Shikinoyado Meisui Review: Private Onsen Ryokan Stay in Kagoshima
Last Updated on May 15, 2026 by Kay
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I’ve stayed at a lot of ryokan during my time in Japan (almost two decades now!), and I can say with confidence that Shikinoyado Meisui in Kagoshima is one of the most memorable.
After all, this ryokan comes with not one, not two, but three private onsen all in your room! If that isn’t luxury, I don’t know what is. The property also felt like a small ryokan village, with separate rooms connected by stone paths, gardens, lanterns, and little signs showing each room name, making for a truly magical experience. Best of all, the cost isn’t even that extravagant for what you get.
In this article, I’ll share my honest experience staying at Shikinoyado Meisui. with my husband and daughter (age six at the time) during our Kagoshima trip. As you’ve probably already gleaned, I was very satisfied with my stay here, as was my family, and we found it was absolutely worth it, so allow me to explain why.
Our Stay at Shinkinoyado Meisui
We arrived at the ryokan a little later than planned, and the sun had almost set.
Check-in (and check out) was located inside a small room near the entrance, pictured below, and once we were done, the staff helped us with our luggage and showed us to our room.
Our Room
The property is made up of different buildings and rooms, each with its own name. The paths are lined with rocks, lanterns, plants, and small garden features, so even walking to and from the room felt special.
Each room has a unique name in Japanese, making it easy to remember which one is yours.
Once inside, we had to take off our shoes. They have slippers you can wear on the ryokan grounds but unfortunately, they didn’t have children’s sizes for my daughter.
Our room was spacious, even for a ryokan, and I felt like I was staying in a fancy, custom-built apartment with the perfect blend of Japanese and Western decor.
There were two Western-style beds, a tatami seating area with a low table, chairs, a TV, a refrigerator, a kettle, a safe, and an air purifier. The room had a very modern Japanese ryokan feel, but I liked that it also had proper beds instead of futons.
The tatami area made the room feel spacious and relaxing, especially since we had space to sit as a family and look out at the private bath area.
There was also a tea set and sweets on the table when we arrived, which is typical of ryokan.
Ryokans usually serve sweets that are local to the area, and Meisui was no different. I loved their choice, though. These Kagoshima sweets were absolutely delicious, almost like a thin and chewy pastry with green tea inside. So good.
The massage chair was also a really nice touch. We each took turns relaxing in it, and surprisingly, my six-year-old liked it the most! In fact, she spent most of her time relaxing in it, much to our amusement.
See the white sign written in kanji on the massage chair in the photo above? That means the chair was sanitized, which made my clean-freak heart sing. (And yes, the rest of the room was absolutely spotless.)
Room amenities
The room had a lot of helpful amenities.
There were yukata, haori jackets, slippers, cups, tea, and bottled water in the fridge.
There were also small practical details like a flashlight by the bed, labeled light controls, outlets, a phone to call the front desk, a safe, and a kettle. These aren’t exciting things, but they do make a stay easier.
The labels are all in Japanese, but it’s easy to use Google Translate on your phone to figure out what each means.
The yukata and haori were especially nice because we could wear them around the room and to meals, which is a must when it comes to ryokan experiences. Here’s a photo of my husband in his:
They also had child-size yukata and haori, which were very cute. They weren’t sure which size my daughter was, so they brought two different ones, and I appreciated their thoughtfulness. Here’s what my daughter looked like in her children’s yukata:
Unlike other ryokan we stayed at, though, they also provided pajamas for the whole family. I really liked this because I find sleeping in yukata to be a little uncomfortable due to the belt; however, these pajamas were super cozy and comfortable.
As for our sleep? We slept like babies. The beds were very nice.
Bathroom layout
I am very particular about where I want my toilet, and thankfully, the toilet was separated from the bath (and it was quite spacious!). I did wish they had a sink in the toilet for washing my hands, but it wasn’t a deal-breaker.
The sink and vanity area was right by the entrance, which again didn’t bother me one bit. It was a good use of space, if anything, since it was wide and easy to access.
The sink area had toiletries and skincare items, toothbrush sets, cups, hand soap, cleansing gel, and there were towels and baskets nearby so we could easily take what we needed to the bath.
The private onsen baths
The biggest highlight of the room was definitely the private onsen bath area.
And before I talk about that, let me take a moment to share this little indoor rock garden that leads to the bath area. I mean, how lovely is this?
The shower and bathing area were massive! The indoor bath area had showers and a stone-style tub, and it was also connected to the outdoor private bath area.
The private outdoor bath space had a round wooden open-air onsen, as well as a larger stone open-air onsen with rocks, plants, and a little water feature. It looked beautiful both at night and in the morning.
At night, the outdoor baths felt very atmospheric with the lights that illuminated the beautiful Japanese garden.
In the morning, I could see the garden details more clearly, and the whole area felt peaceful and open while still being private.
