9 Best Onsen Ryokan & Hotels in Shizuoka Prefecture, Handpicked by Our Editors

Editors' comment

Three distinctively styled private baths are scattered across the spacious grounds: a bath carved into a massive boulder, a Japanese-style bath accented with bamboo, and a quiet corner surrounded by rock. All are filled with water flowing straight from the source, require no reservation, and can be used as many times as you like when available. With no washing area, the design encourages guests to focus purely on soaking. The water is an alkaline calcium-sodium sulfate spring, gentle to the touch. The large communal bath features an indoor cypress bath, a jar-shaped bath, a waterfall bath, and a rock-built open-air bath, and in December 2025, a self-löyly sauna, a barrel bath, and two cold plunge baths — one at room temperature and one chilled — were added.

Editors' comment

Each guest room balcony has its own private open-air onsen bath, available any time of day, overlooking Sagami Bay. In the morning, light rising over the horizon; at night, the sea surface reflecting the moonlight — both unfold right in front of you as you soak. According to official information, the water, containing sulfate and chloride, is gentle on the skin and leaves warmth lingering long after bathing. At the 7th-floor observation bath, the surface of the open-air bath appears to merge seamlessly with the sea. The sauna offers a dry option for men, a steam option for women, and a smoke sauna with automatic löyly for both. The cold plunge isn't piercingly cold, and stepping out to the open-air area lets the sea breeze carry away the lingering heat.

Editors' comment

Four private baths are scattered throughout the property. A round tub scented with cypress, an open-air bath looking out over the forest, a bath with a reclining soak, and a hotter bath where guests can adjust the temperature themselves — each one built differently. All are filled with water flowing straight from the source, said to have a softness distinct from the main bathhouse. No reservation is needed, and there's no charge. Just check the sign on the door, and the bath becomes entirely your own for the time being. Open 24 hours, it can be used late at night or at dawn. The indoor bath at the main bathhouse faces the Katsura River, with the sound of the water continuing throughout the bath. Founded 400 years ago, the property still preserves its main building, where the novelist Natsume Soseki once stayed to recuperate.

Editors' comment

Yoshina Onsen, said to have been discovered during the Nara period, is considered the oldest hot spring in Izu, with clear, colorless alkaline water known for its exceptionally smooth feel on the skin. Across roughly 36,000 tsubo of grounds, buildings and gardens are scattered alongside the Yoshina River. Gyoki-no-yu, an open-air bath alternating between men and women, has no roof, letting the onsen water flow over the rock surfaces while the sound of the river and rustling leaves feel close by. By day, sunlight filters through the trees; by night, stars are visible overhead. Garyu-no-yu features a bath made of Izu stone with a cypress rim. Independent buildings facing the river, as well as Japanese-Western style rooms, have their own private open-air baths, allowing overnight guests to bathe at their leisure during the quiet hours of night and morning.

Editors' comment

The private open-air bath on the top floor has nothing to obstruct the view, just the Pacific Ocean stretching out in front. The only sound is the waves, and the bath is filled with sodium-calcium chloride spring water. This mineral-rich water retains heat exceptionally well, leaving a lasting warmth deep in the body long after bathing. At night, a canopy of stars; in the morning, sunrise breaking over the sea — the ability to reserve the bath by time slot is a privilege reserved only for overnight guests. Every room has an ocean view, and the property also features Yukkura, a dedicated onsen building available around the clock. Here, the sense of having the ocean all to yourself continues whether you're in your room or in the bath.

Editors' comment

Calcium-sodium sulfate spring water, drawn straight from the source with no dilution, flows into an open-air bath overlooking the Kano River and the mountains of Izu, a steam-filled cave bath, and an indoor bath dappled with sunlight through the trees. Since the property doesn't accept day visitors, the bathing areas belong entirely to overnight guests during the night and morning hours. Shakunage, a separate annex converted from a nationally registered tangible cultural property, has its own spacious private open-air bath fed by the same source, allowing guests to have it entirely to themselves in complete privacy. Five saunas are scattered across the grounds, including a tea-room-style sauna and a barrel sauna by the river, with cold plunge water drawn from the Kano River itself. Guests with tattoos are welcome.

Editors' comment

A private open-air bath sits on the rooftop, with nothing blocking the view of Sagami Bay and the Pacific Ocean beyond, letting you have the transition from dusk to starlit sky entirely to yourself. The large communal bath, reserved for overnight guests, lets you soak in natural hot spring water drawn straight from the source while looking out over the Pacific. The in-room open-air bath sits beyond a dry landscape garden with earthen walls, and after bathing, guests can relax in a reclining chair on the deck, taking in the sea breeze. Overnight guests can also use the large open-air bath and sauna at the neighboring day-use hot spring facility, plus a thalasso pool and barrel sauna using deep ocean water, all free of charge. Over a single stay, the onsen and sauna experience keeps taking on new forms.

Editors' comment

Amber-colored mineral spring water, drawn from deep underground in Iwata, fills the open-air bath with a continuous flow straight from the source. Rich in plant-derived organic compounds, the water leaves a smooth, silky feel on the skin. There are two large communal baths: Daichi, built with straight lines, and Sora, featuring curves. Since men's and women's baths alternate daily, staying one night lets you experience both. The saunas also differ in shape, one with tiered seating and one gourd-shaped, both equipped with automatic löyly. The cold plunge bath sits right beside them, and the outdoor relaxation area faces the garden. The top-floor suite has its own private hot spring bath.

Editors' comment

The open-air bath at the large communal bath consists entirely of a deep pool, 125 cm in depth. Sitting on the built-in bench brings the water up to your shoulders; standing brings it to chest height. As you let the water pressure support your body, an unobstructed panorama of the Pacific Ocean and the Izu Islands stretches out before you. The property's location on a hill in the Atagawa Highlands makes this view possible. All 26 guest rooms have a terrace and a private open-air onsen bath overlooking the sea, letting guests take in both the colors of dawn and the starry sky from their own bath. The same ocean view can also be enjoyed from the foot bath counter inside the building.