Reference price as of November 5, 2026 (stay 2026-11-28). US$ is an approximate conversion from yen. Check the booking site for actual rates.
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forumWhat families say
Rakuten Travel rating 4.65 out of 5 (523 reviews). Guests praise how well prepared the ryokan is for families with children, with a full set of bottle-washing supplies and a playroom. The private-hire baths also have a bath just for babies, and some guests say that because dinner is served in the room, they moved around the building less and had an easy stay. On the other hand, some guests reported a large spider in the washing area of the communal bath.
Kids Facilities
Playroom
Playroom
- paymentsPrice:Free for guests
A permanent playroom of about 8 tatami mats, stocked with toys, picture books and more, and free to use. A microwave in one corner lets you warm baby food you have brought with you, and there is also a microwave-safe boil-sterilizing case for baby bottles.
Private-hire baths with a bath just for babies
Private-hire baths with a bath just for babies
Every private-hire bath has a bath just for babies. The private-hire-only darkness baths, Tsuki no Yu and Hoshi no Yu, have a washing area and roomy space so that even families with twins can use them. The sky open-air baths also have a shallow bath just for babies.
- •Depending on the plan, the private-hire time slot is decided in advance after booking or at check-in
- •Accommodation plans include 40 minutes of free private-hire bath use (either a sky open-air bath or a private-hire-only bath)
Baby food (homemade ojiya) and the Kids' Set
Baby food (homemade ojiya) and the Kids' Set
Baby food (homemade ojiya) is available at dinner and breakfast, and the Kids' Set for young children at dinner, both as separate options. The dinner ojiya is made with ground chicken and the breakfast one with shirasu (whitebait), and no egg is used. There is no extra charge for sharing food from the breakfast buffet with your child.
- •The homemade ojiya is for babies at the mogumogu (mid-weaning) stage and beyond
- •The Kids' Set can accommodate milk and egg allergies
- •The content of children's meals may change
Baby items to borrow and in-room equipment
Baby items to borrow and in-room equipment
On the Baby and Kids Plan, each room is provided with a long floor cushion (6 months and under), a baby chair (7 months and over) and a diaper pail. Toiletries (baby body soap, baby cotton swabs, a bath thermometer, nail clippers and baby wipes), baby hangers, a step stool for the washbasin, a Bumbo seat, a formula-preparation kettle and a humidifier are also available. A facility fee of 3,520 yen applies to the Baby and Kids Plan to cover the jinbei and the full set of amenities.
- •Cute children's jinbei are available to borrow free of charge (sizes 60 to 120)
- •Baby towel blankets are provided in summer, and baby blankets in winter
Baby beds and baby baths in the changing rooms
Baby beds and baby baths in the changing rooms
Baby beds are set up in the changing rooms of every bath and in some restrooms. The indoor communal bath has a baby bath for babies, and the changing area is set up so that undressing and dressing a baby is easy. Bath toys are provided as well.
Categories
Overview
Nakaya Ryokan is a 16-room Japanese-style inn in Yubiso Onsen, in Minakami, Gunma. It is built around its Baby and Kids Plan, which began in 1997 as the Nakaya Baby Plan, and the whole ryokan is set up with stays with babies in mind. Every private-hire bath has a bath just for babies. Dinner is a creative set meal of Japanese, Western and Chinese dishes served as in-room dining, and baby food (a homemade ojiya, or savory rice porridge) and a meal for young children (the Kids' Set) are available as separate options. The permanent playroom, about 8 tatami mats in size, is free to use, and the guest rooms come with equipment such as a diaper pail and a baby chair. Rooms are mainly Japanese-style tatami rooms, and there is also a Japanese-Western room with a low bed, as well as special rooms with a semi-open-air bath.
