New Year
New Year in Japan With Kids: Meal-Inclusive Stays Where Doing Nothing Is the Luxury
Skip the crowds and the cold, and slow down as a family. Choose from three ways to spend the holidays: a large resort with meals included, a warm southern island, or snow and hot springs
38 areas ยท 1504 hotels (total listings across these areas)
A family trip over Japan's New Year holidays comes with a lot to juggle: travel that overlaps with everyone heading home to their parents, sightseeing spots that are packed everywhere you go, and young children whose health can turn with the cold. What works best with kids is a plan that does not cram sightseeing in. Stay put at a large resort where meals are included, escape to a warm southern island, or hole up at an inn with snow outside and a hot spring indoors. Decide how you want to spend the days first, and the area and the hotel narrow down naturally.
This collection lines up areas by those three ways of spending the holidays, then closes with areas near the big cities that pair well with a visit home or a New Year shrine visit, along with entry points by region. Each area guide lets you filter by conditions such as a kids' buffet, a Japanese-style or Japanese-Western room, room dining (heya-shoku, meals served in your own room), a private dining room, or a playroom, so you can find a place that keeps your child's pace even when the building is full over the holidays.
Whichever way you choose to spend the days, how many hours you can comfortably spend inside the property is what decides the right stay for a family New Year.
If you want to dodge the peak of crowds and prices, our collection of quieter finds gathers places that stay calmer even during the same holiday period. And if you are still deciding whether to travel at all, our column on how to spend the New Year holidays, including the option of simply staying home, will help you get a feel for the dates and the budget.
Features to look for in this collection
Do Nothing at a Large Meal-Inclusive Resort (Easy to Reach From Tokyo and Central Japan)
With dinner and breakfast included, or a buffet, there is no bill to settle and no menu to agonize over. Add a kids' space and a hot spring on site, and children stay happy without ever stepping outside.
Izu
Hot springs and ocean views, with plenty of large hotels that include dinner and breakfast
Atami
A hot spring town reachable by shinkansen. The big hotels have generous kids' buffets and on-site facilities
Minami-Boso
An easy drive from central Tokyo and mild even in winter, with many large meal-inclusive resorts
Ise-Shima and Toba
Easy to combine with a New Year visit to Ise Grand Shrine, and full of stays that include meals
Nasu Kogen
Large highland resorts. Many let you spend the whole day inside, and snow play is close by
Kinugawa Onsen
Large ryokan along the gorge, some with indoor pools and play areas
Fukushima
Ring in the new year at a large resort with hot springs and well-equipped facilities on site
Shizuoka
Search all meal-inclusive stays across the prefecture, including Izu and Atami
Chiba
Search family-friendly stays across the prefecture, centered on coastal hotels with buffets
Head South Where It Is Warm (For Families Worried About the Cold)
Daytimes stay comfortable even in winter, and there are plenty of days for outdoor play. Book flights early.
Okinawa
Resorts on the main island. Winter brings fewer tourists, so you can enjoy the big hotels' kids' facilities at a relaxed pace
Miyako Island
Ring in the new year by the famous Miyako-blue sea. Some resorts have pools and large bathing facilities
Ishigaki Island
The unhurried pace only an island can offer, with day trips to the smaller islands from Ishigaki
Kagoshima
The hot springs of Ibusuki and Kirishima plus a mild climate, for a Kyushu New Year trip
Nanki-Shirahama
A mild hot spring destination close to the Kansai region, with animal attractions nearby
Hole Up With Snow and Hot Springs (A Snow-View New Year)
Snow play and hot springs, all within the property. Keep travel short with the shinkansen or a hotel shuttle. Even within the same snowy areas, your shortlist shifts depending on whether you choose by hot springs, by how easy the snow play is, or by sticking to ski-in, ski-out hotels. Our collections on winter hot springs, on snow play, and on ski-in, ski-out stays line up many of the same areas from different angles, so if you already know your priority, starting there will narrow things down faster.
Hokkaido
Snow play and indoor pools at large ski resorts. Many offer airport shuttles
Niseko
A world-class resort with well-developed snow play facilities for kids
Echigo-Yuzawa
Hot springs and snow within walking distance of a shinkansen station. Short travel makes it good with babies and toddlers
Kusatsu Onsen
Ring in the new year in the hot spring town around the Yubatake hot water field, with snow play close by
Nagano
Search snow play and hot spring stays across the prefecture, including Karuizawa
Niigata
Search snow and hot spring stays across the prefecture, including Echigo-Yuzawa
Combine With a Visit Home or a New Year Shrine Visit (Near the Cities)
One night tacked onto the trip to the grandparents or the first shrine visit of the year. Pick a city hotel with facilities for children.
