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Magical accommodation for your honeymoon in Japan
Japan offers some incredible accommodation and during your honeymoon we can arrange for you to experience some of the most romatic spots available anywhere in the country.
On this page we have selected just a few of the many accommodation experiences that will help make your honeymoon extra special. One of the great things about Japan is fabulous accommodation can be found across the length and breadth of the entire country. And there are great options to suit every budget. Be sure to ask one of our expert Japan travel consultants for their personal recommendations and tips.
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Daikichi Minshuku
Tsumago, Moderate
For a chance to slow the pace and just enjoy being with your partner in the beautiful Japanese countryside, the Daikichi minshuku is the perfect choice. A tiny, traditional inn with simple rooms and views over the farmland of the Kiso Valley, this is a lovely option for honeymooners looking for peace, quiet, and authentic traditional atmosphere on a modest budget.
Known for its warm welcome and local cuisine, the Daikichi has just five guest rooms and is one of our absolute favourite Japanese-style inns. Just watch out for the fried grasshoppers in the set dinner course! Rooms are small, simple and not en suite, but there is a shared bath that can be reserved for private use.
The minshuku is located in Tsumago, a former post town on the Nakasendo Highway that once linked old Edo (modern-day Tokyo) with Kyoto. The residents of this area have made a huge effort to preserve the historical buildings and traditional atmosphere of their area, meaning that walking into Tsumago from the hills of the Kiso Valley really is like walking back in time. -
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Hanafubuki
Izu Peninsula, Superior
Set amongst the trees of a woodland grove on the stunning Izu Peninsula, the Hanafubuki is a luxurious (yet affordable) traditional inn, where the hot spring baths are definitely the star attraction. Unusually for a Japanese ryokan, its seven onsen baths are all open 24 hours a day and only available for private use, meaning that you and your partner can spend an entire afternoon hopping from one to the other in perfect solitude.
The ryokan is located in the heart of the natural beauty of the Izu Peninsula and, although easily accessed from Tokyo, you will feel a million miles away from the busy metropolis.
The Jogasaki suspension bridge is just 20 minutes' walk from the inn and forms part of a scenic coast path that is just footsteps from your doorstep. In fact, weather permitting, the English-speaking manager leads a guided walk every morning, which you are more than welcome to join. Boat trips and a hike up the dormant Mount Omura volcano are also all possible from here.
The highlight of this ryokan are its seven hot spring baths. Each one is housed in a separate villa and are for private use – you just lock the door behind you. Meals are also a real treat and you will have a choice of three different dining rooms, each beautifully decorated and overlooking the lantern-lit trees and pathways of the ryokan. Dinner is traditional kaiseki, but there is a choice of courses available as well a selection of different breakfast options. -
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Yoshimizu Ryokan
Kyoto, Budget
The Yoshimizu ryokan may not be luxurious, it may not have en suite bathrooms or a hefty price tag – but for setting, character and charm, it simply can't be beat. Imagine waking up in the middle of a wooded glade, sitting down to a delicious home-cooked breakfast and then wandering through a beautiful park to find yourself at the centre of one of Japan's biggest and most famous cities. This is Kyoto at its most magical and romantic, achievable even on the most modest of budgets.
Kodai-ji Temple, Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Yasaka Shrine and the Gion geisha district are all within easy walking distance, as are the shops and restaurants of Kyoto's downtown area.
Guest rooms are Japanese-style and some have attached toilets. There are two shared bath and shower rooms, which can be used privately by locking the door behind you. The hospitable hosts serve a Western-style breakfast at the inn's organic café, which includes excellent coffee as well as homemade bread and marmalade.
Like most ryokan in Kyoto, the Yoshimizu has a curfew (at around 11pm) and you'll need to negotiate with the owner to leave the front door unlocked if you want to stay out later! This is a shame as Kyoto does have great nightlife, but then again – why not take advantage of an early night and head out first thing to explore Kyoto's temples and shrines before the tour buses arrive? -
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Ginyu
Hakone, Deluxe
The Hakone Ginyu is one of the most luxurious hot spring ryokan in Hakone Park. Here, privacy and tranquillity is key – with each room boasting its own private outdoor hot spring bath, so you and your partner can soak side-by-side overlooking the lush mountain scenery of the spectacular national park. Let us tell you - if you're looking for a “room with a view”, the Hakone Ginyu will knock your socks off.
