Day tour
Departing from Takayama [Regular sightseeing bus] World Heritage Sites Shirakawago and Gokayama Ainokura
4.6 (178 reviews) on Viator, checked October 2026
FromUS$63.80
See dates on ViatorTakayama ryokan: town and onsen inns, prices and rules
The inns
Takayama ryokan compared side by side
Every inn below calls itself a ryokan on its own site or is listed as one on a booking page. A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn, and stays are priced per person, with meals usually included4.
| Place to stay | Price from | What's included | Good for | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Machiyado Ichiryu Hanakawa-machi, central Takayama, near the old town | ¥22,000–55,000 per person, 2 sharing (from-prices, tax incl.) |
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| Ryokan Asunaro Hatsuda-machi, near JR Takayama Station | ¥13,200–24,200 per adult, 2 sharing (fetched Oct 2026) |
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| Ryokan Takayama Hatsuda-machi, central Takayama, next to Takayama City Hall, about 8 minutes' walk from JR Takayama Station | From ¥5,400 a night (1 guest, room only) to from ¥27,216 (4 guests with breakfast), tax included |
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| Hirayu no Mori Hirayu Onsen | ¥6,630–11,250 per person (2 sharing); cottages from ¥17,270 per cottage |
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| Yarimikan Shin-Hotaka Onsen, on the Kamata River | ¥21,250–33,350 per adult with 2 meals (2 sharing, tax incl.) |
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| Yumeguri no yado Hirayukan Hirayu Onsen | – |
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| Ryokan Tanabe Aioi-machi, central Takayama | ¥18,700–53,900 per adult per night, 2 sharing (JTB, Oct 2026) |
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Each place is here because a checked source backs it: its own site, its booking page or its map listing gives its kind, price or who it suits. Not ranked: most searched first. A dash means our sources don't say. Each value comes from the sources listed at the end of this page.
The order follows how often each inn is searched, not price or rating. If you’d like to weigh hotels and hostels as well, see the main guide to where to stay in Takayama.
Meals and baths
What you get at a ryokan in Takayama
A ryokan rate is usually per person per night, with dinner and breakfast5, but the inns here don’t all follow that pattern.
Dinner and breakfast usually included5
Takayama has more traditional-style places to stay than Western-style hotels6. Japan’s national tourism site says most ryokan have an onsen, and a stay typically includes a formal multi-course kaiseki dinner4. Here’s where the inns in the table differ:
- Breakfast only: Ryokan Asunaro no longer serves dinner7; breakfast comes with hoba miso and Hida Koshihikari rice8.
- Meals in private: Ryokan Tanabe usually serves meals in your room9, and Machiyado Ichiryu serves them in private rooms at its annex, 168tei10.
- Buffet: at Yumeguri no yado Hirayukan, dinner is an all-you-can-eat buffet11.
- Shared facilities: at Ryokan Takayama, bathrooms and toilets are shared12.
- Bath water: Machiyado Ichiryu’s in-room baths don’t use hot-spring water; for an onsen soak it has three private onsen baths13.
Rates
Takayama ryokan prices, from room only to half board
Room-only plans are the cheapest way in, and at Hirayu no Mori and Machiyado Ichiryu half board starts well above them. The basis differs from inn to inn, so check what each price covers.
Room only from ¥5,4001
- Ryokan Takayama · smallest room, room only, per night, for 1 guest from ¥5,400
- Hirayu no Mori · room only to half board, per person, with 2 sharing a room ¥6,630–¥11,250
- Ryokan Asunaro · room only to Special Room with breakfast, per adult, with 2 sharing ¥13,200–¥24,200
- Ryokan Tanabe · plans listed on JTB, per adult per night, with two sharing a room, tax included ¥18,700–¥53,900
- Yarimikan · dinner and breakfast, per adult per night, tax included ¥21,250–¥33,350
- Machiyado Ichiryu · room only to half-board suite, per person, with 2 sharing, tax included / per person, with 2 sharing ¥22,000–¥55,000
Plan starting prices from each inn's own booking pages, except Ryokan Tanabe, whose range comes from JTB. The basis differs between inns, so read it under each price.
Ways to keep the bill down:
- Add dinner later: room-only guests at Machiyado Ichiryu can add dinner for ¥17,60014 (about US$112) per person.
- Book direct for parking: Ryokan Takayama’s parking is free if you book on its own site, otherwise ¥30015 (about US$2) per car per night.
- Compare channels: Ryokan Tanabe says booking on its own website gives the lowest price16.
Ryokan or hotel
Is a ryokan cheaper than a hotel in Takayama?
