Boutique hotels in Japan

Japan has a hospitality tradition all its own. The ryokan, a family-run inn with tatami rooms, futons, hot-spring baths and multi-course kaiseki dinners served in your room, is the country's original boutique hotel, and some have been run by the same family for generations. Alongside them, architects and designers have created small city hotels of real restraint and beauty.

The cities

Kyoto and Tokyo lead our ranking. Kyoto's machiya townhouses and riverside ryokan sit within walking distance of temples and gardens, while Tokyo's small hotels range from a modern ryokan in the business district to design hotels in Shibuya and Nihonbashi. Osaka, Fukuoka and Sapporo are livelier, food-focused cities with fewer but growing boutique options.

Onsen towns and mountains

Hakone, Yufuin, Kinosaki Onsen and Nikko are classic hot-spring escapes, best experienced in a ryokan with its own baths. In the Japanese Alps, Takayama and the thatched farmhouses of Shirakawa-go preserve village life, while Niseko on Hokkaido is one of the world's great powder-snow destinations.

Islands and art

Naoshima in the Seto Inland Sea pairs contemporary art museums with seaside stays. In the far south, Okinawa and Ishigaki have coral reefs, white beaches and a subtropical culture quite different from the mainland.

When to go

Spring, with its cherry blossoms, and autumn, with its maple colors, are the most beautiful and the busiest seasons; book months ahead. Summer is hot and humid, while winter brings snow to Hokkaido and the Alps and clear skies to Tokyo and Kyoto.