Cool Highlands
Summer Highlands With Kids: Cool Family Stays With Indoor Play and Hot Springs
A cooler summer day in the mountains, even when the afternoon turns rainy or foggy. Stays with indoor play areas, hot springs, and outdoor fun, sorted by area
20 areas ยท 486 hotels (total listings across these areas)
When you pick a summer destination with kids, the heat is probably the first thing on your mind. After a long day of outdoor play, children run out of energy fast and can get fussy by the time you head back to the hotel. High-altitude highlands feel more comfortable than the lowlands, but mountain weather changes quickly, and rain or fog in the afternoon is not unusual. That is why, for a summer highland trip, the safest way to choose is to look for a stay with an indoor play area and a bath as well as places to play outside. Having a backup plan ready for bad weather makes the whole trip easier.
The area near Tokyo (the Kanto region) is strong because you can choose stays that put a cozy indoor space and outdoor play on the same grounds. In Nasu Kogen, Pension Yamanikki (a small family-run lodge) has a play room in a separate log house stocked with manga and toys, plus a lawn garden with handmade play equipment. Its two baths, one large and one small, are used as private baths reserved for each family. At Karuizawa Prince Hotel West, you get a mild simple hot spring and forest cottages, plus a fully enclosed private nursing booth and stroller rentals, which makes things easier for families with a baby and an elementary school-age sibling.
In Nagano and Yamanashi, the key is how you combine farm and forest experiences with places to relax inside. In the Yatsugatake and Kiyosato Highlands, Seisenryo Hotel & Cottage has a farm where kids can feed Jersey cows, and an indoor kids' corner you can use on rainy days. Also in Kiyosato, Kids Pension Maple is a small lodge with a play room of picture books and toys, a lawn garden of about 1,650 square meters (500 tsubo), and two private family baths. In Fujiyoshida, PICA Fujiyoshida offers air-conditioned and heated cottages with a mini kitchen, plus a play room in the front desk building and an outdoor adventure park.
In the northern and southern highlands, choosing around the bath and indoor facilities helps you stay ready for changes in the weather. Mercure Urabandai Resort & Spa is a forest resort about an 8-minute walk from the Goshikinuma ponds. The changing room of its hot spring public bath has a baby bed and baby soap, and you can choose a plan that includes dinner, breakfast, and lounge access. In Kyushu, Kamenoi Hotel Aso has ASONIWA, a hands-on kids' park divided into four spaces by age, along with rooms that open directly onto a lawn area. Kirishima Kokusai Hotel has a kids' park with three age-based areas and private baths.
Rental items are limited in number, and the age limits and how bed-sharing is handled differ from one hotel to the next. For any hotel you like, check the verified amenities on its page, then confirm directly with the hotel.
Features to look for in this collection
Cool Off at Higher Elevations Near Tokyo
These highlands are a short trip from the Tokyo area. Just climbing a little higher changes the air, so even a first highland stay keeps the travel burden light. You can choose from small lodges with play equipment in the garden to large resorts with hot springs and nursing rooms.
Karuizawa
Ski slopes in winter become forest adventure courses and activity programs in summer, and you can pick a stay with a hot spring and baby gear rentals
Kita-Karuizawa
Quieter than central Karuizawa, with many stays set among the trees, a good fit for babies and toddlers who need their naps
Nasu Highlands
Farms and mountain streams are close by, and the choices range from small pensions with play equipment in the garden to resorts with hot springs
Nikko
Up in Oku-Nikko, shaded walking paths lead you around lakes and waterfalls for a cool day out
Minenohara Kogen
A highland on the Nagano side that is reachable from the Kanto region by car, suited to families who want a slow, quiet summer away from the crowds
Move Between Outdoor Play and Indoor Play in Nagano, Yamanashi, and Hokuriku
From Yatsugatake to Hakuba, the Fuji Five Lakes, and the foothills of Tateyama, there is a string of high-elevation bases to stay at. Many stays offer farm and forest activity programs, so you can move between outdoor play and indoor play areas over the course of a day. In Kiyosato Highlands, the stays sit at roughly 1,200 m to 1,400 m, while Hakuba and the Fuji Five Lakes are close to rivers and lakes, so even among highlands the shape of your day changes from place to place.
