Indoor Pool
Winter Pools and Bathing Complexes With Kids: Family Hotels That Don't Depend on the Weather
Hotels with indoor heated pools, large bathing complexes and water parks, from Hokkaido to Kyushu and Okinawa
23 areas ยท 1230 hotels (total listings across these areas)
The hardest part of a family trip in winter is the days when cold or snow keeps you indoors. If there is a pool or a large bathing complex inside the hotel, your child can play as hard as they like whatever the weather, then warm up in the hot spring and head straight back to the room. Very little getting around is involved, and the day falls into an easy shape even with a baby or toddler. That is the strength of choosing this way.
In this collection we have lined up the areas with a good cluster of hotels that have a large bathing complex or water park attached, or a shallow kids' pool or a water slide. On each area page you can filter by conditions such as an attached large bathing complex or water park, a shallow kids' pool, a water slide, and a pool that children still in diapers may use.
Whether a pool is indoors or outdoors, whether it operates in winter, and whether it is heated all vary by facility. Outdoor pools in Okinawa and the southern islands in particular may close for the winter or run shorter hours, so check what each hotel page says along with the hotel's own latest information. Whether a child who is not yet potty trained may use the pool also differs from hotel to hotel.
Features to look for in this collection
Hokkaido and Tohoku (snow outside, a heated pool inside)
Snow play and an indoor pool on the same day. Also somewhere to escape to when it blizzards.
Tomamu
A large resort with an indoor water park and snow play both on the grounds
Hokkaido
Search all of Hokkaido's resorts with large bathing complexes and pools in one place
Akiu Onsen
A hot-spring town close to Sendai, with a cluster of hotels that have large bathing complexes
Fukushima
Known for its theme-park-scale hot-spring complexes. A full day of play inside the building
Miyagi
Search all of the prefecture's hotels with large bathing complexes and pools in one place
Kanto and Koshin (by car or limited express from the Tokyo area)
Large highland and hot-spring resorts with pools and bathing complexes on site.
Nasu Kogen
Large highland resorts. An on-site pool, hot springs and snow play in one combination
Kinugawa Onsen
Large ryokan along the gorge, some with their own indoor pools
Hakone
A hot-spring area close to central Tokyo. Some hotels have large bathing complexes
the Fuji Five Lakes
With Mount Fuji in view. Resorts with large bathing complexes and pools are scattered across the area
Minami-Boso
The Boso coast stays mild in winter. Many large resorts with pools
Tochigi
Search all of the prefecture's hotels with large bathing complexes and pools in one place
Kanagawa
Search all of the prefecture's hotels with large bathing complexes and pools in one place
Chubu and Kansai
Large hot-spring-town hotels and seaside resorts.
Izu
Hot springs and the sea. Plenty of hotels with large bathing complexes and pools
Atami
Reachable by bullet train. Some large hotels have their own indoor pools
Ise-Shima and Toba
Seaside resorts with kids' pools and water slides
Awaji Island
An island close to Kansai. Many resort hotels with pools
Shizuoka
Search all of the prefecture's hotels with large bathing complexes and pools in one place
Mie
Search all of the prefecture's hotels with large bathing complexes and pools in one place
Hyogo
Search all of the prefecture's hotels with large bathing complexes and pools in one place
Kyushu and Okinawa (a mild winter)
Head south if your family does not do well with cold. Check whether the outdoor pools run in winter.
Kagoshima
Resorts with hot springs and large bathing complexes
Miyako Island
An island with a cluster of resorts that have large bathing complexes and pools. Check whether the outdoor pools are open in winter
Okinawa
Some resorts on the main island have indoor pools. Check the hotel page to see whether the pool is indoors
Okinawa
Search all of the prefecture's hotels with pools in one place
Tips for traveling with kids
- check"Has a pool" can still mean outdoors and summer only. If you want to use it in winter, confirm on the hotel page and in the hotel's own information that it is indoors, heated, and open year-round
- checkWhether a child who is not yet potty trained may use the pool differs by hotel. You can filter for just the hotels where we confirmed in official information that children in diapers may enter the pool
- checkEveryone gets cold after the pool. Building the day so that you warm up in the communal bath or a private bath before returning to the room helps prevent chills and keeps everyone from getting run down
- checkMany hotels rent or sell swimsuits, rash guards and swim rings on site, but children's sizes are limited in number, so bringing your own is safer
- checkOn-site pools get busy at certain hours. First thing in the morning or just before dinner tends to be quieter
Recommended hotels in this collection (46)
Selected automatically from the top-ranked hotels in each area.
Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Tomamu
Hoshino Resorts TOMAMU The Tower
Toyako Manseikaku Hotel Lakeside Terrace
Hotel Naturwald Furano
Akiu Onsen Hotel New Mitoya
Sendai Akiu Onsen Geihinkan Sakura Rikyu
Hotel Listel Inawashiro Wing Tower
Bandai Atami Onsen Hotel Hananoyu
Matsushima Onsen Matsushima Ichinobo
Richmond Hotel Sendai
See all hotels in this collection (46)expand_more
- Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Tomamu
- Hoshino Resorts TOMAMU The Tower
- Toyako Manseikaku Hotel Lakeside Terrace
- Hotel Naturwald Furano
- Akiu Onsen Hotel New Mitoya
- Sendai Akiu Onsen Geihinkan Sakura Rikyu
- Hotel Listel Inawashiro Wing Tower
- Bandai Atami Onsen Hotel Hananoyu
- Matsushima Onsen Matsushima Ichinobo
- Richmond Hotel Sendai
- Grand Mercure Nasu Highlands Resort & Spa
- Hotel Epinard Nasu
- Kinugawa Onsen Hotel
- Nikko Kinugawa Hotel Mikazuki
- Hakone Hotel Kowakien
- Hotel Okada
- Mars Garden Wood Gotemba
- Fujilake Hotel
- Grand Mercure Minamiboso Resort & Spa
- Kamogawa Grand Hotel
- Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Nasu
- Pension Troll's Forest
- Hakone Yusakaso
- Hakone Shiunso
- Lucy Kiki
- Izu Kogen Hanairotei
- Kamenoi Hotel Atami
- Hotel New Akao
- Todaya
- Toba View Hotel Hanashinju
- Awaji Sumoto Onsen Kaigetsukan
- Yumekaiyu Awajishima
- Hotel Wellseason Hamanako
- Hotel & Spa Anda Resort Izukogen
- Grand Mercure Ise Shima Resort & Spa
- Bali & Resort Saya no Kaze
- Hotel Plaza Kobe
- Kobe Arima Onsen Motoyu Ryusenkaku
- Kirishima Kokusai Hotel
- Kyukamura Ibusuki
- Hotel Shigira Mirage
- Hotel Breezebay Marina
- Fukugi Terrace
- Vessel Hotel Campana Okinawa
- Fusaki Beach Resort Hotel & Villas
- Okinawa Prince Hotel Ocean View Ginowan
Frequently Asked Questions
How do we find a hotel with a pool we can use in winter?
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On this site you can filter hotels by conditions such as an attached large bathing complex or water park, a shallow kids' pool, and a water slide. Those results still include outdoor, summer-only pools, though, so if you plan to swim in winter, check what each hotel page says along with the hotel's latest information to confirm the pool is indoors, heated and open year-round.
Can a child who is not yet potty trained go in the pool?
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It varies from hotel to hotel. On this site you can filter for the hotels where we confirmed in official information that children in diapers may use the pool. Swim diapers are usually required, so it is worth confirming the details before you book.
What is the advantage of choosing a hotel with a pool in winter when we have a baby?
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The weather and the snow stop mattering: you play inside the building, go straight into the hot spring, and head back to your room, so there is very little getting around or changing clothes and it is easier to keep naps and feedings on their rhythm. At a hotel with a shallow kids' pool, even a child who has just started walking can play safely.
Can we use the pools in Okinawa and the southern islands in winter?
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Even in mild regions, outdoor pools may close for the winter or run shorter hours. Some hotels do have indoor or heated pools, so check the operating season on the hotel page and in the hotel's own information before you book.
Are there areas where we can enjoy both a pool and playing in the snow?
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The large ski resorts in Hokkaido, and the highland and hot-spring areas of Kanto such as Nasu Kogen and Kinugawa, have hotels where you can enjoy both an on-site pool and snow play. On each area page you can combine "near snow play and ski slopes" with "attached large bathing complex or water park" to search.