“It is in the top three hotels we have ever stayed at” — we did not expect to find a ryokan we could both say that about while travelling with a child.
We stayed as a family (two adults plus a child) at Kasuien Minami in Tamatsukuri Onsen, Shimane Prefecture. To give the conclusion first, it was as close to a perfect stay as we have had: the parent, the sauna enthusiast and the travel lover in our household all gave it 5 out of 5.
Here is an honest review, with no favouritism.
We would particularly like anyone considering a trip with young children to read this one.
What kind of ryokan is Kasuien Minami?
Kasuien Minami is a long-established, purely Japanese-style luxury ryokan in Tamatsukuri Onsen, Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture. Tamatsukuri Onsen has been known since ancient times as “the bath of the gods”, and is one of the oldest beautifying hot springs in Japan. Even within that hot-spring town, Kasuien Minami stands out.
It opened in 1952 as an annexe to Minamikan, a long-established ryokan in Matsue. The combination of sukiya-style architecture and a beautiful Japanese garden lifts your mood the moment you arrive. There are more than 100 guest rooms in a range of types, including Japanese-style and Japanese-Western rooms.
The basics
- Property name: Kasuien Minami
- Location: Tamatsukuri Onsen, Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture
- Hot spring: Tamatsukuri Onsen (a beautifying spring)
- Rooms: more than 100 (Japanese-style, Japanese-Western and others)
- Communal baths: a view bath on the 9th floor plus a large bath on the 1st floor
- Sauna: a low-temperature sauna in the women’s bath “Tamahada-no-yu / Ukifune”
- Lounges: a garden lounge, and a free-drink lounge
- For children: a kids’ room
Getting there and arriving
Tamatsukuri Onsen is about 20 minutes by car from central Matsue. It is reachable from Izumo Enmusubi Airport and from Matsue Station, and the standard route is to combine it with sightseeing at Izumo Taisha Shrine and Matsue Castle.
The air changes the moment you step through the entrance.
A carefully tended Japanese garden, clean-lined sukiya-style architecture, and staff who greet you attentively. There was that instinctive feeling of “ah, we have come to a good ryokan”. If you tell them at the time of booking that you are travelling with a child, they will look after you in more detail, so we recommend mentioning it in advance.
The room: for travelling with a child, a tatami room is the best reassurance there is
We stayed in a “Kumo-no-ne” room, which includes a tatami area. Beds were provided as well, but they will lay out futons in the tatami room if you ask — a very welcome option when you have a small child.
The single biggest worry when travelling with a small child is them falling out of bed. On a futon, there is no risk of them rolling off when they turn over in their sleep.
The wide tatami space leaves plenty of room for a child to move around, and there is a lovely view from the window. Sitting together gazing out after the child had gone to sleep was one of the most luxurious stretches of the whole trip.
Travelling with a child (★★★★★ 5 out of 5)
1. The reassurance of futons laid out on tatami
Sleeping on a futon is safe even if the child moves around in the middle of the night. The futons were wonderfully soft and our child seemed to sleep comfortably, going right through to morning without waking once. That meant the adults got proper rest too, and the difference in how we felt the next morning was enormous.
2. A well-equipped kids’ room
There is a kids’ room in the building, so small children can spend time indoors without getting bored. Simply having a space like this creates breathing room for the parents, and lifts the satisfaction of the whole trip considerably.
3. Thoughtful attention to babies and toddlers
At dinner, when we mentioned we had a small child, they provided a bed-in-bed. Mealtimes are exactly when your guard is most likely to be down, so this kind of attention is a real help.
At the breakfast buffet they seat families with children together, so you can eat without worrying too much about the people around you — another welcome touch.
Hot spring and sauna (from the sauna enthusiast: ★★★★★ 5 out of 5)
One of the reasons the husband declared this a top-three stay was the quality of the hot spring and sauna.
* The photo shows the open-air bath attached to the room.
Tamatsukuri’s water: Japan’s oldest beautifying hot spring
Tamatsukuri Onsen has a history old enough to be recorded in Nara-period texts, and is known as “the bath of the gods” and “the bath of beautiful skin”. At Kasuien Minami you can enjoy it in two places: the view bath on the 9th floor and the large bath on the 1st floor. The 9th-floor view bath looks out over the whole of the Tamatsukuri hot-spring town, and the scene at dusk in particular is something else. Afterwards you can feel how soft and moisturised your skin is.
The sauna: an excellent pairing with the hot spring
The women’s bath “Tamahada-no-yu / Ukifune” has a low-temperature sauna, and combined with the hot spring it leaves you thoroughly reset. There is also a seated bathing area, and the whole thing is laid out generously. The husband was thoroughly satisfied: “no complaints about either the hot spring or the sauna”.
The lounges: this part was genuinely outstanding
The thing the whole family praised in unison was how good the lounges are.
The free-drink lounge
A complimentary lounge open from 3pm to 10pm after check-in, and again from 7am to 9:30am the next morning. Draught beer, wine, sake, coffee and non-alcoholic cocktails, plus cakes, macarons and other sweets, all you can eat and drink.
