Japan is one of the great mountain countries of the world. About three-quarters of the land is mountainous, volcanoes are scattered from Hokkaido to Kyushu, and the mountains are full of hot springs, so a stay in the hills usually means a soak in an onsen, a long kaiseki dinner and a night in a ryokan, the traditional Japanese inn.
The country's mountain hotels range from the deep powder snow of Hokkaido to Mount Fuji, the hot-spring resort of Hakone, the thatched villages of the Japanese Alps and the shrines of Nikko, many of them within two hours of Tokyo. These are the 8 Japanese mountain hotels in our collection, chosen for their setting, their hospitality and their baths.
The best mountain hotels in Japan at a glance
- Best for luxury skiing: Higashiyama Niseko Village
- Best for a private onsen in the snow: Zaborin
- Best for views of Mount Fuji: Hoshinoya Fuji
- Best for a classic luxury ryokan near Tokyo: Gora Kadan
- Best for forest calm by bullet train: Hoshinoya Karuizawa
- Best for history: Nikko Kanaya Hotel
- Best for huge outdoor hot springs: Takaragawa Onsen Osenkaku
- Best for a night in a thatched farmhouse: Koemon
Hokkaido: powder snow in Niseko
1. Higashiyama Niseko Village, Hokkaido
Best for: skiers, couples and families
The most luxurious ski hotel in Japan is a Ritz-Carlton Reserve of just 50 rooms at the foot of Niseko Annupuri, with ski-in, ski-out access to some of the deepest, lightest powder snow in the world and views across to Mount Yotei, the volcanic cone known as the Fuji of Hokkaido. Opened in 2020, it holds one Michelin Key. Read our review of Higashiyama Niseko Village.
2. Zaborin, Niseko, Hokkaido
Best for: couples, food lovers, skiers and wellness seekers
Zaborin reimagines the ryokan for the twenty-first century. Its name loosely translates as 'a place among the trees to sit and forget', and each of its 15 villas, in a quiet forest on the edge of Niseko, has its own indoor and outdoor hot-spring bath. Chef Yoshihiro Seno's Kita Kaiseki is a northern take on Kyoto's kaiseki cuisine, built on Hokkaido's seafood, vegetables and dairy. Read our review of Zaborin.
Mount Fuji, Hakone and the mountains near Tokyo
3. Hoshinoya Fuji, Lake Kawaguchi
Best for: couples, design lovers and families
Japan's first luxury glamping resort is a cluster of minimalist cabins on a forested hillside above Lake Kawaguchi, each with a huge picture window framing Mount Fuji. The Cloud Terrace, a network of wooden decks among the pines, has hammocks, sofas and campfires for the evening, and Tokyo is about two hours away. Read our review of Hoshinoya Fuji.
4. Gora Kadan, Hakone
Best for: couples, food lovers and onsen lovers
Gora Kadan is one of Japan's most celebrated luxury ryokan, in the grounds of a former summer villa of a branch of the Imperial family on the wooded slopes of Hakone. It has indoor and outdoor hot-spring baths, an indoor pool and a spa, and dinner is a long, beautiful kaiseki meal of many small courses. Tokyo is about an hour and a half away by the Romancecar train. Read our review of Gora Kadan.
5. Hoshinoya Karuizawa, Nagano
Best for: couples and wellness seekers
The flagship of the Hoshino family's resorts is a modern ryokan-style village of low pavilions in a forested valley, around 1,000 metres up beside the Yukawa River and a wild bird sanctuary. Days follow a gentle rhythm of forest walks and long soaks in the onsen, and it is about an hour from Tokyo by bullet train. Read our review of Hoshinoya Karuizawa.
6. Nikko Kanaya Hotel, Nikko
Best for: history lovers, families and couples
Founded in 1873, the Nikko Kanaya is Japan's oldest Western-style resort hotel, a beautiful wooden building on a hillside beside the UNESCO-listed shrines and temples of Toshogu. It has welcomed guests from Isabella Bird to Albert Einstein, and its dining room still serves its famous curry, made to a recipe more than a century old. Tokyo is about two hours away by train. Read our review of Nikko Kanaya Hotel.
7. Takaragawa Onsen Osenkaku, Gunma
Best for: onsen lovers, couples and families
At the headwaters of the Tone River, Takaragawa is home to some of the largest outdoor hot-spring baths in Japan: four great open-air pools, fed by free-flowing springs, arranged along both banks of a clear mountain stream. It is magical under snow or in autumn colour, and it is reached by Shinkansen from Tokyo plus a free shuttle. Read our review of Takaragawa Onsen Osenkaku.
The Japanese Alps
8. Koemon, Shirakawa-go
Best for: culture lovers and travellers wanting an authentic night in rural Japan
Koemon is a family-run guesthouse in a centuries-old thatched farmhouse in Shirakawa-go, the fairytale village in the mountains of central Japan. Its steep straw roof, in the gassho-zukuri style, is designed to shed the heavy winter snow, and dinner is served around a sunken hearth, with a fire burning beneath a hanging kettle. It is simple, shared and unforgettable, and great value. Read our review of Koemon.
When to go to Japan's mountains
Every season has its moment. Winter, from late December to February, brings Hokkaido's famous powder snow and the most magical onsen, with steam rising from the snow, as well as the clearest views of Mount Fuji. Spring brings cherry blossom, usually from late March in Hakone and around Fuji, later in the mountains. Mid-October to early November is the season of autumn colour, when the forests of Nikko, Karuizawa and Hakone turn red and gold. Summer is green and lush, and cooler in the mountains than in the cities, though June and July bring the rainy season.
How to plan a mountain trip in Japan
Japan's trains make the mountains easy to reach. Hakone, Mount Fuji, Nikko, Karuizawa and Takaragawa are all within about two to two and a half hours of Tokyo, so it is easy to add one or two nights in a ryokan to a city trip. Shirakawa-go is best combined with Takayama and Kanazawa, and Niseko is reached via New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido. Book well ahead for the ski season, cherry blossom and autumn colour, as the best ryokan have only a handful of rooms.
For more, see our guides to ski-in ski-out hotels and spa hotels, or explore all our hotels in Japan.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best mountain hotels in Japan?
Our favourites include Higashiyama Niseko Village and Zaborin in Hokkaido, Hoshinoya Fuji facing Mount Fuji, Gora Kadan in Hakone, Hoshinoya Karuizawa, the Nikko Kanaya Hotel, Takaragawa Onsen Osenkaku and Koemon in Shirakawa-go.
Which mountain ryokan are closest to Tokyo?
Gora Kadan in Hakone is about 1.5 hours away, and Hoshinoya Karuizawa about an hour by bullet train. Hoshinoya Fuji and the Nikko Kanaya Hotel are about two hours away.
Where can I stay with a view of Mount Fuji?
Hoshinoya Fuji, above Lake Kawaguchi, has cabins with picture windows framing the mountain.
When is the best time to visit Japan's mountains?
Winter for snow and onsen, late March to April for cherry blossom, and mid-October to early November for autumn colour.
