Onsen towns and places to stay
Where to soak and where to sleep: Izu's hot spring towns, historic ryokan and longer stays.
Izu is one of the closest hot spring regions to Tokyo, and each onsen town has its own character: Atami's seafront hotels, Ito's public bathhouses, Shuzenji's river valley, Shimoda's beaches. This guide gathers our pages on the towns themselves and on the ryokan that make them worth the trip.
Choosing an onsen town in Izu: Atami, Ito, Shuzenji, Shimoda and Inatori compared
Seafront resort, bathhouse town, river valley or beach: how Izu's main hot spring towns differ, and which suits a first visit, a romantic weekend or a long stay.
Tokaikan: a 1928 wooden ryokan on Ito's river
A three-storey wooden inn from 1928, now open to visitors, with carved details, a tower room and a weekend public bath.
Shuzenji: the bamboo forest path, the temple and the autumn leaves
Izu's classic onsen town: a 300-metre bamboo path by the Katsura river, a temple said to date from 807, and maples in November.
Kanaya Ryokan: bathing in Sennin-buro, Japan's largest wooden bath
A long-established inn in Kochi Onsen near Shimoda whose cypress bath, about 15 by 5 metres, is said to be the biggest in Japan.
Hamanoyu, Inatori: the ryokan famous for its seafood
A large ryokan on the tip of Inatori's headland, known for kinmedai (splendid alfonsino), boat-shaped seafood platters and sea-view baths.
Autumn in Shuzenji: maple leaves, evening light-ups and a hot bath (2026 season)
Izu's maples turn late, from mid-November into December. Where to see them around Shuzenji, the 2026 light-up dates announced so far, and where to warm up afterwards.