Rooms
There are 16 rooms in all, in a two-story building. Rooms are mainly Japanese-style tatami rooms. Type W sleeps up to 8, with a 12-tatami wood-floored room leading into a 6-tatami adjoining room. Type T is a 13-tatami room with underfloor heating that sleeps up to 5. Type A is a 10-tatami room that comes to more than 12 tatami mats including the broad window-side space, and it sleeps up to 5. Type S is a compact 10-tatami room for up to 4. The Japanese-Western room (Type C) has a wooden low bed set in an 8-tatami Japanese-style space and sleeps 2. It is the only corner room in the building with no room next door, so the ryokan notes that you can stay without worrying about noise. Because it is a bed-type room, the bedding stays in place until checkout, so you can take your time. Besides the Japanese-style and Japanese-Western rooms, the room categories also include a trial (monitor) plan for the barrier-free room (universal room). Two types of special rooms have a semi-open-air bath fed straight from the source. Type P, with a small courtyard garden, has an 8-tatami Japanese-style area plus a bed space and sleeps up to 4. Type D, with a lukewarm-water cave bath, has a 6-tatami Japanese-style area plus a bed space; it is designed for 2 guests as standard but can be booked for 1 to 4. For 3 or more guests, Type D is set up by bringing in an extra bed or laying out futons, while Type P is set up by laying out futons.
Dining
Dinner is a creative set meal of Japanese, Western and Chinese dishes served as in-room dining, and breakfast is an "ofukuro no aji" (home-style cooking) buffet at the breakfast venue. For children, two separate options are available: baby food, a homemade ojiya (savory rice porridge), at dinner and breakfast, and the Kids' Set, a meal for young children, at dinner. The dinner ojiya is made with ground chicken and the breakfast one with shirasu (whitebait), and neither uses egg. The Kids' Set features skinless frankfurters made without additives by farmers in Gunma, served with homemade corn potage and boiled vegetables. There is no extra charge for sharing food from the breakfast buffet with your child. Allergy accommodation is limited to certain items, so please confirm the details in advance. When Type D, the room with the lukewarm-water cave bath, is used by 4 or more guests, dinner is served in the dining area.
Baths and Onsen
The spring water is a weakly alkaline simple onsen, and the source is Yakushi no Yu in Yubiso Onsen. The roofless sky open-air baths, Toma no Yu and Oki no Yu, each have a shallow bath just for babies. The darkness baths, Tsuki no Yu and Hoshi no Yu, are for private hire only; each has a washing area and a bath just for babies, with roomy space so that even families with twins can use them. Every private-hire bath has a bath just for babies. The ryokan explains that each room can use an open-air bath privately for 40 minutes, and accommodation plans include 40 minutes of free private use of either a sky open-air bath or one of the private-hire-only baths (the time slot is decided after booking or at check-in). The darkness bath rate of 4,000 yen (40 minutes) applies to day-use visitors. The indoor communal baths, separate for men and women, are open from 3 p.m. until 9 a.m. the next morning, and baby baths are provided for infants. Because winter temperatures in the area drop below minus 10°C, the sky open-air baths have no showers, and guests are asked to use the showers in the communal bath to wash.
Family-Friendly Features
The permanent playroom is about 8 tatami mats in size, stocked with toys and picture books, and free to use. A microwave in one corner lets you warm baby food you have brought with you. The front desk sterilizes baby bottles by boiling, and the playroom also has a microwave-safe boil-sterilizing case. On the Baby and Kids Plan, each room is equipped with a long floor cushion (for babies 6 months and under), a baby chair (for 7 months and over), a diaper pail and children's amenities. Children's jinbei (light two-piece Japanese loungewear) in sizes 60 to 120, baby wipes, hangers, toothbrushes and similar items are available to borrow free of charge. Baby beds are set up in the changing rooms of every bath and in some restrooms. Humidifiers are available to borrow. If a child who has not yet started elementary school is traveling with you, the booking is always made on the Baby and Kids Plan. The ryokan's booking site describes this plan as being for families with children from 6 months old until they start school, and the plan using the Japanese-Western room with a low bed (Type C) is limited to one child aged around 6 to 7 months, because of how the room is built. On the Baby and Kids Plan, babies must be counted in the number of guests when booking, and a facility fee of 3,520 yen applies. The bathing tax of 150 yen per adult is included in the plan rate, and adult rates apply from junior high school age. The route from the entrance to the special room with the semi-open-air lukewarm-water cave bath (on the first floor) is barrier-free, but the building as a whole is not. There is no elevator, and there are a few steps on the way to the communal bath and inside it. Wheelchairs are not available to borrow.