Ginyu means a person travelling to gain inspiration for a poem, and it is with this wanderlust spirit in mind that the ryokan combines traditional Japanese rooms with artefacts from the owner's travels in Indonesia.
The entrance to the ryokan is at the top of a lush valley with fantastic views across the national park. The Ginyu harnesses the natural hot springs of the Fuji region for fantastic onsen baths, some of which are actually constructed in the rocks by the riverside. All guest rooms have a private hot spring bath too, all with great views.
The rooms, which start at 68 square metres, resemble traditional Japanese rooms, with shoji paper screens, tatami-mat areas and natural wood, but they supplement this with the comfort of thick Western-style beds, sofas and wooden chairs so you don't have to sit on the floor. Other hotel facilities include two bars, a lounge and excellent spa. Breakfast and dinner are included and served privately in the guest rooms. -
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Watanabe Inn
Miyajima, Moderate
The Watanabe is a paragon of Japanese hospitality and will undoubtedly provide a highlight of your honeymoon. The inn only has four (beautifully appointed) rooms, each with a private hot spring bath, so you and your partner will feel pampered and secluded throughout your stay. After all the tourists have gone home for the night, our top tip is to head out in your Japanese-style bathrobe to wander the lantern-lit temples and enjoy the magical atmosphere of this beautiful island.
The inn is at the edge of Miyajima's main village, a short walk from Itsukushima Shrine and right in front of Daisho-in Temple. Run by the very hospitable Watanabe family, the ever-so-thoughtful staff will arrange a complimentary pick-up from the ferry port, and will do everything they can to make your stay as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. Included meals are served in the ryokan restaurant, and the kaiseki multi-course dinner features regional specialities such as oysters and Hiroshima eel.
With such wonderful service and such a beautiful setting, a stay at the Watanabe Inn is sure to be one of the highlights of your trip. -
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Nishimuraya Honkan
Kinosaki Onsen, Deluxe
Feel as though you've been transported to the world of a 300-year-old woodcut print at the Nishimuraya Honkan, where the rooms look out over intricately landscaped gardens filled with stone lanterns, white gravel, trickling water and delicately shaped topiary. Rooms with private baths are available to give you perfect seclusion, and you might like to indulge in some couples' treatments at the nearby spa.
The wooden building was designed 150 years ago by the eminent architect Masaya Hirata, mimicking the sukiya style in which many teahouses are built. As much attention was given to the exterior of the building as the interior – all guest rooms overlook an exquisite Japanese garden of pine trees, moss-covered rocks and ponds of koi carp.
The guest rooms are gorgeous; tatami-mat floors, sliding paper screens, wooden terraces, calligraphy scrolls and ikebana flower arrangements. The ryokan is not without mod-cons either; all rooms have air conditioning and free Wi-Fi. There are also spacious indoor and outdoor baths set in a bamboo grove.
Meals are glorious kaiseki banquets, very authentic in style. The food is plentiful, so don't worry if not all the dishes are to your taste! Breakfast and dinner are served in the privacy of your guestroom by your attentive hosts. Guests of the Nishimuraya Honkan also have access to the private spa facilities of the inn's sister property, just a short walk away. Massage treatment and aromatherapy are available here. -
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Ritz-Carlton Kyoto
Kyoto, Deluxe
Your honeymoon is no time to scrimp and save, and if you're looking to go all-out in Kyoto you can do no better than the Ritz-Carlton. This is the most luxurious five-star property in a city by no means lacking in luxurious five-star properties, and we can't imagine a more fitting place to relax and enjoy the exclusive company of your partner on the doorstep of Japan's capital of culture.
The hotel is walking distance from the downtown shops, the restaurants of Kawaramachi, and the Gion and Pontocho geisha districts.
The 134 guest rooms are 50 square metres on average, making these some of the largest rooms in Kyoto. All are elegantly decorated and include the Ritz-Carlton's signature 600-thread-count bed linen. Other amenities include Nespresso coffee machines and spacious bathrooms with walk-in rain showers, separate bathtubs and double washbasins complete with luxury toiletries.
