Where to Stay– category –

Yasou Ritto is a whole-house rental for up to five in Jozankei, Sapporo, in a villa by architect Yoshiya Tanoue. Before you book: the bath is not a hot spring, there are no meal plans, and staff are not on site all day. From the official pages.

Wanosato is a secluded Japanese inn in Ichinomiya, south of central Takayama, with its own hot-spring source and a 160-year-old farmhouse hearth. Before you book: dinner and breakfast are served in dining rooms, preschool children cannot stay, and the station shuttle must be booked. From the official pages.

Senshinkan Matsuya is a small wooden inn from the early Showa era in the middle of Shibu Onsen, Nagano. Before you book: its two indoor baths are reserved in 50-minute slots at check-in, dinner plans need an on-time arrival, and the official pages differ on a few times, so confirm. From the official pages.

Dogo Miyu is a 30-room inn in Dogo Onsen, Matsuyama, where every room has its own open-air hot-spring bath and a terrace facing Matsuyama Castle. Before you book: no young children, a set Japanese dinner with no vegetarian menu, and weekly closing days. From the official pages.

Irori no Yado Katsuragi no Sato is a 10-cottage inn built around open hearths in Fukuji Onsen, Okuhida. Before you book: international bookings are limited, card details are required, plans are paid at the inn, and the phone line is Japanese only. From the official pages.

Tocen Goshoboh is a ryokan in the center of Arima Onsen, Kobe, that traces its founding to 1191. Before you book: the large bath is half-mixed in its semi-open-air part, check-in runs 15:00 to 19:00, and the standard rooms are up stairs with no elevator. From the official pages.

Hotel Shirahamakan is a 41-room, room-only hot-spring hotel a 30-second walk from Shirarahama Beach in Shirahama, Wakayama. Before you book: there is no restaurant, the annex rooms have no bath or shower, and tattoos are not allowed in the shared baths. From the official pages.

Ryokan Kiraku is a seven-room, family-run onsen inn in Kannawa, Beppu. Before you book: website bookings are paused and the inn takes new bookings by phone, the hot spring water is not cooled, and dinner starts between 18:00 and 19:30 in a private dining room. From the official pages.

Osakaya Ryokan is a Kusatsu Onsen inn founded in the late Edo period, one minute on foot from Yubatake. Before you book: Wi-Fi is in the lobby only, meals are served in dining rooms, and the private bath is booked on the day. From the official pages.

Ebiya Ryokan is a small inn in Zao Onsen, Yamagata, that has run since the Edo period and pours 100 percent hot spring from its own source. Before you book: there is no elevator and no car access to the door, dinner alternates Genghis Khan lamb and local dishes, and winter online sales are for multi-night stays. From the official pages.

Ryokan Sansui is a 26-room inn in Fukuji Onsen, Okuhida, with free private open-air baths and Hida beef dinners. Before you book: pay in cash only, check in from 14:30 and arrive early, and plan the mountain roads in winter. From the official pages.

Hishiya Torazo is an 11-room wooden inn in Shibu Onsen, Nagano, linked to the samurai scholar Sakuma Shozan. Before you book: the open-air bath is free to reserve with a sign, bookings go through a Japanese form, email or phone, and the official pages leave out check-in times and the cancellation rule. From the official pages.