Access
The ryokan is a 5-minute walk from Yubiso Station on the Joetsu Line, or about 10 minutes by bus or taxi from Minakami Station; by car, it is about 15 minutes from Minakami IC. Parking is free for 16 cars. Check-in is from 3 p.m. (last check-in 5 p.m.), and checkout is at 11 a.m. Okutone Snow Park ski area is 5 minutes away by car and Tanigawadake Tenjindaira ski area 15 minutes by car, with no shuttle to either. An English-language information page is also available.
Access & Information
| location_onAddress | 93 Yubiso, Minakami-machi, Tone-gun, Gunma 379-1728 |
|---|---|
| directions_carAccess | By car, about 15 minutes from Minakami IC. Without a car, it is a 5-minute walk from Yubiso Station on the Joetsu Line, or about 10 minutes by bus or taxi from Minakami Station. |
| trainNearest station | Yubiso Station |
| local_parkingParking | Parking is available for 16 cars, free of charge. |
| callPhone | +81-278-72-3516 |
| paymentsCards | VISA, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, NICOS, Mastercard, Saison, APLUS, CF, JTB, JAL |
| languageOfficial site | http://www.nakaya-ryokan.com/open_in_new |
Map
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Reference price as of November 5, 2026 (stay 2026-11-28). US$ is an approximate conversion from yen. Check the booking site for actual rates.
Check rates & availability
Opens the booking site in a new tab.
Frequently Asked Questions
What ages is Nakaya Ryokan best suited to?
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It has facilities that work especially well for babies and toddlers (ages 0 to 2) and children aged 3 and over. There is no age limit, and families with children of any age can stay.
Is there parking at Nakaya Ryokan?
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Parking: Parking is available for 16 cars, free of charge.
How do you get to Nakaya Ryokan?
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By car, about 15 minutes from Minakami IC. Without a car, it is a 5-minute walk from Yubiso Station on the Joetsu Line, or about 10 minutes by bus or taxi from Minakami Station.
Can we bring our own baby food and warm it up?
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The playroom has a microwave, so you can warm baby food you have brought with you. Detergent and brushes for baby bottles and dishes are also provided, and the front desk sterilizes baby bottles by boiling. As the ryokan's own baby food, a homemade ojiya made without egg is also available at dinner and breakfast as a separate option.
Can a child who is not yet out of diapers use the communal bath?
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Every private-hire bath has a shallow bath just for babies, so you can enjoy the onsen together with your baby. The indoor communal baths, separate for men and women, provide a baby bath, but the ryokan does not say whether children who are not yet out of diapers can get into the communal bath's tubs, so please check with the ryokan in advance.
What are the check-in and checkout times?
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Check-in is from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., and checkout is at 11 a.m.
What items are provided for children?
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A long floor cushion, a baby chair, toiletries such as baby body soap, cotton swabs, a bath thermometer, nail clippers and baby wipes, children's jinbei, and a baby towel blanket in summer are provided.
Is there a playroom or kids' space?
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There is a permanent playroom of about 8 tatami mats with toys and picture books, and it is free to use.
Is there a charge for bringing a baby?
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Families with a baby book on the Baby and Kids Plan. The baby must be counted in the number of guests when booking, and a facility fee of 3,520 yen applies. Child rates apply through elementary school, and adult rates from junior high school. For children under school age, you can choose between two rate categories: with meals and futon bedding, or meals only.
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Information on this page was compiled by directly consulting Official website, Rakuten Travel, Jalan (last verified: September 2026). Prices, availability and seasonal operations change. Please check each booking site for the latest information.
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