Not in any simple way: Japan’s Tourism Agency doesn’t say which is cheaper, and notes a ryokan rate is usually per person, likely with breakfast and dinner included17.
Some ryokan have recently begun charging per room17, as hotels do, and in Japan room rates are usually advertised per person6 anyway. For a like-for-like check, use a room-only plan: Ryokan Takayama’s for 2 guests in a 4.5-tatami room starts at ¥9,7201 (about US$62) a night.
Fit check
Who a ryokan suits, and who it doesn’t
Ryokan here work for couples, groups and families with older children; with small children, check each inn’s age rule before you book.
A ryokan suits you if you’re:
- A couple or small group: Machiyado Ichiryu says it is aimed at couples and small groups looking for quiet luxury18.
- A big family: Ryokan Tanabe offers a two-room suite for three-generation trips19, and Hirayukan’s Deluxe room sleeps up to 820.
- Travelling with small children: Hirayukan has a free kids’ corner21.
- Self-catering: Hirayu no Mori’s cottages let you bring your own food, cookware and tableware22.
- Travelling without a car: Ryokan Takayama is an 8-minute walk from JR Takayama Station12.
Think twice if you’re:
- Bringing young children to the wrong inn: Machiyado Ichiryu takes children from age 13 only23, Ryokan Asunaro only if they’re over 1224, and Yarimikan’s cottages aren’t open to children of elementary-school age or younger25.
- After a private family bath at Ryokan Asunaro: it has only shared large baths7.
Location
Town inns or Okuhida hot-spring inns
Pick a town inn for the old streets and morning market on foot; pick Okuhida for mountain hot springs and the road towards Kamikochi.
Over 100 hot springs in Okuhida29
Takayama is in northern Gifu Prefecture26, and the ryokan in the table sit in three places:
- Town centre: Machiyado Ichiryu (Hanakawa-machi, near the old town), Ryokan Tanabe (Aioi-machi), and Ryokan Asunaro and Ryokan Takayama (both in Hatsuda-machi, near the station).
- Hirayu Onsen: Hirayu no Mori and Yumeguri no yado Hirayukan.
- Shin-Hotaka Onsen: Yarimikan, a traditional Japanese inn on the Kamata River27.
In town, Sanmachi is the heart of the city, and merchants set up market stalls every morning28.
Okuhida has more than 100 hot springs, and many of its inns use hot spring water piped straight from the source29. Hirayu is the western gateway to Kamikochi28. Read up on getting to Okuhida by bus or train before you book out there.
Before you book
Booking rules: check-in, children and payment
Check-in windows, age limits and private-bath rules vary from inn to inn, so read the plan before you pay.
| Ryokan | Check-in | Children | Private baths | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryokan Asunaro | 14:00–19:00 | Only over 12 | None, shared large baths only | yado-asunaro.com (resort) |
| Machiyado Ichiryu | Ask the inn | Aged 13 and up | ¥4,400 for 45 min, booking needed | reserve.489ban.net (resort); Machiyado Ichiryu (resort) |
| Yarimikan | Ask the inn | Cottages: no children of elementary-school age or younger | Free; take the tag as a lock, no booking | Yarimikan (resort) |
| Hirayu no Mori | Ask the inn | Cottages for families and small groups | Free for overnight guests, 15:00–10:00 | Hirayu no Mori (resort) |
| Yumeguri no yado Hirayukan | Until 25:00 (1:00) on KNT's room-only plan | Free kids' corner | Ask the inn | KNT (booking agent); Dormy Hotels & Resorts (resort) |
| Ryokan Tanabe | Ask the inn | Two-room suite for three-generation trips | Rooms with a semi-open-air cypress bath | tanabe-ryokan.jp (resort) |
| Ryokan Takayama | Ask the inn | Ask the inn | Shared indoor baths, men's and women's | ryokan-takayama.jp (resort) |
yado-asunaro.com (resort); reserve.489ban.net (resort); Machiyado Ichiryu (resort); Yarimikan (resort); Hirayu no Mori (resort); KNT (booking agent); Dormy Hotels & Resorts (resort); tanabe-ryokan.jp (resort); ryokan-takayama.jp (resort)
How payment works, according to Japan’s Tourism Agency:
- When you pay depends on the ryokan or the booking site17, so check carefully.
- A booking site that wants payment in advance will generally ask for a credit card, and then you won’t be asked to pay at the ryokan17.
- Cancellation fees generally work much the same way as at a hotel17.
At Ryokan Tanabe you can pay in cash or by card at the front desk30, and its free parking must be reserved31.