Yatsugatake
Farms and nature activities cluster around Kiyosato Highlands, and you can choose pensions and cottages with kid-friendly facilities
Hakuba
At the foot of the Northern Alps, a base for highland walks and river play in summer, with stays that have a large public bath
Fuji Five Lakes
Lakes and campgrounds line the foot of Mt. Fuji, and a cottage stay makes for an outdoor-focused summer trip
Tateyama & Kurobe
The gateway to the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, where you can enjoy the cool air high in the mountains on a day trip and return to your stay in the valley
Spend Summer by Lakes and Meadows in Tohoku and Hokkaido
These northern areas stay dry and comfortable even in summer. The focus is on lakeside walks and strolls across meadows that become ski slopes in winter. If you stay at a large hotel with a public bath, you can rebuild your day indoors when the weather turns.
Appi, Hachimantai & Shizukuishi
Wide ski slopes turn into meadows in summer, and you can stay at a large resort with indoor facilities and a hot spring
Urabandai & Inawashiro
The focus is on walks around Goshikinuma and Lake Hibara, and you can set off on foot straight from a forest resort hotel
Tomamu
A misty mountain setting with both indoor facilities and scenic views, so your day is less affected by the weather
Furano
Rolling hills of flower fields and farmland, easy to tour by car in the cool air
Pair Meadows With Hot Springs in Kyushu's Highlands
These highlands are in the south but stay cool thanks to their elevation. Some stays let kids meet animals amid grassland and volcanic scenery, with hot springs close by. A hot spring hotel with an indoor kids' park is another strength of this area. Kirishima and Aso are not the only highland choices. Places with high-elevation grasslands, such as Kuju Highlands in Oita Prefecture and Ebino Highlands in Miyazaki Prefecture, also exist, so looking at stays by prefecture widens your options.
Kirishima
A hot spring town at the foot of the Kirishima mountain range, with hot spring hotels that have indoor kids' parks divided by age
Aso
Grasslands stretch inside the caldera rim, and some stays offer horseback riding and animal feeding, with direct access to the lawn
Oita
Highlands and hot spring towns, including Kuju Highlands, are scattered across the prefecture, so you can compare stays at higher elevations and in hot spring towns
Miyazaki
Ebino Highlands, which continue from the Kirishima range, lie in the west of the prefecture, so you can search the whole prefecture for stays built around the highland cool
Cool Getaways for Families in the Kansai Region
When looking for a cool summer getaway with kids in Kansai, you may wonder, "Where can we stay close to home, stay cool, and not be stuck if the weather turns?" Kansai's candidates are spread across places that stay cool thanks to elevation or water, such as Kannabe Highlands in Hyogo, the Rokko mountains near Arima Onsen, Takashima on the west shore of Lake Biwa, and Yoshino in Nara. So the safest approach is to check first whether a stay has an indoor play area and a bath. Elevation and shuttle service differ by hotel, so it is reassuring to confirm with the hotel before you book.
Lake Biwa
21 stays around Lake Biwa, including 4 with an indoor play area and 8 with a mild simple hot spring, an area where lake swimming pairs easily with indoor play
Arima Onsen
14 stays line this hot spring town, including 2 with an indoor play area and 8 with a private family bath, so you can choose around the bath
Hyogo
Viewed by prefecture, you can compare highland and hot spring town stays together and narrow them down by indoor play areas and hot springs
Tips for traveling with kids
- checkBedrooms get chilly in the early morning, so packing one set of thin long-sleeved pajamas is a good idea
- checkMountain weather often turns in the afternoon, so booking outdoor activity programs in the morning makes your plans less likely to slip
- checkOn a sweaty day, a stay with a public bath or private family bath lets you wash off the same day
- checkAnimal encounters and activity programs vary in timing and content from year to year, so check the latest information from the hotel and the local government for the dates
- checkEven in the same highland, how you play changes with the season. For the fresh-green season, see our spring highlands with kids collection, and for fall colors, see our autumn highlands with kids collection
Recommended hotels in this collection (48)
Selected automatically from the top-ranked hotels in each area.
