Who Ruled Japan

Where to stay

The hot springs attached to the places in these guides — and, for each one, what is actually bookable in English.

Every list here was checked by hand against Rakuten Travel's English site. That is not the same as what exists: plenty of inns take bookings only in Japanese, or only by telephone, and a guide that lists them without saying so is wasting your evening. Where the inn that matters most is not bookable, the page says so and tells you what to do instead.

What booking actually looks like

Every inn on these pages links straight to its own page on Rakuten Travel, with your dates already filled in — you should not have to find the name again in a list. This is the screen those links lead to. Ikaho is shown; the layout is the same everywhere.

The Rakuten Travel English search results for Ikaho Onsen, showing the date fields already filled in at the top, a price and star-rating filter on the left, and a list of inns each with a nightly rate and a "See rooms & plans" button.
What the booking page looks like Screenshot of Rakuten Travel , captured 2026-10-26. Shown to explain the interface; the site and its contents belong to their owners, and interfaces change.

Three things worth knowing before you click. The rate shown is per room for two people, not per person, which is the opposite of how ryokan rates are usually quoted in Japanese. Changing the dates changes both the price and which inns appear at all — the list is availability, not a directory. And many rates include dinner and breakfast, so a figure that looks high against a city hotel is often covering two meals as well.