Our top three picks: Atami Yuyado Ichibanchi, with onsen baths in some rooms and 2 private baths to book. Fukiya Ryokan in Yugawara, with onsen baths in some rooms and 3 private baths to book. Shuzenji Onsen Kikuya Ryokan in Izu, with onsen baths in some rooms and 4 private baths to book.
Plum blossom, ume, opens weeks before the cherry blossom, and the gardens closest to Tokyo are in onsen towns. Atami Baien, opened in 1886, has 469 trees of 60 varieties and calls itself the earliest-blooming plum garden in Japan; its festival runs from 9 January to 7 March 2027. In 2026 entry during festival hours was ¥300, or ¥100 for people staying in Atami, and the garden is about 15 minutes by bus from Atami Station or 10 minutes on foot from Kinomiya. Next door, the Yugawara plum grove held its festival from 7 February to 8 March in 2026; the 2027 dates are not out yet. In Shuzenji, on the Izu peninsula, about 1,000 trees of 20 varieties cover a hillside north of the onsen town, with Mt Fuji in view on a clear day; it is free and usually at its best from early February to early March. We have one inn in each town whose location we could check, so the list is short. For the cherry blossom that follows, see the cherry blossom page.
By Meg Faibisch Kühn · Updated · How we choose inns
Photo: Big Ben in Japan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped and resized
| # | Ryokan | Location | Price | Private onsen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atami Yuyado Ichibanchi | Atami | Mid-range | Yes |
| 2 | Fukiya Ryokan | Yugawara | Premium | Yes |
| 3 | Shuzenji Onsen Kikuya Ryokan | Izu | Mid-range | No |
#1Atami, Chubu
Two minutes on foot from Atami Station, where the bus to Atami Baien leaves from stop 1. The inn draws its baths from two sources of its own and serves dinner in its dining hall. In 2026 the plum garden charged people staying in Atami ¥100 instead of ¥300, so keep your booking details to hand.
#2Yugawara, Kanto
In the Yugawara onsen town, about 3 km and eight minutes by taxi from Yugawara Station. The inn advises a taxi rather than the bus, as the road up is steep. The inn's site gives no directions to the plum grove, so ask the inn how to get there.
Recommended stay: 1 night
#3Izu, Chubu
In Shuzenji Onsen, eight minutes by bus from Shuzenji Station, a 400-year-old inn where Natsume Soseki once stayed. Shuzenji Bairin is on the hill north of the onsen town, near Shuzenji Niji no Sato, and entry is free.
The inns were picked by hand. Each is listed because its own website, or the local tourism association, railway or event organiser, publishes the plan, event or season dates this page describes, and we checked that source before listing it. If the top inn cannot be booked through one of our partners, the highest-placed one that can moves to first place. We do not show review scores, which come without a review count, and inns cannot pay to be listed or placed.
From each inn's own website: Fukiya Ryokan allows tattoos in all baths. We have not confirmed this for the other 2 inns on the page.
Some rooms do at Atami Yuyado Ichibanchi, Fukiya Ryokan and Shuzenji Onsen Kikuya Ryokan, according to each inn's own website.
For the kashikiri (private, taken-in-turns) bath, you book a time slot at Atami Yuyado Ichibanchi; no booking is needed at Shuzenji Onsen Kikuya Ryokan; you use it when it is free. We have not confirmed this for the other inn on the page.
Check-in is from 15:00 at Fukiya Ryokan. Check-out is by 10:30 at Fukiya Ryokan. These are the times each inn states on its own website. We have not confirmed this for the other 2 inns on the page.
Top ryokans for cherry blossom season (March–April) — combine sakura viewing with traditional onsen and kaiseki at Japan's most beautiful spring destinations. Yoshino, Hakone, Kyoto, and beyond.
Top-rated ryokans on the Izu Peninsula — Japan's most accessible hot spring escape from Tokyo. Coastal onsen, ocean views, and fresh seafood kaiseki just 90 minutes by Shinkansen.
Top ryokans in Shizuoka Prefecture — the Izu Peninsula onsen coast, sea-view inns in Ito, and mountain retreats with iconic Mount Fuji views. Discover world-class hot springs just 1 hour from Tokyo.