Ryokan Nanjoen (Nanjo-En) opened in 1964, the year the Yamanami Highway opened, on a hill in the center of Kurokawa Onsen, a small hot-spring village in the mountains of Kumamoto. It was renewed in spring 2019 and has 12 rooms, all with tatami. Before you book, three things matter: only three rooms have their own bath; the two family baths are free for guests; and the whole inn is barefoot, with no slippers, from the entrance to your room.
Ryokan Nanjoen at a glance
| Item | Official information |
|---|---|
| Address | 6612-1 Manganji, Minamioguni, Aso District, Kumamoto |
| Rooms | 12, all non-smoking (3 with a hot-spring bath, 7 standard, 2 in the annex) |
| Check-in / out | 14:00–18:00 / by 10:00 |
| Baths | Two open-air baths swapped daily, guest-only indoor baths, two free family baths |
| Spring | Sodium sulfate and chloride, flowing straight from the source |
| Meals | Kaiseki dinner with Aso ingredients; Japanese breakfast from 8:15 |
| Prices | From 15,400 yen per adult (room only, two sharing, tax included) |
| Extra charge | Bathing tax 150 yen per adult |
| Cards at the inn | Visa, Mastercard |
| English | English pages and an English booking page |
From the official site and booking page, read October 14, 2026.
Which room should you book at Ryokan Nanjoen?
All 12 rooms sit on floors one to four and look out over the onsen town. Each has a wide veranda with a counter cut from a single board, and every shoji screen is a yukimi type with glass below, so the view stays open. The inn assigns rooms by party size, so tell it how many children are coming as well as adults.
| Room type | Layout | Guests | Own bath |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot-spring room (3) | 8-mat room, veranda, bedroom with 2 beds | 2–5 | Yes, semi-open-air, straight from the source |
| Standard (7) | 7.5–10-mat room and veranda | 2–4 | No |
| Annex (2) | 12-mat room and 5-mat veranda | 2–6 | No |
“Mat” is one tatami mat. From the rooms page and booking page, read October 14, 2026.
Is the annex worth it?
The annex rooms were the old special rooms and were not newly built in 2019, though they were renovated that April. The booking page says they are larger than the standard rooms but sold at the same price.
Can one person book a room?
Not online. For one guest in a room, or five or more, the inn asks you to call. The main building has an elevator, every room has Wi-Fi, and since January 2025 smoking is allowed only in the area outside the Mokuran dining room on the 2nd floor.
The baths at Ryokan Nanjoen
All baths use the same sodium sulfate and chloride spring. Hoshi-no-yu and Tsuki-no-yu switch between men and women each day, and the changing rooms have a hot-spring face steamer.
What are the main baths like?
Hoshi-no-yu is an open-air bath of three pools stacked up the slope; the higher you climb, the hotter the water, and one part is a 140 cm standing bath. Tsuki-no-yu is a semi-open-air bath with two pools, the nearer one a little cooler, where you can sit on the edge and cool your feet. Both are open to guests 6:00–22:00. Day visitors also use them, from 8:30 to 21:00. Akane-no-yu, for guests only, has separate men’s and women’s indoor baths with five showers each, opening onto a semi-open-air pool, from 6:00 to 23:00, with few steps from the elevator.
Is there a private bath?
Two family baths, Hikari in stone with a mountain view and Hana in cypress, are free for guests whenever they are empty, from check-in to checkout. Each fits about two people and has a shower. There is also a free footbath by the gate.
Can I bathe with a tattoo?
The official pages do not mention tattoos. Ask the inn before you book; our tattoo and onsen guide explains what to ask.
Meals at Ryokan Nanjoen
What are dinner and breakfast like?