On top of the rate
Takayama’s accommodation tax on ryokan stays
Since 1 October 202532, ryokan guests in Takayama City pay a tax of ¥100 (under US$1) (checked October 2026) to ¥30033 (about US$2) per person per night.
Charged since 1 October 202532
Takayama accommodation tax per person per night
| Room rate | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| Under ¥10,000 | ¥100 | Exempt to end of elementary school |
| ¥10,000 to under ¥30,000 | ¥200 | Exempt to end of elementary school |
| ¥30,000 or more | ¥300 | Exempt to end of elementary school |
Takayama City (official)
From your base
Day trips from your ryokan: Shirakawa-go and Hida Furukawa
Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is 50 minutes by bus north of Takayama28, so a town ryokan makes an easy base for it.
Shirakawa-go bus about 50 min34
Nohi Bus charges ¥2,800 (about US$18) (checked October 2026) one way from Takayama Bus Terminal and runs 16 round trips a day, some needing a reservation34. Mobile tickets are sold for non-reserved buses only34.
If you’d rather join a group, Nohi Bus also runs a regular sightseeing bus to Shirakawa-go and Ainokura:
Closer to your inn, Hida Furukawa is a nearby sibling town28 to Takayama; see visiting Hida Furukawa on a day trip.
Smaller details
Questions people ask
Is parking free at the ryokan in the table?
At several, yes: Ryokan Asunaro has 15 free spaces in front, 1 car per room, and Hirayu no Mori and Hirayukan both have free parking.
Does Ryokan Asunaro run a shuttle from the station?
No. Ryokan Asunaro's own access page says it doesn't run a shuttle bus.
What kind of hot spring does Ryokan Asunaro use?
Its baths use Hida Takayama Onsen, a simple hot spring (tanjun onsen).
What does Takayama spend the accommodation tax on?
Tourism promotion, environmental conservation, culture, crisis management, running costs and the cost of collecting the tax.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons. Authors and licences: image credits
Checked against 48 sources · last checked October 2026
- ryokan-takayama.jp (resort) · checked October 2026
- European Central Bank (official) · checked October 2026
- reserve.489ban.net (resort) · checked October 2026
- japan.travel (official) · checked October 2026
- japan-guide.com (travel guide) · checked October 2026
- Wikivoyage · checked October 2026
- yado-asunaro.com (resort) · checked October 2026
- yado-asunaro.com (resort) · checked October 2026
- tanabe-ryokan.jp (resort) · checked October 2026
- Machiyado Ichiryu (resort) · checked October 2026
- Dormy Hotels & Resorts (resort) · checked October 2026
- ryokan-takayama.jp (resort) · checked October 2026
- Machiyado Ichiryu (resort) · checked October 2026
- reserve.489ban.net (resort) · checked October 2026
- ryokan-takayama.jp (resort) · checked October 2026
- tanabe-ryokan.jp (resort) · checked October 2026
- mlit.go.jp (official) · checked October 2026
- Machiyado Ichiryu (resort) · checked October 2026
- tanabe-ryokan.jp (resort) · checked October 2026
- Dormy Hotels & Resorts (resort) · checked October 2026
- Dormy Hotels & Resorts (resort) · checked October 2026
- Hirayu no Mori (resort) · checked October 2026
- reserve.489ban.net (resort) · checked October 2026
- yado-asunaro.com (resort) · checked October 2026
- Yarimikan (resort) · checked October 2026
- Wikipedia · checked October 2026
- okuhida.or.jp (official) · checked October 2026
- Travel Japan (japan.travel) (official) · checked October 2026
- okuhida.or.jp (official) · checked October 2026
- tanabe-ryokan.jp (resort) · checked October 2026
- tanabe-ryokan.jp (resort) · checked October 2026
- Takayama City (official) · checked October 2026
- Takayama City (official) · checked October 2026
- nouhibus.co.jp (operator) · checked October 2026
- reserve.489ban.net (resort) · checked October 2026
- reserve.489ban.net (resort) · checked October 2026
- reserve.489ban.net (resort) · checked October 2026
- JTB (booking agent) · checked October 2026
- Hirayu no Mori (resort) · checked October 2026
- KNT (booking agent) · checked October 2026
- Hotels.com.au (booking agent) · checked October 2026
- Dormy Hotels & Resorts (resort) · checked October 2026
- yado-asunaro.com (resort) · checked October 2026
- reserve.489ban.net (resort) · checked October 2026
- reserve.489ban.net (resort) · checked October 2026
- Dormy Hotels & Resorts (resort) · checked October 2026
- hotel.travel.rakuten.co.jp (booking agent) · checked October 2026
- tanabe-ryokan.jp (resort) · checked October 2026
Page history · last changed 24 October 2026
- First written
