotel with a play area on its own grounds means you can head back to the room the moment everyone tires, which makes the day far easier to build with babies and toddlers
- checkCheck up front whether there is an indoor adventure course or a kids' playroom to escape to on a rainy day
- checkFor highland hiking with kids, the winning formula is riding a ropeway or chairlift up and then walking a short, level trail
- checkFrom late October the mornings and evenings get properly cold. Pack an extra jacket and a blanket
- checkOutdoor play areas and adventure courses have age limits. Check the hotel's latest information before you book
Recommended hotels in this collection (42)
Selected automatically from the top-ranked hotels in each area.
Kids Pension Maple
Grand Mercure Yatsugatake Resort & Spa
Dormy Club Karuizawa
Karuizawa Prince Hotel West
Hotel Green Plaza Karuizawa
Karuizawa Club Hotel Karuizawa 1130 / Hewitt Resort
Grand Mercure Nasu Highlands Resort & Spa
Hotel Epinard Nasu
Mars Garden Wood Gotemba
Fujilake Hotel
See all hotels in this collection (42)expand_more
- Kids Pension Maple
- Grand Mercure Yatsugatake Resort & Spa
- Dormy Club Karuizawa
- Karuizawa Prince Hotel West
- Hotel Green Plaza Karuizawa
- Karuizawa Club Hotel Karuizawa 1130 / Hewitt Resort
- Grand Mercure Nasu Highlands Resort & Spa
- Hotel Epinard Nasu
- Mars Garden Wood Gotemba
- Fujilake Hotel
- Petit Hotel Plaisir
- Pension Kiraboshi
- Shirakaba Resort Ikenotaira Hotel
- Hotel Cypress Karuizawa
- Ooedo Onsen Monogatari Premium Matsunoi
- Hotel Matsumotoro
- Kinugawa Onsen Hotel
- Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Nasu
- Atema Kogen Resort Belnatio
- Angel Grandia Echigo Nakazato
- Hotel Sierra Resort Hakuba
- Hakuba Mominoki Hotel
- Ki Niseko
- Setsu Niseko
- Hotel Naturwald Furano
- Chalet Fuyuri Furano
- Toyako Manseikaku Hotel Lakeside Terrace
- Chateraise Gateaux Kingdom Sapporo
- Tsukioka Onsen Shiratama no Yu Kaho
- Echigo Yuzawa NASPA New Otani
- GLAMP ELEMENT
- Kyukamura Omihachiman
- Awaji Sumoto Onsen Kaigetsukan
- Yumekaiyu Awajishima
- El Monte & Candy House
- Pension Boomerang
- La Vista Minamiaso
- Kamenoi Hotel Aso Park Resort
- Hotel Plaza Kobe
- Kobe Arima Onsen Motoyu Ryusenkaku
- Hotel Wellseason Hamanako
- Lucy Kiki
Frequently Asked Questions
From what age can children enjoy the autumn highlands?
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Once they are walking, a play area or lawn on the hotel grounds is plenty of fun. Adventure courses and hiking open up to more children from around age 3, though age limits differ by facility, so do check. With an infant, the plan that works is a short walk to enjoy the scenery and fresh air, and an unhurried stay at the hotel.
Are there highland hotels where kids can play on a rainy day?
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A hotel with an indoor adventure course, a kids' playroom, or an indoor pool is not at the mercy of the weather. On this site you can narrow the list by conditions such as an indoor adventure course or bouldering wall, and a kids' playroom.
Are there highlands we can reach without a car?
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Karuizawa and Echigo-Yuzawa are close to Shinkansen stations, and you can reach the hotels by shuttle or taxi. Nasu Highlands and Yatsugatake sometimes have hotel shuttle buses from the station. Getting around within a highland area is much freer with a car, though, so check whether your hotel offers a shuttle when you book.
What should we wear in the highlands in autumn?
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In September short sleeves are fine during the day, but from late October into November the mornings and evenings turn cold. Bring layerable jackets and a blanket, plus sun protection for the daytime, and you will be most comfortable if you plan outdoor play for the middle of the day and spend the mornings and evenings inside the hotel or in the hot spring.
Can we hike from a highland hotel with kids?
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If you ride a ropeway or chairlift up and walk a short, level trail near the top, even small children enjoy it. Check in advance whether the trail takes a stroller, and where the rest areas and restrooms are, and you can set off with confidence.