Aonokotei BIWAFRONT HIKONE

A 40,000-square-meter family resort on the shore of Lake Biwa

Aonokotei BIWAFRONT HIKONE is a wellness resort that opened in August 2023 on the shore of Lake Biwa in Hikone. Spread across roughly 40,000 square meters are a 10-story hotel building with 38 rooms, a glamping area with 12 villa rooms, an onsen bathhouse building, a dining building and an activity area. Every room in the hotel building has a lake view, and even the standard Moderate Twin is 50 square meters including its terrace. There are 7 room types to choose from, up to rooms of more than 125 square meters with an onsen open-air bath.

The kids' park and the summer outdoor pool

For families, the outdoor activity area is the highlight. The kids' park has colorful play equipment, a futsal court for children and a lawn area where kids can ride a balance bike, so they can run around without worrying about other guests. Sculptures of the animals that live on Mount Ibuki are hidden here and there across the grounds, and hunting for them as you stroll is part of the fun. There are also 2 tennis courts (2,200 yen per hour, with rackets available to borrow free of charge) and a 3x3 basketball court (free, with balls available to borrow), where children of elementary school age and up can really work off some energy.

The villa area has a summer-only outdoor pool, which staying guests can use free of charge from check-in through checkout (in 2026, July 10 to September 14, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.). The water depth, whether there is a pool for younger children, and whether swim diapers are allowed are not stated, so if you are traveling with a small child, please confirm with the resort in advance.

Children's meals prepared by age

Meals center on Japanese-Western courses built around local ingredients such as Omi beef and biwamasu (Lake Biwa trout), and children's meals are prepared by age. If you stay in the hotel building, children on the preschool-age rate receive a kids' meal (Hamburg steak, fried chicken, fried shrimp, dashimaki rolled omelet, salad, french fries, corn soup, rice and dessert), while children on the elementary-school rate receive a children's kaiseki course (sauteed Omi beef, biwamasu meuniere, tempura, sashimi, chawanmushi savory egg custard and more). You can also order the Chokotto Lunch small set (1,980 yen) or single dishes such as udon, mini udon, rice balls and Hamburg steak, which makes it easy to suit a child with a small appetite or particular tastes. Breakfast is a Japanese and Western morning buffet.

In-room dining in the villas, where night crying is no concern

The villa building in the glamping area consists of 12 standalone rooms. Six of them - 3 villas and 3 dog-friendly villas - have an open-air bath fed by the resort's own spring source, while the remaining 6 dog-friendly villas (76 square meters, for up to 3 guests) do not have an onsen open-air bath. If you stay in a villa, dinner is served in your room: children on the preschool-age rate receive a kids' meal, and children on the elementary-school rate receive a meal along the same lines as the adults'. Being able to eat without worrying about other guests is a real advantage for families with babies and young children. Note that 9 of the 12 rooms are dog-friendly types where you can bring your dog, and there are both private and shared dog runs. When booking, be sure to check whether the room has an onsen open-air bath.

The onsen and getting around the property

The communal bath, Biwako Onsen Isame no Yu, uses the resort's own spring source, Biwako Matsubara Onsen, which rises from about 1,500 m below the grounds (a sodium bicarbonate spring). The open-air bath is a deep bath at 110 cm, and the indoor bath has a jet bath, a sauna with automatic löyly (water automatically poured over the hot stones) and a cold-water bath. Small children cannot touch the bottom of the deep bath, so an adult must accompany them while bathing. Whether children who are not yet out of diapers may bathe is not stated, so please confirm in advance. The post-bath lounge has cold drinks along with books and picture books.

For families with babies, the items available to borrow for your room are a welcome touch: a crib, a bed guard, a baby bath, a baby bath chair, baby soap, a bouncer, a Bumbo seat, a formula-preparation pot, a baby-bottle sterilizing case, a diaper bin, a bed-wetting sheet, a toilet-training seat and a humidifier. Numbers of each are limited, so depending on what is already lent out, an item may not be available. All room types in both the hotel building and the villa building are eligible.

The dining venue Shunbo Tan'etsu has a number of semi-private rooms that can be used according to your group size and the occasion. Bringing in food is not permitted, but bringing in baby food is expressly allowed.

The first-floor lobby has a picture-book corner for children where you can take off your shoes and relax, useful while you wait after check-in. The vending machine and laundry corner, also on the first floor, has a microwave, 2 coin-operated washing machines and an ice machine, so you can warm baby food you have brought along or wash dirty clothes. Getting here takes about 12 minutes by car from Hikone IC, and a free shuttle from the East Exit of JR Maibara Station is available with a reservation.