Guide
For a hot-spring bath of your own in Nikko, book Fufu Nikko, where every suite has one, or a room with a private open-air bath at Senhime Monogatari or Tsurukamedaikichi by the shrines, Shikisai on Lake Chuzenji, or KAI Kinugawa and the Kinugawa Kanaya in Kinugawa Onsen. Private baths that you book by the hour are the cheaper way in.
9 hotels. Checked October 2026.
Tamozawa, Nikko town · Luxury ryokan · 24 rooms
24 suites, each with a bath of spring water from the ryokan’s own source
A small luxury ryokan where every one of the 24 suites has its own hot-spring bath from the inn’s own source; for a special night in Nikko.
From £915 a night
Only some rooms: book the room type with the bath, not the cheapest rate.
Yasukawa-cho, Nikko town · Ryokan
Open-air bath rooms ten minutes on foot from Toshogu
An onsen ryokan a short walk from Toshogu, with rooms that have their own open-air bath; the best private-bath stay by the shrines.
From £148 a night
Daiya river, Nikko town · Ryokan
Open-air bath rooms above the Daiya gorge, dinner included
A ryokan above the Daiya gorge with a rooftop view bath and rooms with their own open-air bath; for couples who want dinner and a soak.
Northern shore, Lake Chuzenji · Ryokan
Open-air and view-bath rooms on Lake Chuzenji
A lakeside onsen ryokan below Mount Nantai, with rooms that have their own open-air or view bath; for a private soak on Lake Chuzenji.
Kinugawa river, Kinugawa Onsen · 4 stars · 48 rooms
Rooms with an outdoor bath at Hoshino Resorts’ Kinugawa ryokan
Hoshino Resorts’ ryokan on the Kinugawa: 48 rooms dressed in local crafts, some with an outdoor bath; for couples who want a polished onsen night.
From £317 a night
Kinugawa river, Kinugawa Onsen · Luxury ryokan
Deluxe rooms and club suites with their own open-air bath
A small luxury ryokan on the Kinugawa with rooms that have their own hot-spring bath and a club floor; for a special night with dinner.
From £672 a night
Kirifuri Highlands, Nikko town · 3.5 stars
Suites and maisonettes with a private open-air bath, in the forest
A big onsen resort in the Kirifuri Highlands above Nikko, with dinner and breakfast and suites with their own open-air bath; for families and drivers.
From £203 a night
Shinkyo Bridge, Nikko town · Ryokan
A private bath to reserve, three minutes from the Shinkyo Bridge
A traditional family-style ryokan by the Shinkyo Bridge, with a hot-spring bath, a private bath to book and dinner; for a classic first ryokan night.
Ohara, Kinugawa Onsen, Kinugawa Onsen · 4 stars
Private baths to reserve, plus several big shared baths
A large garden onsen hotel in Kinugawa with several big baths, private baths to book and kaiseki dinners; for families and groups.
From £236 a night
Either a hot-spring tub in or on the balcony of your own room, often open-air, or a family bath (kashikiri) that you reserve for a time slot. Both let you bathe together and in private.
An in-room or reserved private bath is the usual way round tattoo rules in shared baths. Check with the ryokan for its shared baths.
Most sell dinner and breakfast together, and dinner is served at fixed times, so check-in deadlines apply on those rates.