The husband’s verdict was “the drinks and the cake are too good”; the wife’s was “the juice and the cake are too good”. There are also local Shimane confectionery and nuts, and simply spending the hour before dinner here lifts the whole trip considerably.
* Note that some room types include lounge access and some do not.
The garden lounge
A lounge where you can enjoy local tea and Japanese sweets while looking out over the beautiful Japanese garden. Open 7–10am and 2–10pm. Tea taken while gazing at the garden was a special way to shake off the tiredness of travelling.
Dinner: a whole nodoguro each, and the luxury of the Sea of Japan
The standout dish — a whole nodoguro per person
What impressed us most at dinner was the sheer extravagance of a whole nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch) served to each person. It is a premium fish sometimes called “the toro of white-fleshed fish”, and ordering one à la carte at a restaurant would run to several thousand yen. Getting one each as part of the dinner course is a remarkable level of generosity.
The flesh is rich with fat and melts the instant it enters your mouth — a superb experience.
* We forgot to photograph the nodoguro, unfortunately.
A course menu making lavish use of Shimane produce
The refined sweetness of Shimane wagyu, fresh seafood landed from the Sea of Japan — every plate uses high-quality ingredients, and the chef’s technique brings them out further. “The food is too lavish” was our impression exactly, and the quantity was more than satisfying; even the husband, who eats a great deal, was close to bursting.
Breakfast is strong too
Dinner made the bigger impression, but breakfast — a Japanese set meal using Shimane produce — is at a properly high level too, and the freshly cooked rice and Izumo soba made for a very satisfying start to the day. Having coffee in the lounge before heading to breakfast felt like a natural sequence, and we came away feeling that the ryokan had thought carefully about the shape of your whole stay.
Scores from each point of view
| Point of view | Score | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Travelling with a child | ★★★★★ (5) | Futons on tatami, kids’ room, good baby facilities |
| The sauna enthusiast (husband) | ★★★★★ (5) | Superb hot spring and sauna / outstanding drinks and cake in the lounge / bowled over by the nodoguro |
| The travel lover (wife) | ★★★★★ (5) | Outstanding juice and cake in the lounge / lavish food / bowled over by the nodoguro |
Our rating (out of 5)
At Kozure Tabi we score every property we have actually stayed at on the same five criteria, each out of 5. To keep the standard consistent from one property to the next, we always use the same five: travelling with kids, travelling with dogs, bath and sauna, food, and value. The overall score is the average of the applicable criteria. Criteria that do not apply are marked "Not applicable" and excluded from the overall score.
Facilities check for children and dogs
Here are the items we end up asking about every single time we choose a property with a child or a dog. The figures and yes/no answers are based on what is stated on the official website.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Cot / baby bed | We could not confirm from published information whether one can be lent for the room. As described in this article, what we were offered was futons laid out in the tatami room. Note that there is a baby changing bed in the powder room of the women’s bath “Ukifune” |
| Co-sleeping and child rates | Not stated on the official website (ask the property) |
| Baby food | You may bring your own. They will warm it for you |
| Baby items for loan | Nappy changing mat / a place to dispose of nappies / a nappy pail on request / children’s tableware and cutlery / a children’s menu |
| Children in the baths | Not confirmable from published information. Whether children who are not yet out of nappies may bathe varies by property, so please check directly when booking |
| Kids’ space | Kids’ room available (picture books and toys; free, 15:00–21:00) |
| Dogs | Not stated on the official website (ask the property) |
* Confirmed on 26 July 2026 via the Shimane Tourism Federation’s “Shimane Kids Fun Trip” page for Kasuien Minami (published April 2023) and the facilities page of the official website (Japanese). Facilities and rates are subject to change, so please always check the official website for the latest information before booking.
Particularly recommended for
- Families travelling with a small child who are looking for somewhere the child can sleep safely
- Sauna enthusiasts who want a proper hot spring and sauna
- Anyone who wants to taste seasonal seafood from the Sea of Japan, nodoguro above all
- Anyone unwilling to compromise on any of it — food, hot spring, lounge or setting
- Anyone looking for a base for sightseeing in Shimane, such as Izumo Taisha Shrine and Matsue Castle
Summary: the ryokan every one of us gave full marks and wants to return to
Kasuien Minami is a ryokan that had every member of a family with quite different expectations of a trip saying “that was good” in unison on the way home. The child spent the time happily, sleeping safely on a futon in the tatami room and playing in the kids’ room; the sauna-loving husband got his reset in the hot spring and sauna; the travel-loving wife was won over by the lounge sweets and the nodoguro at dinner.
It is exactly the place we would want anyone thinking “a luxury ryokan is probably too difficult with a child” to visit.
Precisely because the care for children is so thorough, the parents can genuinely relax too — and that ryokan is in Tamatsukuri Onsen.
Top three of all the hotels and ryokan we have stayed at. If you are hesitating, do go.
