Family Ryokan
Family Ryokan in Japan: Tatami Rooms, Private Baths, In-Room Dining, Free Cosleeping
Can you stay at a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) with a baby or small child? We answer that first, then help you choose among ryokan in 9 regions of Japan by four checks: room, bath, meals, and price, all based on verified facilities.
17 areas ยท 443 hotels (total listings across these areas)
You may be dreaming of a ryokan stay with your kids, but wonder whether a baby or toddler will be turned away, or whether night crying and mealtimes will bother the other guests. The good news is that Japan has plenty of ryokan that welcome families. Among the ryokan listed here, only a small number officially state an age limit for babies and toddlers. Most accept children with a few clear conditions, such as the age up to which cosleeping is free, whether a toddler meal is served, and how the private baths can be used.
There are four things to look at when choosing. Room: is it a tatami room where futon bedding can be laid out? Bath: is there a private bath or a baby bath? Meals: can you eat in your room ("heya-shoku," in-room dining) or in a private dining room, and is a toddler meal served? Price: up to what age is cosleeping free? Hakone's Shiunso brings the room, bath, meals, and cosleeping together at one inn, and Arima Onsen's Ryusenkaku also covers three of them: tatami rooms, in-room dining, and a free baby bath rental.
For families with a baby, good candidates include Monya in southern Boso, where 70% of guests are traveling with babies, and Housyoutei in Yamashiro Onsen, which has a tatami-floored large bath and homemade baby food matched to your baby's age in months. For kids at the running-around age, Hatsunesou in Ureshino Onsen has guest rooms with a loft that has a slide. If a shared large bath makes you nervous, Yuraku Souan in Jozankei has a hot spring bath in every guest room and four private baths you can use for free.
We have gathered ryokan-specific points to watch for, such as dinner start times and the schedules of large baths, in the travel tips below. Ryokan that refuse babies and toddlers are not included here, but even at an inn that welcomes kids, some rooms or a separate annex may have age limits. The maximum cosleeping age and the number of rental items also vary from inn to inn, so please check the verified facilities on each hotel page, and then confirm the latest information on the official website and the booking site.
Features to look for in this collection
Kanto: Ryokan in Hakone, Kinugawa, and Southern Boso
Hakone's Shiunso serves both dinner and breakfast in your room in most cases, has a free private family bath, and lets children up to preschool age cosleep for free. Kinugawa Onsen Hotel has a 28 tatami mat large Japanese room, two private baths, and a kids' set meal served in a private dining room. Monya in southern Boso offers a free family bath and a kids' set meal by reservation.
Hakone
Shiunso in Tonosawa offers in-room dining and a free private family bath called "Danshaku no Yu," and facility fees are waived for children age 6 and under
Kinugawa Onsen
Kinugawa Onsen Hotel has a baby room and a kids' room in its Natsukashi-kan wing, and baby soap is provided in the large baths as well as the private open-air bath
Minami-Boso
Monya in Shirahama has a free family bath with a tatami-floored washing area, and baby beds in every changing room
Tokai: Ryokan in Gero Onsen, Izu Kogen, and Toba
Sasara in Gero Onsen has plans with dinner and breakfast served in your room or a private dining room, and preschoolers get a Sasara-style kids' set meal at dinner. Guests in standard rooms and Japanese-Western rooms can use a private open-air bath free for 30 minutes, and a baby bath is available. Kasaitei in Izu Kogen has an open-air bath in every room and serves dinner in your room, and Senpokaku in Toba lets you have dinner in your room or a private dining room.
Gero Onsen
Sasara has open-air baths in 20 of its 44 rooms, and offers a baby bath and Bumbo seats
Ito & Izu Kogen
Kasaitei in Izu Kogen takes only 2 groups a day, and lends baby baths and baby futon for preschoolers free of charge
Toba
Senpokaku in Toba has baby baths to borrow and prepares a kids' set meal for young children
Koshinetsu: A Ryokan in Kawaguchiko
Fujilake Hotel in Kawaguchiko can bring dinner to your room if you book a plan with a room that has an open-air bath, and cosleeping is free up to age 2.
Fuji Five Lakes
At Fujilake Hotel the in-room open-air baths are hot spring baths, and you can borrow up to 3 items such as a baby bath free of charge per party
Hokuriku: Ryokan in Yamashiro Onsen and Yuwaku Onsen
Housyoutei in Yamashiro Onsen has a tatami-floored large bath, serves meals in a semi-private room or a banquet hall, and gives preschoolers a kids' set meal. At Hyakurakusou in Yuwaku Onsen, 8 of the 12 rooms in the main building have a semi-open-air bath, and meals are served in a private dining room. Cosleeping is free of charge at Hyakurakusou, but you will need to check the maximum age with the inn.
