Design Hotels & Architectural Stays in Japan
Japan has produced some of the world's most influential architects — from Tadao Ando's concrete poetry to Kengo Kuma's organic timber structures. This tradition of architectural excellence extends to the country's most remarkable hotels and ryokan, where building and landscape become inseparable.
34 properties
The best design stays in Japan go far beyond aesthetic novelty. They are buildings that respond to their environment: walls that open entirely to forest views, bathrooms that merge with outdoor gardens, and structures that channel natural light and ventilation in ways that feel almost spiritual.
From brutalist concrete retreats on volcanic islands to delicate timber pavilions in bamboo groves, these architecturally significant properties reward travelers who appreciate the built environment as much as the natural one.
Ace Hotel Kyoto
4.6Karasuma, Kyoto
hotel
Arcana Izu
4.6Izu/Kawazu, Shizuoka
hotel
Atami Kaihoro
4.5Atami, Shizuoka
hotel
Atami Sekaie
4.5Atami, Shizuoka
hotel
Banyan Tree Higashiyama Kyoto
4.6Kyoto Higashiyama, Kyoto
hotel
Bettei Otozure
4.7Nagato Yumoto Onsen, Yamaguchi
ryokan
DenPaku MIJORA
4.2Amami Oshima, Kagoshima
villa
Echigo Yuzawa Hatago Isen
4.3Echigo Yuzawa, Niigata
ryokan
Hakone Geihinkan Rin-Poh-Ki-Ryu
4.7Hakone, Kanagawa
ryokan
Hiiragiya Bekkan
4.8Kyoto Nakagyo, Kyoto
ryokan
Hyakuna Garan
4.5Nanjo, Okinawa
hotel
Kanran
4.4Shikoku, Tokushima
hotel
Kinosaki Nishimuraya Annex Shogetsu
4.5Kinosaki Onsen, Hyogo
hotel
KUMU Kanazawa
4.4Kanazawa outskirts, Ishikawa
hotel
Migiwatei Ochi Kochi
4.6Tomonoura, Hiroshima
ryokan
Minakami Onsen Bettei Senjuan
4.5Minakami, Gunma
ryokan
Nakanojo Biennale Stay
4.3Nakanojo/Shima, Gunma
villa
Nishimuraya Hotel Shogetsutei
4.5Kinosaki Onsen, Hyogo
hotel
Ochiairo
4.5Izu/Amagi, Shizuoka
ryokan
OF Hotel Sendai
4.0Sendai outskirts, Miyagi
hotel
Osawa Onsen Sansuikaku
4.4Hanamaki, Iwate
ryokan
Oyado Yamakyu
4.7Takayama, Gifu
ryokan
Panorama Niseko
4.5Niseko, Hokkaido
villa
Ryokan Genhouin
4.7Kyoto Higashiyama, Kyoto
ryokan
Saga Hotel Washi no Mori
4.6Ureshino Onsen, Saga
hotel
SANU 2nd Home Karuizawa
4.4Karuizawa, Nagano
villa
SANU 2nd Home Yatsugatake
4.7Yatsugatake, Yamanashi
villa
Satoyama Jujo
4.5Minami Uonuma, Niigata
hotel
Shiguchi
4.6Niseko, Hokkaido
ryokan
Shiroiya Hotel
4.3Maebashi, Gunma
hotel
Shosenkaku Kagetsu
4.5Echigo Yuzawa, Niigata
ryokan
Suiden Terrasse
4.1Shonai Plain, Yamagata
hotel
Wisterian Life Club Awara
4.3Awara Onsen, Fukui
hotel
Zaborin
4.6Niseko/Hanazono, Hokkaido
ryokan