Dinner is a kaiseki meal built on Aso and Kumamoto ingredients and careful dashi. A sample menu lists six seasonal starters, kelp-cured trout, marbled horse sashimi, salt-grilled yamame trout and Kumamoto Ajisai beef grilled on a ceramic plate; dishes change by season. Meals are served at counter or table seats with a private feel, in one of three dining rooms. Breakfast starts at 8:15 and is mainly Japanese, including sakura natto, natto mixed with chopped horse sashimi.
Can the inn handle allergies or a special diet?
Give allergy details in advance. Depending on the type and number of allergies, the kitchen may not be able to adjust the meal; in that case you may bring your own food. The pages say nothing about vegetarian or halal meals, so ask first. Drinks may not be brought into the dining rooms.
Prices and rules at Ryokan Nanjoen
How much does a stay cost?
The official booking page lists per-adult prices, two sharing, tax included, from 15,400 yen room only, 18,700 yen with breakfast and 23,100 yen with dinner and breakfast in a standard or annex room. A hot-spring room starts at 26,400, 29,700 and 34,100 yen. Bon, New Year and holiday weekends are priced higher. The inn says booking on its own site or by phone gets the lowest rate. Add the bathing tax of 150 yen per adult; Minamioguni town exempts under-15s. See our onsen bathing tax guide.
What do children cost?
Junior high students and older pay the adult rate. Elementary-school children are 16,500 yen. Preschoolers are 7,700 yen with meals and bedding, 5,500 yen with meals only, 4,400 yen with bedding only, or 1,100 yen with neither; from age 3 you must choose meals or bedding. Babies under one are free; note them in the remarks instead of booking them. Rice porridge is free if you ask when booking.
What is the cancellation policy?
Fees are 30 percent from 7 days before, 50 percent from 3 days before, 70 percent the day before, and 100 percent on the day or for a no-show. For a same-day cancellation because of a typhoon or similar disaster, call the inn. See our hotel cancellation guide.
How do I pay?
No deposit is needed. Pay online by card when booking, or at the inn, which takes Visa and Mastercard.
Getting to Ryokan Nanjoen in Kurokawa Onsen
The inn will meet you at the Kurokawa Onsen bus stop if you book the pickup and send your arrival time ahead; the official pages give different deadlines, so arrange it early. Its access page links to Kyushu Sanko bus and JR Kyushu but names no train station. By car, come from Hita IC from the Fukuoka side, Mashiki IC from Kumamoto, or Yufuin IC from Oita. Set your navigation to the ryokan association at 6594-3 Manganji, park in the association lot, and find the inn’s entrance at the back. If the lot is full, join the line and call the inn. For another inn in the village, see our Sanga Ryokan guide.
What foreign guests should know before staying at Ryokan Nanjoen
- The English pages and English booking page are machine-translated; dish and room names can read oddly, so check key details in the Japanese pages or by email.
- There are no slippers; you walk barefoot from the entrance to your room.
- Arrive by 18:00, the end of check-in.
- A steep side stair, the Igo-zaka exit, is a shortcut to Kawabata Street in the village center.
- The inn says it never contacts guests on WhatsApp; confirm bookings only through the official site.
- Email nanjyouen@gmail.com for questions; bookings are not taken by email.
Frequently asked questions
Do the rooms at Ryokan Nanjoen have a private bath?
Are the private family baths at Ryokan Nanjoen free?
What time is check-in at Ryokan Nanjoen?
What is the cancellation policy at Ryokan Nanjoen?
Can I bathe at Ryokan Nanjoen with a tattoo?
Bottom line (2026): Ryokan Nanjoen is a 12-room inn on a hill in the center of Kurokawa Onsen, with stacked open-air pools, guest-only baths and two free family baths. Book a hot-spring room if you want your own bath, arrive by 18:00, and book on the official site.
Sources
Every fact on this page is from Ryokan Nanjoen’s official pages: home (Japanese), home (English), rooms, hot springs, prices and information, facilities, meals and access, the official booking page and its English version, and the Minamioguni town bathing tax page. All were read on October 14, 2026. Prices and rules change; check the official site before you book.
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