Hot-spring towns are where Japan's upper segment is smallest and oldest: houses of twenty keys with two centuries of trading behind them.
| Resort | Prefecture | Properties | With Keys | Keys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hakone | Kanagawa | 8 | 5 | 159 |
| Atami · Izu | Shizuoka | 6 | 4 | 17 |
| Kusatsu | Gunma | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaga onsen | Ishikawa | 3 | 2 | 34 |
| Kinosaki | Hyogo | 1 | 1 | 34 |
| Yufuin | Oita | 4 | 3 | 49 |
| Beppu | Oita | 2 | 1 | 655 |
| Kirishima | Kagoshima | 3 | 2 | 30 |
| Nikko · Kinugawa | Tochigi | 6 | 3 | 164 |
Hot-spring towns hold the oldest and smallest houses in the country. Many trade in the band of twenty-four keys and fewer, where there is one conversation and it is with the owner. Rates move on season and on meal plan rather than on occupancy, because most of these houses sell half board as the product rather than the room.
The stock in full
| Property | Town | Prefecture | Level | Keys | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asaba あさば | Izu | Shizuoka | 3 Keys | 17 | independent |
| Gora Kadan 強羅花壇 | Hakone | Kanagawa | 3 Keys | 39 | independent |
| ENOWA YUFUIN ENOWA YUFUIN | Yufu | Oita | 2 Keys | — | independent |
| Fufu Nikko ふふ 日光 | Nikko | Tochigi | 2 Keys | — | Fufu (KPG) |
| Gajoen 雅叙苑 | Kirishima | Kagoshima | 2 Keys | 10 | independent |
| Kamenoi Bessou 亀の井別荘 | Yufu | Oita | 2 Keys | 21 | independent |
| Nishimuraya Honkan 西村屋 本館 | Toyooka | Hyogo | 2 Keys | 34 | Nishimuraya |
| The Ritz-Carlton Nikko ザ・リッツ・カールトン日光 | Nikko | Tochigi | 2 Keys | 94 | Marriott International |
| ANA InterContinental Beppu Resort & Spa ANAインターコンチネンタル別府リゾート＆スパ | Beppu | Oita | 1 Key | — | IHG · ANA |
| ARCANA IZU アルカナ イズ | Izu | Shizuoka | 1 Key | — | — |
| Araya Totoan あらや滔々庵 | Kaga | Ishikawa | 1 Key | 18 | independent |
| Atami Izusan Karaku 熱海・伊豆山 佳ら久 | Atami | Shizuoka | 1 Key | — | — |
| Beniya Mukayu べにや無何有 | Kaga | Ishikawa | 1 Key | 16 | independent |
| Espacio Hakone Geihinkan Rinpokiryu エスパシオ箱根迎賓館 麟鳳亀龍 | Hakone | Kanagawa | 1 Key | — | — |
| Fufu Hakone ふふ 箱根 | Hakone | Kanagawa | 1 Key | — | Fufu (KPG) |
| Hakone Gora Karaku 箱根・強羅 佳ら久 | Hakone | Kanagawa | 1 Key | — | — |
| Kinugawa Keisui 鬼怒川渓翠 | Nikko | Tochigi | 1 Key | — | independent |
| Myoken Ishiharaso 妙見石原荘 | Kirishima | Kagoshima | 1 Key | 15 | independent |
| Ochiairo おちあいろう | Izu | Shizuoka | 1 Key | — | independent |
| The Hiramatsu Hotels & Resorts Sengokuhara ザ・ひらまつ ホテルズ＆リゾーツ 仙石原 | Hakone | Kanagawa | 1 Key | — | Hiramatsu |
| Yufuin Tamanoyu 由布院 玉の湯 | Yufu | Oita | 1 Key | 16 | independent |
| Chuzenji Kanaya Hotel 中禅寺金谷ホテル | Nikko | Tochigi | Recorded | — | Kanaya Hotel |
| Fufu Atami ふふ 熱海 | Atami | Shizuoka | Recorded | — | Fufu (KPG) |
| Fujiya Hotel 富士屋ホテル | Hakone | Kanagawa | Recorded | 120 | Fujita Kanko |
| Gora Kansuiro 強羅環翠楼 | Hakone | Kanagawa | Recorded | — | independent |
| KAI Anjin 界 アンジン | Ito | Shizuoka | Recorded | — | Hoshino Resorts |
| KAI Hakone 界 箱根 | Hakone | Kanagawa | Recorded | — | Hoshino Resorts |
| KAI Kaga 界 加賀 | Kaga | Ishikawa | Recorded | — | Hoshino Resorts |
| KAI Kinugawa 界 鬼怒川 | Nikko | Tochigi | Recorded | — | Hoshino Resorts |
| KAI Kusatsu 界 草津 | Kusatsu | Gunma | Recorded | — | Hoshino Resorts |
| Nikko Kanaya Hotel 日光金谷ホテル | Nikko | Tochigi | Recorded | 70 | Kanaya Hotel |
| Sanso Murata 山荘 無量塔 | Yufu | Oita | Recorded | 12 | independent |
| Suginoi Hotel 杉乃井ホテル | Beppu | Oita | Recorded | 655 | ORIX Hotels |
| Tenku no Mori 天空の森 | Kirishima | Kagoshima | Recorded | 5 | independent |
See also all resorts of Japan, the hotel register and access by prefecture.
Source: MICHELIN Keys Japan 2025, announced 8 October 2025; Japan Tourism Agency confirmed annual series, published 6 July 2026. · Verified 31 August 2026 · Figures are dated; estimates are marked.