Kaga Onsenkyo
Housyoutei lends baby baths and Bumbo chairs free of charge, and can prepare homemade baby food matched to your baby's age in months
Kanazawa
The main building of Hyakurakusou welcomes families with babies, while the annex for adults is limited to guests in the upper grades of elementary school and older
Kansai: A Ryokan in Arima Onsen
Ryusenkaku in Arima Onsen has only tatami guest rooms and serves dinner in every room. Preschoolers get a kids' set meal ("okosama gozen") at dinner.
Arima Onsen
Ryusenkaku lends baby baths free of charge and has baby beds in the changing rooms of the large bath and the private open-air bath
Tohoku: A Ryokan in Bandai Atami Onsen
Hotel Hananoyu in Bandai Atami Onsen has standard rooms that are tatami rooms of 10 to 12.5 mats, and a private bath called "Kazoku no Yu" where you can enjoy an indoor bath and an open-air bath in one room. A baby bath is available to borrow, and cosleeping is free up to age 1.
Fukushima
Hananoyu mentions in-room dining in the Premium Rooms of the detached Hanare Shorintei (check which rooms apply when booking), and children's tableware and chairs are provided at meals
Chugoku and Shikoku: Ryokan in Kotohira, Dogo, and Tamatsukuri
Kotohira Kadan offers free cosleeping up to age 2 (one child per adult), and guests in Sansuikaku rooms can use a private open-air hot spring bath free for 45 minutes. Dogo Prince Hotel has a private open-air bath called "Yuraku," and young children get a kids' set meal at dinner. OQOQ in Tamatsukuri Onsen lends baby baths free of charge, and children can enter the hot spring once they are out of diapers.
Kotohira
Kotohira Kadan lends baby baths and bath chairs free of charge, and the detached building where families can stay is Enjukaku
Dogo Onsen
Dogo Prince Hotel has baby soap in the large bath and provides children's chairs suited to each age
Tamatsukuri Onsen
At OQOQ meals are served in a semi-private room or a banquet hall, with baby food matched to your baby's age in months and kids' set meals for toddlers
Kyushu: A Ryokan in Ureshino Onsen
Hatsunesou in Ureshino Onsen has a 12 tatami mat Japanese room called "Yu no Ka" with a cypress indoor bath, and its family bath also has tatami flooring and a baby bath. The inn states that one preschool child's meal is free for each adult.
Ureshino Onsen
Hatsunesou is a family-friendly ryokan with guest rooms that have a loft with a slide, and a large bath with tatami laid in the washing area
Hokkaido: Ryokan in Noboribetsu and Jozankei
Noboribetsu Manseikaku has 10 tatami mat Japanese rooms and a reservation-only private hot spring limited to 3 groups a day, and its buffet has a kids' corner. Yuraku Souan in Jozankei has Japanese-Western rooms with tatami flooring throughout, each with a hot spring bath. Its four private baths are free with no reservation needed, and cosleeping is free up to age 2.
Noboribetsu Onsen
Noboribetsu Manseikaku has a baby bath inside the large bath, and the women's large bath has a tatami area for crawling babies
Jozankei Onsen
Yuraku Souan provides 4 baby beds, and you can bring store-bought baby food into the restaurant
Tips for traveling with kids
- checkDinner at a ryokan often starts at a set time, so plan your day so that your child's nap and bath are finished before then. Mealtime goes more smoothly when kids are not tired and cranky.
- checkWooden buildings tend to carry the sound of night crying, so if that worries you, choose an inn with a detached building, rooms with a private bath, or rooms set aside for families with kids. It will put your mind at ease.
- checkLarge baths sometimes run on a schedule, such as swapping between men and women, so it is reassuring to check how to reserve a private bath (at the front desk that day or in advance, paid or free) before you check in.
- checkThe upper age limit for free cosleeping differs by inn: up to age 1, up to age 2, or up to preschool age, and some add a condition of "one child per adult." Confirm the number and ages of your party before booking so there are no surprises on the day.
- checkMany inns have a limited number of baby baths and baby chairs to lend, so tell the inn what you need when you book to be sure.
- checkIf you cannot decide between a ryokan and a hotel, our column "Ryokan or Hotel for a Family Trip: Which Is Better?" lays out the differences.
Recommended hotels in this collection (46)
Selected automatically from the top-ranked hotels in each area.