The hotel has two restaurants: a Japanese and an Italian. The health club includes a 20-metre indoor swimming pool, steam room, dry sauna, gym, relaxation room and seven spa treatment rooms. -
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Andaz Tokyo
Tokyo, Deluxe
For couples honeymooning in Japan, a stay at the top of a skyscraper hotel is practically obligatory. In a city as vertical as Tokyo you just have to appreciate it from above – and there's simply nothing like standing at the rooftop bar of one of Tokyo's tallest buildings, cocktail in hand, watching the sky turn red over the city skyline. Tokyo has no shortage of luxury high-rise hotels, but there's no doubt that the Andaz is our favourite – this place has got class in spades.
The rooftop bar on the 52nd floor offers open-air seating for a dramatic eating and drinking experience, whilst the 37th-floor spa features a 20-metre swimming pool overlooking the Imperial Palace. A ground-floor café, artisan bakery and an all-day dining restaurant on the 51st floor complete the scene. The high-ceilinged reception area is devoid of the usual front desk, but instead provides an art-filled space for you to complete the formalities on an iPad, whilst relaxing with a complimentary beverage.
The guest rooms all have amazing views and are stylishly modern with distinct Japanese influences. Inclusions are plenty, such as free Wi-Fi, local calls, snacks, and non-alcoholic beverages. All rooms feature fast-fill, deep-soaking tubs, luxury bathrobes, yukata bathrobes, slippers, a large LCD television and an iPod dock.
The hotel is less than 10 minutes in a taxi from Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace, and within walking distance of Ginza, Shinbashi, Hamarikyu Gardens, Zojo-ji Shrine, and Tokyo Tower. -
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Yamanochaya
Hakone, Superior
Camouflaged amongst the trees on the slopes of a mountainside, the Yamanochaya is a traditional ryokan offering seclusion and romance among the peaks of Hakone National Park. Most of the guest rooms have a private open-air bath and a moon-watching balcony, so you and your partner can enjoy stunning views of this beautiful region undisturbed. If you would like to try any of the ryokan's six lovely and spacious shared baths, these are also available for couples' use on request.
As guests to the Yamanochaya ascend the wooden steps to the lounge and bar area, they are greeted with beautiful views over the Hayakawa River below. After a welcome cup of green tea, the kimono-clad hostess will appear and show you to your rooms. She will be personally at your service throughout the stay, serving your meals in your room and setting out your futon bedding at bedtime.
Guest rooms are almost Zen-like in their simplicity, with natural wood, soft tatami-mat flooring, calligraphy scrolls and flower arrangements. Most rooms have a private outdoor hot spring bath and balcony to complete the sense of seclusion.
There are also five communal hot spring baths dotted around the ryokan, most of which are outdoors where you can feel the mountain breeze. Dinner is a kaiseki banquet of seemingly endless exquisitely presented courses, including local specialties such as mackerel sashimi, yuzu citrus and matsutake mushrooms. All that's left is to gaze at the moon and enjoy a cup of sake at the ryokan bar. -
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Sankara Hotel & Spa
Yakushima, Deluxe
Every honeymoon needs at least a few days of rest and relaxation, and this is the perfect place to take a break from the fast-paced life of the mainland. At one of the Sankara's oceanfront villas, you will be left to your own devices – free to relax on the beach, explore the island, or enjoy massages and treatments at the in-house spa. If you have a special request, just call your personal “butler” – who is assigned to see to your comfort throughout your stay!
While the hotel is very Japanese in terms of hospitality, the Sankara's appearance is distinctly Balinese – making use of teak wood, natural materials and earthy tones to create a tranquil ambience in keeping with Yakushima's natural beauty.
The total resort measures some 30,000 sqm yet houses just 29 secluded guest villas, each looking out towards the ocean. The resort offers a butler service, so if there is anything you need, your personally assigned member of staff will hop in a golf buggy and be at your service within minutes. Your butler will also meet you at Yakushima Airport or ferry port to drive you to the hotel when you arrive.
A real highlight of a stay here is the Sankara's top-class French restaurant, run by a head chef who has worked at various Michelin-starred restaurants around the world. All meals include locally sourced seafood, and vegetables are either grown on the island or on the Kyushu mainland. The Sankara also has an exclusive library lounge, an outdoor swimming pool and a spa that provides traditional Thai herbal treatments. -
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