The bath area also had a covered section, outdoor seating, and space to cool down between baths. Since the bath was attached to the room, we could use it whenever we wanted without worrying about public bath hours or sharing the space with other guests. This meant we could enjoy the bath as a whole family. (I can see couples loving this, too, as well as guests with tattoos.)
I was especially happy about this because I usually have to take my daughter to onsen baths while my husband gets to relax on his own. I love my kid, of course, but sometimes I just want to soak for a while (which my kid doesn’t agree with). Having our own private baths attached to the room meant that I could hop in and out freely and stay in for as long as I wanted.
And since we had two open-air onsen, my husband and daughter would relax in one while I got the other all to myself! Needless to say, it was heavenly.
This is probably the main reason to book Shikinoyado Meisui. I don’t think I have ever encountered a ryokan that has three private onsen in one room!
The staff had shown us how to use the control panels to fill the different onsen, which are located next to the entrance for the shower, but at one point, I forgot which one was for what, and I accidentally refilled one of the baths and caused the water to overflow.
I freaked out a little and thought they would charge us extra for wasting water, but thankfully, they didn’t.
So don’t make the same mistake as me and pay close attention when they explain about the control panels for the onsen!
Also, if the bath feels too hot, you can add cold water to it by turning a knob that has a blue token next to it.
Note that bugs do exist in Japan (I know, shocking), and they will wind up in the onsen baths, especially at night. We just used the provided nets to scoop them out in the morning.
Lastly, although it’s easy to go back and forth from the main room to the open-air onsen, please make sure you dry off thoroughly because if you accidentally drip water onto the tatami, you might damage it. (Also, bugs will probably also fly into your room at night if you use this sliding door.)
Dinner at Shikinoyado Meisui
For dinner, we had to walk to a restaurant located in another building. This was less than a two-minute walk away, and it was nice to get out and enjoy the ryokan ground’s beautiful atmosphere, which was so magical at night.
When we arrived at the restaurant, we were seated in a semi-private room and didn’t see the other guests (although we did hear a young family on the other side).
The table was set beautifully, with individual hot pots, sashimi, small seasonal dishes, rice cooked at the table, soup, pickles, and dessert. We could also order some alcoholic beverages for an additional cost, which we gladly did.
Each dish came out in a timely manner and everything was presented nicely.
My personal favorite of the course meal was the kurobuta shabu shabu, which is local to Kagoshima. (So juicy and flavorful!)
The sashimi was also very fresh and delicious.
The jelly dessert was perfect, too, as it was refreshing and light, the perfect end to a filling course meal.
There was also a children’s meal, which included more kid-friendly foods like hamburger steak, fried rice, fried chicken, sausage, salad, and soup. Although our daughter enjoyed her meal, it actually turned out to be too much and she wasn’t able to finish.
I found that there were a few dishes I couldn’t eat because I am not the biggest fan of cooked seafood or anything slimy, so if you’re a picky eater, this might be a problem. Ryokan can only adjust meals so much.
My husband, who happens to be Japanese, absolutely loved every bit of his meal, and he lucked out because he got to eat dishes that I didn’t like.
Breakfast
Breakfast was also served in the same building and dining room, and was a traditional Japanese breakfast.
The walk in the morning to the restaurant was so refreshing, and I loved seeing how different, yet familiar, everything looked at sunrise. The grounds are honestly one of the prettiest parts of Shikinoyado Meisui, and they have little koi fish and goldfish, which my daughter loved to look at.
For breakfast, we had rice, miso soup, grilled fish, tamagoyaki, salad, boiled tofu, pickles, small side dishes, yogurt with fruit, tea, and juice.
Our daughter got a kids’ place setting with a cute placemat and chopsticks. She had some pickled veggies and yogurt like us, as well as rice, but we mainly shared our meal with her.
The presentation was very pretty, but as this was a proper ryokan breakfast, it again had food that I didn’t like, such as the grilled fish and miso soup with lots of seaweed in it. I ended up giving my fish to my daughter, my miso soup to my husband, while I took my husband’s tofu.
If you prefer Western-style breakfasts, this may not be the best for you, but if you enjoy Japanese breakfasts, it looked like a nice way to start the morning.
So, Is Staying at Shikinoyado Meisui Worth It?
I loved my stay at Shikinoyado Meisui as it was a perfect, relaxing modern ryokan stay in Kagoshima. Although I couldn’t eat everything in the course dinner or breakfast, what I did have tasted amazing. The room is also fantastic, especially since it came with three private onsen baths.
If you’re mainly looking for convenience, modern hotel facilities, or a budget stay, this may not be the right fit. But if you want a private onsen, beautiful garden setting, and ryokan meals, Shikinoyado Meisui looks like a memorable place to stay.
If you’re planning a Kagoshima trip and want a relaxing ryokan experience with your own private bath, I’d check availability for Shikinoyado Meisui now. Rooms are limited, so it’s worth comparing dates and booking early if you find one that works for your trip.
Make sure to also read my full Kagoshima itinerary to see how we fit this ryokan into our trip.