Kamigoten Ryokan (Kamigoten) is a family-run inn in Ryujin Onsen, in the mountains of Tanabe, Wakayama. It was built in 1657 for Tokugawa Yorinobu, lord of the Kishu domain, who came here for hot-spring cures, and the room where he stayed can still be booked. Before you book, three things matter: the rooms in the old main building have no sink, no toilet and no lock; payment is cash only; and children of elementary-school age or younger cannot stay.
Kamigoten Ryokan at a glance
| Item | Official information |
|---|---|
| Address | 42 Ryujin, Ryujin Village, Tanabe, Wakayama |
| Built | 1657, for the lord of Kishu |
| Rooms | Main building (registered cultural property) and an annex; 7 rooms in all (Kumano Travel) |
| Check-in / out | 14:30–17:00 / by 10:00 |
| Spring | Sodium bicarbonate spring |
| Prices | 20,900–28,600 yen per person, two sharing, with dinner and breakfast |
| Extra charge | Bathing tax 150 yen per adult |
| Payment | Cash only |
| Children | Elementary-school age and younger cannot stay |
From the official site, booking engine and Kumano Travel, read October 16, 2026.
After the inn was built, the Ryujin family was asked by the Tokugawa lord to manage it and received the name Kamigoten. The current head is the 29th generation, and the building is registered as a tangible cultural property. The novelist Ariyoshi Sawako, the inn says, was a regular guest. The inn also tells the legend that Ryujin Onsen was opened after the Dragon King appeared to Kobo Daishi in a dream.
Main building or annex: choosing a room at Kamigoten Ryokan
| Room | What the inn says | Toilet / sink | River view |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onari-no-Ma (main building) | The lord’s room: two connected rooms, the lord in the higher one, his attendants in the lower | None | No |
| Matsu-no-Ma (main building) | Two connected rooms in the style of the Onari-no-Ma, used by the lord’s party | None | No |
| Annex, 12 or 10 tatami mats | Added in the late Showa era; a clear river runs below the windows | Toilet in each room | Yes |
From the official booking engine, read October 16, 2026. No room has its own bath.
What is it like to sleep in the main building?
The inn says the furnishings in the Onari-no-Ma are the ones the Tokugawa lord used. To protect the building, main-building rooms have no sink or toilet. Their entrances are shoji and fusuma (paper screens and sliding doors), so the rooms cannot be locked, and they face the road and the mountain, so there is no direct river view. These points are on the Japanese booking pages.
Why choose the annex?
If you want a toilet in your room and a view of the river, the annex rooms of 12 or 10 tatami mats give both. All rooms are non-smoking, according to the booking engine.
The baths at Kamigoten Ryokan
Ryujin Onsen is a sodium bicarbonate spring, and the inn calls it one of Japan’s three hot springs for beautiful skin, with Kawanaka Onsen in Gunma and Yunokawa Onsen in Shimane. The inn has an indoor bath, with separate men’s and women’s sides in its photos, and an outdoor bath, with water flowing straight from the spring.
When are the baths open?
The inn’s own site does not give hours. Kumano Travel lists 15:00 to 23:00 and 6:00 to 9:30.
Is the outdoor bath private?
The official pages describe this differently, so we do not state it. Ask the inn at check-in how to use the outdoor bath.
Can I bathe with a tattoo?
The official pages and Kumano Travel do not mention tattoos. Ask the inn before you book; our tattoo and onsen guide explains what to ask.
Getting to Kamigoten Ryokan in Ryujin Onsen
The inn’s access page links out to road, rail and bus sites rather than giving times. Kumano Travel gives about 1 hour 20 minutes by bus from Kii-Tanabe Station. For bus service, the inn points to the bus company, Ryujin Jidosha, at 0739-22-2100. Kumano Travel lists free parking for 10 cars and no shuttle.
From December to February, roads can be snowy or icy, so drivers need chains or winter tires. The inn names Route 425 from Totsukawa and the Koya-Ryujin Skyline (Route 371) from Koyasan as especially dangerous. If you are coming from the temple town, see our Koyasan guide. Onsenji temple is about three minutes on foot from the inn.
Meals at Kamigoten Ryokan
What are dinner and breakfast like?
Both meals are served in your room, according to the booking engine. The kitchen uses seasonal mountain ingredients; the inn’s photos show venison tataki, botan nabe (wild-boar hot pot), venison steak, a popular dish, salt-grilled river fish and wild vegetables. Because the catch changes with the season and weather, the same dishes are not always served. Plans include Kumano beef shabu-shabu (two groups a day), a slow-food kaiseki and a plan with a Kumano Kodo lunch box.
Can the inn handle allergies?
The inn’s own site does not say. Kumano Travel says to ask whether your request can be met, so ask when you book.
Prices, children, cancellation and payment at Kamigoten Ryokan
How much does a stay cost?
On the official booking engine, plans with dinner and breakfast run from 20,900 yen to 28,600 yen per person when two share a room, with tax and service included. The slow-food kaiseki starts at 20,900 yen in the 10-mat annex room or Matsu-no-Ma, the Kumano beef plan at 22,550 yen, the one-group-a-day Onari-no-Ma plan at 23,100 yen, and the New Year plan reaches 28,600 yen. On top, Tanabe City charges a bathing tax of 150 yen per person per day; under-12s are exempt. See our onsen bathing tax guide. Wakayama Prefecture says it is considering an accommodation tax, but no amount is set.
Can children stay?
No. The inn turns away children of elementary-school age or younger.
What is the cancellation policy?
No deposit is needed. The booking engine lists 30 percent of the room charge from 3 to 2 days before, 50 percent one day before and on the day, and 100 percent for a no-show. See our hotel cancellation guide.
How do I pay?
In cash. The inn’s Japanese pages say it does not handle credit cards, so bring enough yen for the room and the bathing tax.
What foreign guests should know before staying at Kamigoten Ryokan
- The inn’s site has English paragraphs but no separate English pages; for booking it points foreign guests to Kumano Travel.
- Phone calls are in Japanese (0739-79-0005). The contact form takes 3 to 5 days to answer; the email is ryujin@kamigoten.jp.
- Tell the inn how you are arriving and a phone number it can reach on the day, and call if you will arrive after 17:00.
- Main-building rooms cannot be locked and have no toilet; the annex has toilets.
- Same-day bookings close at 12:00 on the booking engine.
Frequently asked questions
Can I stay in the lord’s room at Kamigoten Ryokan?
Does Kamigoten Ryokan accept credit cards?
Can children stay at Kamigoten Ryokan?
What time is check-in at Kamigoten Ryokan?
How do I get to Kamigoten Ryokan?
Bottom line (2026): Kamigoten Ryokan is a 1657 inn built for the lord of Kishu, and you can sleep in his room. Choose the main building for history or the annex for a toilet and a river view, bring cash, arrive by 17:00, and note that young children cannot stay.
Sources
Every fact on this page is from Kamigoten Ryokan’s official pages: home, history, Ryujin Onsen, cuisine, about the inn, access and the official booking engine (Japanese); from Kumano Travel, the booking site the inn names for foreign guests; and from Tanabe City (bathing tax) and Wakayama Prefecture (accommodation tax). All were read on October 16, 2026. Prices and rules change; check the official site before you book.
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