Osaka
Easy to combine with shrine visits or theme parks, and rich in large hotels set up for families
Kyoto
Famous for New Year shrine visits. To avoid the crowds, choose a location you can leave from early in the morning
Tokyo
Choose central Tokyo hotels by their on-site facilities and transit access
Fukuoka
The gateway to Kyushu. Pair it with a New Year visit to Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine
Kanazawa
Winter seafood and hot springs, reachable by the Hokuriku Shinkansen
Search by Region
Over the New Year holidays the travel itself is often what wears children out, so narrowing to a region within easy reach of home speeds up the search for a place to stay. In Kansai you can weigh options that differ in both travel time and pace: Arima Onsen for a short trip, coastal Nanki-Shirahama, and Kyoto with its many famous shrines. Stays with private dining rooms or room dining are available too, which suits families who would rather not eat their New Year meals in a crowded dining hall. Central Kansai draws crowds during the first three days of January for shrine visits, so narrowing to either a location close to a station or a property big enough to fill a whole day makes getting around easier. The Kanto region has many hot spring destinations reachable by train and bus, such as Hakone, Nasu Highlands, and Kusatsu Onsen. Check whether your hotel offers a shuttle and you can plan around the expressways, where holiday traffic is impossible to predict. Kyushu offers a wide choice of hot springs, from Beppu Onsen to Kurokawa Onsen to Kagoshima, and whether you choose the coast or the mountains changes both how easy the holiday travel is and how cold it gets. In the Tokai region the choices come down to a New Year shrine visit at Ise-Shima plus Gero Onsen, and in Shikoku to Naruto, which makes building an itinerary that much simpler.
Hakone
Reachable by train from central Tokyo, so you can skip the holiday expressway jams and count on your travel time
Nasu Kogen
Short travel by shinkansen. Check whether a shuttle is offered and pick a place you can spend the whole day in, and the New Year crowds are easy to avoid
Kusatsu Onsen
Crowds gather around the Yubatake hot water field in early January, so a stay where the hot springs and meals are all on site makes for a calmer trip
Arima Onsen
Many inns have private baths you can reserve, making it easy to bathe as a family outside the busiest hours at the large public bath
Nanki-Shirahama
A coastal hot spring town that suits families who want distance from the New Year shrine crowds
Kyoto
A short trip from other parts of Kansai, so it is easy to build an itinerary around a night here
Beppu Onsen
The town gets busy in early January, so choosing a place where you can spend your time in the on-site baths means less moving around with kids
Kurokawa Onsen
Getting there through the mountains takes time, so planning to stay put once you arrive keeps children from tiring out
Kagoshima
Easy to combine airport transfers with time in the city. Crowds peak during the first three days of January, so working in one day spent at your hotel's hot spring cuts down the travel
Ise-Shima and Toba
The first three days of January are the busiest for shrine visits at Ise Grand Shrine, so shifting your stay to just before or after makes the travel easier
Gero Onsen
The inns cluster in the hot spring town so travel is short, but shops in town may close over the holidays, so plan on meals being covered at your accommodation
Naruto
Reachable overland from Kansai, which makes it an option for families who want to avoid the holiday crush on planes and the shinkansen
Tips for traveling with kids
- checkOver the New Year holidays, a plan that skips sightseeing tends to satisfy everyone more. Choose a large resort where everything happens on site, or a stay with room dining and a private bath so you can settle into your room
- checkJapanese-style and Japanese-Western rooms, and rooms with a kids' space, are limited in number at each property. Some come with a minimum stay or a multi-night requirement, so check the room type and the booking conditions together
- checkIf you are combining the trip with a visit home, travel by shinkansen or choose a hotel with a shuttle. Holiday traffic on the expressways is impossible to predict
- checkIn case of a sudden fever, check the cancellation fee start date and the location of the nearest holiday clinic when you book
- checkRooms get dry in winter. Confirm before booking whether humidifiers are available to borrow
Recommended hotels in this collection (76)
Selected automatically from the top-ranked hotels in each area.
