Where to Stay– category –

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.

Sakan is a large ryokan at Akiu Onsen, about 45 minutes from Sendai Station by its free shuttle. Before you book: the shuttle must be reserved online, the private bath costs 2,000 yen plus tax, the official pages say nothing about tattoos, and Sendai's accommodation tax applies. From the official pages.

Kagoshima Sun Royal Hotel faces Sakurajima from the Yojiro waterfront. Before you book: the free shuttle from Kagoshima-Chuo Station stops in the late afternoon, the English pages miss the day-before cancellation fee and an airport bus change, and a city accommodation tax is planned for 2027. From the official pages.

Dormy Inn Premium Sapporo sits in the Tanukikoji arcade, 3 minutes from Odori Station. Before you book: free late-night ramen, a public bath where the women's side has no sauna, child fees set brand-wide, a 50 percent charge for canceling the day before, and Sapporo's new accommodation tax. From the official pages.

Beppu Showaen is a ryokan of detached Japanese cottages in Beppu, Oita, founded in 1926. Before you book: last check-in is 18:00, the two private open-air baths are free for 50 minutes, and the free shuttle runs from Beppu Station by phone request. From the official pages.

Maebashikan is a family-run inn of 17 Japanese-style rooms in Kusatsu Onsen, with Yubatake spring water in indoor baths you can reserve for your group free of charge. Before you book: most rooms share toilets, the online plans are room only and prepaid by card. From the official pages.

Bettei Oborozukiyo is an adults-oriented hideaway in Dogo Onsen, Matsuyama, where every suite has its own open-air bath. Before you book: no children of elementary-school age or younger, meals are served only in private dining rooms, and the website is in Japanese only. From the official pages.

Choseian is a seven-room hot-spring inn in Shirahama, Wakayama, with two springs of its own. Before you book: five rooms have no private bath, the small private bath is free for every guest, and the inn cannot serve vegetarian or vegan meals. From the official pages.

Oyado Hachibei is a 13-room Japanese inn in Takayama, near the Hida Folk Village, with indoor and open-air baths of local hot-spring water. Before you book: it is about 10 minutes by car from JR Takayama Station, last check-in is 21:00, and the city accommodation tax is collected at check-in. From the official pages.

Hotel Buena Vista is a city hotel 7 minutes from JR Matsumoto Station. Before you book: its English pages are out of date, guests can use a hot-spring bath at a sister inn free with a booking, a child on an extra bed pays the adult rate, and an accommodation tax is paid at the hotel. From the official pages.

How to stay overnight in a thatched gassho-zukuri farmhouse in Shirakawa-go: the official booking site, each inn's arrival deadlines and curfews, which take children or only one night, showers versus baths, winter rules for cars, and the 2027 light-up lottery. From official pages.