Hotel Reviews– category –

A whole-house rental villa in Ito, Shizuoka: a Japanese hinoki log house with two free-flowing hot spring baths and a hinoki barrel sauna. What decides a sauna stay is not the equipment but the route between sauna, cold bath and open air — and here all three sit outdoors, side by side. The one real weakness is insects in summer.

A private villa over 100 m² with its own 24-hour hot spring, in the Kinugawa gorge in Nikko. We stayed with our child and our dog. The private dog run is outstanding, but the sauna tops out at 65°C, the barbecue is a hot plate, and the bedroom setup needs planning with an infant. Scores diverged sharply within the family.

A large resort hotel in Tomisato, Chiba, near Narita Airport, with an Edo-themed hot-spring complex on the same grounds. Neither the food nor the water is outstanding, yet we gave value full marks. The catch nobody tells you: the hotel and the bathing complex are different buildings, so there is no wandering down in your yukata.

A historic Hokkaido hot-spring hotel founded in 1938, where Emperor Showa stayed twice, now known for its 110°C Oni Sauna. We paid around 90,000 yen for a suite and came away with 2.5 out of 5. The facilities are genuine; the problem is that day-visitor admission runs through most of the day. We work out exactly when the baths belong to overnight guests.

A dog-first hotel of 11 rooms in Nasu, Tochigi: two guests-only dog runs, a private-rental bath you can take your dog into, even nappies in every size. As a stay with a dog it is 5 out of 5. So why did we score it 2.5 overall and 1 for value after paying about 80,000 yen a night? The dinner portions, the absence of any shop, and no shuttle.

We stayed at Kasuien Minami, a long-established luxury ryokan in Tamatsukuri Onsen, Shimane, as a family with a young child. Futons laid out on tatami, a kids' room, an all-you-can-drink lounge with cake, and a whole nodoguro each at dinner — every one of us gave it 5 out of 5. Here is what earned those full marks.

A couple's trip to Lake Toya in Hokkaido. We went in sceptical about ryokan buffets and were proved completely wrong — plus a rooftop infinity-style open-air bath, and an outdoor cooling area looking straight down at the lake. Both of us scored it 5 out of 5. The one gripe: you have to climb stairs after the sauna.

We stayed at Le Chien Kyu-Karuizawa in Nagano with our child and our dog. The private dog run attached to the room is superb for a dog who is shy around others, and the food overturns what you expect of a dog-friendly property. But children still in nappies cannot use the baths, and the room type matters more than you would think. Husband 4, wife 3.5.

We stayed at Koyaru no Sato Doggy's Island in Yachimata, Chiba, with both a dog and a baby. The breed-segregated dog runs are beyond reproach, but we are equally honest about how far it is from the station, the hot spring being a separate facility next door with a separate charge, and the food falling short. Here is the breakdown behind the husband's 3 and the wife's 4.

We stayed at Asaya Hotel, a long-established ryokan in Kinugawa Onsen. The value is high — around 70,000-something yen a night for a room with its own hot-spring bath — but our honest verdict on the 100-dish buffet that Japanese TV keeps featuring is that the flavour is ordinary. Here is the full breakdown behind our scores of 4 and 4, including how cold the baths were in February.