Yama no Hotel Musouen Review: Is This Yufuin Onsen Stay Worth It?
Last Updated on November 10, 2025 by Kay
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Wondering what it’s like to stay at the ryokan Yama no Hotel Musouen in Yufuin?
When I first visited Yufuin with a friend many years ago, we biked around the town and went to many open-air onsen as a day trip without staying overnight at their ryokan. They were generally all very nice, but there was one in particular that stood out to me because of how beautiful it was — Yama no Hotel Musouen. The public bath was spacious, the onsen water was a light cerulean blue, and it had the most stunning view of Mount Yufu.
So when my family traveled to Yufuin recently, we decided to stay at Yama no Hotel Musouen.
I won’t make you read all the way to the end to find out what I thought about this ryokan. So right off the bat, if you’re wondering whether it’s worth staying at Yama no Hotel Musouen, my answer (as well as my Japanese husband’s) is: 100% yes. This was honestly one of the nicest and most unique ryokan we have ever stayed at, and this is coming from almost two decades of staying at these traditional Japanese inns across the country.
Let me share with you exactly why Yama no Hotel Musouen should be your first pick when staying in Yufuin overnight. (Honestly, I would travel to Yufuin again just to stay here!)
Table of Contents
Arriving at the Ryokan
We wanted to get the most out of our stay at the ryokan, so we arrived right at check-in, which was 3 PM.
When we drove up, two staff members were already outside waiting to greet us. We parked at a parking lot a few metres away, and then walked to the main building (pictured above) where the check-in desk was located.
Check-in was incredibly smooth and quick since we were the first people in line. The staff then helped us with our bags and took us to our room.
The Room: Traditional Meets Spacious Comfort
Our room was located in a newer building called New Annex Kouboutei, a short walk from the main building. They reminded me of little connected houses (or Japanese apartments) since the front door for each room opens directly to the outside.
When the staff opened our room’s door, I was absolutely blown away by the inside. It was huge! Not only that, it had all the elements of a very traditional Japanese house in the countryside.
In the center of the wooden-floored sitting area was a traditional irori (sunken hearth), complete with a carved fishhook hanging from the ceiling. In the past, this was used for heating and cooking, but now the hearth was just for keeping warm.
There was also a hot water dispenser and some cups in the corner of the room.
Just beyond the sliding doors was the tatami room that had a family-sized kotatsu and a television. Later on, this room would be where our futons would be laid out for the night.
And in the third room, there were a pair of chairs overlooking some trees through wide shoji windows.
I had never stayed anywhere like this before, so it all felt like a dream! Even my Japanese husband was impressed, and that’s saying a lot.
And for those who are wondering, here’s what the toilet and sink look like.
Note that the rooms do not have showers since there are plenty of onsen to choose from.
We kept our luggage in the first room as the other ones had tatami flooring, and we didn’t want to damage anything.
As much as we wanted to enjoy our room, the private onsen were first-come, first-served, so we hurriedly changed into our yukata and haori, and then headed to the onsen using the map we received at check-in.
(They also had the cutest yukata and haori for our daughter, who was age five at the time, as well as zori slippers.)
The Onsen: Open-Air Bliss with a Mountain View
The ryokan grounds truly make you feel like you’ve stepped into a Ghibli movie. It is absolutely breathtaking! I wanted to take photos like crazy but I held back because we wanted to get to the private open-air onsen (family private bath) ASAP.
We were completely right to head straight to the private open-air onsen. There were only two, and no one was inside them, so we decided to go to the one closest to us.
Although they’re called Family Baths (家族風呂), anyone staying at the ryokan can use them, even by themselves!
There isn’t much of a difference between the two private open-air onsen, they are both surrounded by rocks and you can see Mount Yufu if you stand (not while you’re in the onsen, though). They all come with towels, so you don’t need to bring your own towels with you, as well as shampoo, conditioner, and body soap.
Note that free towels are only provided for guests. If you’re a day-tripper, you need to bring your own towel or purchase one. Bath towels cost 1500 yen and face towels cost 300 yen.