Seisenryo Hotel & Cottage
Karuizawa Prince Hotel West
Kids Pension Maple
Pension Yamanikki
PICA Fujiyoshida
Mercure Urabandai Resort & Spa
Kamenoi Hotel Aso
Kirishima Kokusai Hotel
Dormy Club Karuizawa
Hotel Cypress Karuizawa
See all hotels in this collection (48)expand_more
- Seisenryo Hotel & Cottage
- Karuizawa Prince Hotel West
- Kids Pension Maple
- Pension Yamanikki
- PICA Fujiyoshida
- Mercure Urabandai Resort & Spa
- Kamenoi Hotel Aso
- Kirishima Kokusai Hotel
- Dormy Club Karuizawa
- Hotel Cypress Karuizawa
- Hotel Green Plaza Karuizawa
- Karuizawa Club Hotel Karuizawa 1130 / Hewitt Resort
- Grand Mercure Nasu Highlands Resort & Spa
- Hotel Epinard Nasu
- Nikko Hoshi no Yado
- Pension Troll's Forest
- Petit Hotel Plaisir
- Pension Kiraboshi
- Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Yatsugatake
- Grand Mercure Yatsugatake Resort & Spa
- Hakuba Mominoki Hotel
- Hotel Sierra Resort Hakuba
- Fujilake Hotel
- Mars Garden Wood Gotemba
- Hotel Morinokaze Tateyama
- Midagahara Hotel
- Gensen Itto Iwate Shizukuishi
- ANA Crowne Plaza Resort Appi Kogen
- Hotel Listel Inawashiro Wing Tower
- Bandai Atami Onsen Hotel Hananoyu
- Hoshino Resorts TOMAMU The Tower
- Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Tomamu
- Hotel Naturwald Furano
- Chalet Fuyuri Furano
- The Pulse Kirishima
- Doroyu no Hatago Sakurasakura Onsen
- La Vista Minamiaso
- Kamenoi Hotel Aso Park Resort
- Yufuin Sansuikan
- Beppu Onsen Shinhorii
- Phoenix Seagaia Ocean Tower
- Nemunohana
- Grand Mercure Lake Biwa Resort & Spa
- GLAMP ELEMENT
- Arima Onsen Arima Grand Hotel
- Kobe Arima Onsen Motoyu Ryusenkaku
- Kobe Port Tower Hotel Nagomi no Yu
- Hotel Plaza Kobe
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
Are summer highlands comfortable with a baby?
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Yes, there are stays equipped to welcome babies from age 0. Karuizawa Prince Hotel West has a fully enclosed nursing booth in the lobby, a diaper-changing table, and a microwave for sterilizing bottles, and it also lends out baby bathtubs and strollers. At Kids Pension Maple, you can tell them your baby's weaning stage and have baby food prepared, and the private family bath comes with a baby bathtub.
How can we spend a rainy or foggy day?
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Mountain weather changes quickly, so choosing a stay with an indoor play area makes things easier. Pension Yamanikki has a separate log house play room stocked with manga and toys, and Seisenryo has an indoor kids' corner you can use on rainy days. Kamenoi Hotel Aso and Kirishima Kokusai Hotel both have indoor kids' parks divided by age.
Is it inconvenient without a car?
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Highland stays are often far from the play areas, so it is true that having a car makes getting around easier. Still, some highlands, such as Karuizawa, Kiyosato, and Urabandai, can be reached from a train station by local bus or taxi. If you are traveling with babies or toddlers and lots of luggage, ask the hotel about transport from the station when you book, so there are no surprises on the day.
From what age can kids enjoy these stays?
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Every stay we feature has facilities for children from age 0 up to around age 12. Many activities, such as feeding Jersey cows at Seisenryo or the parent-and-child horseback riding at Kamenoi Hotel Aso, are best once a child can walk. If you have a baby, choosing a stay with a private family bath or a Japanese-style tatami room helps you settle in.
What should we bring to the summer highlands?
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Windy spots and shade can feel cool even in the daytime, so it is reassuring to bring a layer for each person. The sun is as strong as it is in the lowlands, so you will also need hats and sunscreen. On days you play on grass or by a river, insect repellent, spare socks, and rain gear keep you moving. Baby gear rentals are limited in number, so reserve what you need when you book.