Hakone Shiunso
Kisui no Yado Monya
Kobe Arima Onsen Motoyu Ryusenkaku
Yamashiro Onsen Housyoutei
Fujilake Hotel
Gero Onsen Sasara
Kanazawa Yuwaku Onsen Hyakurakusou
Kinugawa Onsen Hotel
Konpira Onsen Kotohira Kadan
Ureshino Onsen Hatsunesou
See all hotels in this collection (46)expand_more
- Hakone Shiunso
- Kisui no Yado Monya
- Kobe Arima Onsen Motoyu Ryusenkaku
- Yamashiro Onsen Housyoutei
- Fujilake Hotel
- Gero Onsen Sasara
- Kanazawa Yuwaku Onsen Hyakurakusou
- Kinugawa Onsen Hotel
- Konpira Onsen Kotohira Kadan
- Ureshino Onsen Hatsunesou
- Jozankei Yuraku Souan
- Tamatsukuri Onsen Ryokan OQOQ
- Hakone Hotel Kowakien
- Sengokuhara Shinanoki Ichinoyu
- Nikko Kinugawa Hotel Mikazuki
- Kinugawa Onsen Asaya
- Grand Mercure Minamiboso Resort & Spa
- Kamogawa Grand Hotel
- Gero Onsen Fugaku
- Gero Onsen Bosenkan
- Pleasure Resort Izu Akasawa Onsen (Akasawa Onsen Hotel)
- Izu Kogen Hanairotei
- Todaya
- Toba View Hotel Hanashinju
- Mars Garden Wood Gotemba
- Konansou
- Yamanaka Onsen Kagari Kisshotei
- Yamashiro Onsen Yunokuni Tensho
- Hotel MyStays Premier Kanazawa
- Kanazawa Sainoniwa Hotel
- Arima Onsen Arima Grand Hotel
- Arima Onsen Hyoe Koyokaku
- Hotel Listel Inawashiro Wing Tower
- Tsuchiyu Onsen Hotel Sansuiso
- KOTOVilla
- Kotohira Onsen Onyado Shikishimakan
- Dogo Onsen Hotel Tsubakikan
- REF Matsuyama City Station by VESSEL HOTELS
- Hotel Gyokusen
- Matsunoyu
- Kotoen
- Hotel Sakura Ureshino
- Noboribetsu Onsen Dai-ichi Takimotokan
- Noboribetsu Onsen Noboribetsu Manseikaku
- Jozankei Hanamomiji
- Jozankei Onsen Nukumori no Yado Furukawa
Choose by destination
Areas in this feature and nearby attractions. Attraction pages list hotels from nearest to farthest.
Areas
Great for kids
Classic sights worth a stop
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I stay at a ryokan with a baby?
expand_more
Yes, many ryokan welcome babies. Among the ryokan listed here, only a small number officially state an age limit for babies and toddlers. Monya in southern Boso says 70% of its guests are traveling with babies, and Housyoutei in Yamashiro Onsen and Kinugawa Onsen Hotel are certified under the "Welcome Baby" program, a Japanese certification for lodging that is ready to host families with babies. Some inns, like Hyakurakusou in Yuwaku Onsen, limit their annex to guests in the upper grades of elementary school and older, so check the conditions for the room you book.
Up to what age is cosleeping free?
expand_more
It depends on the inn. Hakone's Shiunso allows it free up to preschool age, Fujilake Hotel in Kawaguchiko and Yuraku Souan in Jozankei up to age 2, and Hotel Hananoyu in Bandai Atami Onsen up to age 1. Kotohira Kadan is free up to age 2 with a condition of one child per adult. Some inns change the price if you add meals or futon bedding, so it is wise to check before you book.
Are there ryokan where we can eat in our room with our kids?
expand_more
Yes. Ryusenkaku in Arima Onsen serves dinner in every room, and Shiunso in Hakone serves both dinner and breakfast in your room in most cases. Even without in-room dining, Housyoutei in Yamashiro Onsen serves meals in a semi-private room with partitions or a banquet hall, and Hyakurakusou in Yuwaku Onsen uses a private dining room. Some inns change the dining space depending on party size and plan, so confirm when you book.
I am nervous about taking my baby into a large shared bath.
expand_more
Choosing a ryokan with private baths or baths in the guest rooms lets your family bathe at your own pace. Yuraku Souan in Jozankei has a hot spring bath in every guest room and four private baths that are free. At Hyakurakusou in Yuwaku Onsen, you can ask for the water temperature of the in-room bath to be adjusted. Hatsunesou in Ureshino Onsen has a family bath with tatami flooring and a baby bath.
How is this different from the multigenerational trip and baby-under-1 collections?
expand_more
This collection narrows the type of lodging to ryokan and answers whether you can stay with kids and how to choose. If you are choosing an inn for a trip with grandparents, the multigenerational travel collection is the better fit, and if you are looking by region for a trip with a baby under 1, the collection for babies under 1 year is. The same inn can appear in both, but each collection narrows things down along a different axis.