After closing the door to the onsen, our family of three stripped down and placed our clothes in the basket. Then we each washed our bodies before stepping into the onsen.
It felt so heavenly, and it was wonderful to bathe as a family in such a large space. We enjoyed about fifteen minutes soaking (while our daughter took breaks intermittedly) before we heard some people outside and took that as our cue to leave.
There is no time limit as to how long you can use the ryokan, but I suggest being mindful of other guests who are waiting to use the bath. (The ryokan recommends 3 to 10 minutes in the bath.)
We then explored the other private family baths. I didn’t like the indoor ones as much since they had no view and I felt the water was too hot for my liking.
After we were done seeing all the private onsen available on the ryokan grounds, my husband then went off to the public open-air men’s bath while my daughter and I went to the women’s, Kukai no Yu. Unfortunately, I don’t have photos of the onsen as you’re not allowed to take pictures of public baths for privacy reasons. (Even if no one is in the onsen, I still refrain from taking photos because someone can easily walk in and feel uncomfortable. The last thing I want to do as a foreigner in Japan is knowingly break the rules, and it gives a bad impression for all of us!)
Kukai no Yu was almost as I remembered it. It was still beautiful, with rocks throughout the water and Mount Yufu in the background. But there were so many people! I was shocked.
Later on, my husband and I would learn from a staff member at Yama no Hotel Musouen that Yufuin has recently become very popular with tourists from Asia due to influencers and viral videos.
So although the public open-air bath was lovely, it just wasn’t as peaceful as it used to be. My daughter enjoyed it, though, because she felt like she was in a massive pool.
Here’s what the entrance of the men’s onsen looks like:
(Not sure how to figure out which one is men’s and which one is women’s? Look for the kanji 男 for men and 女 for women.)
There are two public open-air onsen for men, Gomuso no Yu and Kobo no Yu, and you can easily go from one to another without having to change, since they’re right next to each other. My husband said neither of these onsen had anyone else in it, so he had both baths all to himself! (Lucky duck…) Obviously, he said the experience was “really nice”.
Dinner at the Ryokan: Kaiseki Course Highlights
After we finished soaking, we decided to check out the lounge, which is in the main building. There’s free coffee and tea here, so we each had a cup here (our daughter had water) while looking at Mount Yufu from the window.
When we were done, we headed back to our room for a little bit and enjoyed sitting around the warm hearth.
Afterward, we went to have dinner in a restaurant at the ryokan. The restaurant is also very Japanese-style, with seating on the floor and dividers. I believe there was a room with chairs, so if you need that, make sure to request it in advance.
The course meal we got was absolutely fantastic! It was definitely another highlight of our stay at the ryokan.
This is what the kid’s meal looked like. My daughter absolutely loved it, but it was a lot for her so she didn’t finish it.
If you drink alcohol, make sure to try the Yufuin beer; it is crisp and heavenly, especially refreshing after going to an onsen.
Enjoying the Room
Once we were stuffed, we decided to visit another private open-air bath and took a quick dip before heading back to our room. The futon was already laid out for us, ready for anytime we wanted to sleep.
Our daughter decided to act like the ryokan staff (a sign she has stayed at many!) and serve us sweets and tea, which was really cute.
We lounged around and talked before going to sleep, happy, warm and full.
Ryokan Breakfast
In the morning, we woke up at around 6 AM. My daughter didn’t want to go back to the public open-air open, so I went by myself while my husband watched her. I was able to see the sunrise from the onsen, but again, it was very, very crowded.
Afterwards, I met up with my husband and daughter so we could take another dip in the private open-air onsen before we went to have breakfast.
When we were done, we checked out with heavy hearts and headed to our next adventure… Harmonyland!
Would I Stay at Yama no Hotel Musouen Again?
I would absolutely stay at Yama no Hotel Musouen again, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a perfect ryokan stay! Everything from the food to the onsen and even the ryokan grounds is impeccable. Our stay was money well spent.
This ryokan is understandably very popular, so I suggest booking as soon as possible if you’re interested in staying here.
If you want to know more about what we did in Yufuin, read this article.