Ryokan Insider is written by Taira, a former hospitality industry professional based in rural Japan. Before starting this site, I spent years working in guest-facing hotel roles, and in my own time I’ve visited more than 40 onsen and hot spring towns across the country, with a particular focus on Hakone and Tokyo, the two regions I know best.
This site exists to help visitors from outside Japan navigate onsen and ryokan travel with the kind of detail you’d only get from someone who has worked on the other side of the front desk: how to choose between a public bath and a private one, what first-time guests usually get wrong, and which places are actually worth the trip.
How we research
Not every recommendation on this site comes from a personal visit. When that’s the case, we say so directly, and the information is built from official property information and verified guest reviews rather than an invented impression. Where a place has been visited personally, that’s noted as well.
Ryokan Insider contains affiliate links; see our Affiliate Disclosure for details.