Lucy Kiki
Izu Kogen Hanairotei
Kamenoi Hotel Atami
Hotel New Akao
Grand Mercure Minamiboso Resort & Spa
Kamogawa Grand Hotel
Todaya
Toba View Hotel Hanashinju
Grand Mercure Nasu Highlands Resort & Spa
Hotel Epinard Nasu
See all hotels in this collection (76)expand_more
- Lucy Kiki
- Izu Kogen Hanairotei
- Kamenoi Hotel Atami
- Hotel New Akao
- Grand Mercure Minamiboso Resort & Spa
- Kamogawa Grand Hotel
- Todaya
- Toba View Hotel Hanashinju
- Grand Mercure Nasu Highlands Resort & Spa
- Hotel Epinard Nasu
- Kinugawa Onsen Hotel
- Nikko Kinugawa Hotel Mikazuki
- Hotel Listel Inawashiro Wing Tower
- Bandai Atami Onsen Hotel Hananoyu
- Hotel Wellseason Hamanako
- Mars Garden Wood Gotemba
- Kameyama Onsen Hotel
- Kisui no Yado Monya
- Fukugi Terrace
- Vessel Hotel Campana Okinawa
- Hotel Shigira Mirage
- Hotel Breezebay Marina
- Fusaki Beach Resort Hotel & Villas
- Grandvrio Resort Ishigakijima Ocean's Wing & Villa Garden
- Okinawa Prince Hotel Ocean View Ginowan
- Kanucha Bay Hotel & Villas
- Kirishima Kokusai Hotel
- Kyukamura Ibusuki
- Shirahama Coganoi Resort & Spa
- Shirahama Yanagiya
- Toyako Manseikaku Hotel Lakeside Terrace
- Hotel Naturwald Furano
- Ki Niseko
- Setsu Niseko
- Atema Kogen Resort Belnatio
- Angel Grandia Echigo Nakazato
- Hotel Sakurai
- Kusatsu Onsen Kusatsu Now Resort Hotel
- Dormy Club Karuizawa
- Shirakaba Resort Ikenotaira Hotel
- Tsukioka Onsen Shiratama no Yu Kaho
- Echigo Yuzawa NASPA New Otani
- Anda no Mori Osaka Tennoji Tower
- InterContinental Osaka
- MIMARU Kyoto Nijo Castle
- farm-inn Toricotoya
- Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo
- Tokyo Bay Shiomi Prince Hotel
- The358 SORA
- Hotel Marinoa Resort Fukuoka
- Hotel MyStays Premier Kanazawa
- Kanazawa Yuwaku Onsen Hyakurakusou
- Hakone Hotel Kowakien
- Hotel Okada
- Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Nasu
- Pension Ajiwai
- Kusatsu Onsen Pension Hino Ataru Basho
- Kusatsu Onsen Boun
- Kobe Arima Onsen Motoyu Ryusenkaku
- Arima Onsen Arima Grand Hotel
- Nanki Shirahama Marriott Hotel
- Shirahama Onsen Hotel Sanrakuso
- Hilton Garden Inn Kyoto Shijo Karasuma
- Mibu Doudan Momiji
- Beppu Daiichi Hotel
- Suginoi Hotel
- Kurokawa Onsen Yumerindo Hanadomari
- Kurokawa Onsen Kurokawaso
- Koshikano Onsen Ryokan & Glamping
- Kirishima Bijin no Yu Yuyuan
- Grand Mercure Ise Shima Resort & Spa
- Bali & Resort Saya no Kaze
- Gero Onsen Ogawaya
- Gero Onsen Fugaku
- AoAwo Naruto Resort
- Grand XIV Naruto The Lodge
Frequently Asked Questions
How far in advance should we book a family trip over the New Year holidays?
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Popular properties and family room types start filling up in the fall. Book as soon as your dates are set, by October or November at the latest, and check the cancellation policy for peace of mind. Rates over the New Year holidays run higher than usual, and some places set a minimum number of nights.
Where is easiest with a baby over the New Year holidays?
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Large resorts with short travel where you can spend the whole day on site, or hot spring inns with room dining and a private bath so you can settle into your room, work well. If the cold and your child's health worry you, mild areas such as Okinawa are also an option. Each area guide lets you filter by conditions like a Japanese-style room, room dining, or a crib to borrow.
What is the advantage of choosing a stay with meals included over the New Year holidays?
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Restaurants nearby are often closed or crowded over the holidays, so a stay that includes dinner and breakfast takes meals off your mind entirely. Places with a buffet or a kids' menu handle picky eaters more easily, and you skip the trip out into the cold to find food. Some properties also accommodate food allergies.
Can we visit the snowy regions over the New Year holidays without a car?
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Yes, if you choose hot spring towns close to a shinkansen station such as Echigo-Yuzawa or Karuizawa, or large resorts with airport shuttles as in Hokkaido. If you are not used to driving on snow, an area you can reach entirely by train plus a hotel shuttle is the safer choice.
Will the crowds over the New Year holidays make our child fussy?
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How busy the large public baths and buffet halls get changes by the hour, so shifting to an earlier or later slot makes for a calmer time. Choosing a place with room dining or a private bath lets you sidestep the crowds altogether. A playroom on site also gives your child somewhere to escape to whatever the weather.
Are there any cheaper dates within the New Year holidays?
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At the same property, dates spanning New Year's Eve into New Year's Day tend to be the peak, and shifting just before or after can bring the rate down. If you have even a little flexibility around your last work day or your shrine visit, comparing the nightly rates on a booking site can reveal that moving one day off the peak gets you the same room type. Our column on when to book covers booking timing and how rates move.
Will osechi New Year cuisine, toshikoshi soba, or mochi pounding be offered?
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Holiday food and events differ by property, and even at the same place the details change from year to year. Kaiseki courses in the osechi style, toshikoshi soba (buckwheat noodles eaten on New Year's Eve), and mochi pounding are usually tied to specific dates and rate plans, so check each property's New Year plan details before booking. It is also worth confirming whether a children's portion is provided.