Best Luxury Resorts in Japan 2026: From Tokyo Escapes to Remote Island Retreats

The best thing about Japan’s luxury resort scene is that “remoteness” is relative. You can wrap up a morning meeting in Tokyo and be sinking into a steaming hot spring in the mountains before your afternoon coffee is cold. Or, you can spend five hours switching from planes to ferries to watch the stars over a certified dark-sky reserve at the southern tip of the country.

Having looked at properties across the archipelago, we’ve narrowed down the field to seven standout resorts that offer a true escape from city life. To give you a realistic blueprint for your trip, we’ve mapped out the exact door-to-door transit logistics from Tokyo, highlighted what’s actually new on the ground this season, and outlined exactly who will—and won’t—love each resort for their next summer vacation.

At a glance

ANA InterContinental Beppu Resort & Spa — Beppu, Oita Prefecture

Location: In the hills above Beppu Bay, Oita Prefecture, Kyushu. 

Getting there: Fly into Oita Airport, then drive or taxi 45–50 minutes direct to the hotel (about ¥15,000), or take the 50-minute airport bus to Beppu Station for the hotel shuttle. 

From Tokyo: About 1 hour 40 minutes by air from Haneda to Oita — roughly 2.5 hours door to door.

The resort is a newer one, having opened in August 2019, but already holds a Michelin Key from the guide’s first Japan hotel selection in 2024. Its 89 rooms and suites overlook Beppu Bay and the Myoban mountainside, some with private onsen terraces. The two public onsen alternate by gender daily, drawing on Beppu’s mineral-rich myoban spring water. Dinner splits between Elements, an all-day restaurant facing the water, and Atelier, a 21-seat, dinner-only counter serving French-inspired plates built around Oita and Kyushu ingredients.

Family Escape, the hotel’s current summer package, is aimed at parents with young kids. Rooms start at 64 square meters, and family onsen rooms are bookable for private relaxation. Kids under 5 eat free; ages 6–12 get half off when dining with a paying parent.

Best for: Couples and wellness travelers chasing onsen culture, and families who want space over a packed schedule. Kyushu’s hot spring “hells” and Yufuin are both day trips away.

Fusaki Beach Resort Hotel & Villas — Ishigaki Island, Okinawa

Location: West coast of Ishigaki Island in the Yaeyama Islands, separated from the sea by a kilometer of white sand beach. 

Getting there: New Ishigaki Airport takes direct flights from Tokyo; Fusaki runs its own airport shuttle, about 30–40 minutes each way. 

From Tokyo: Roughly 3.5 hours nonstop from Haneda — the full trip runs under 4.5 hours door to door.

Fusaki opened in 1982 but doesn’t feel like it: a 2018–2020 rebuild added the Aqua Garden pool complex and a Wellness Center, and their 2022 expansion brought private pool villas. The property now runs 398 rooms across 19 room types and seven restaurants, from Ryukyu-Chinese-Peranakan fusion at Ryukyu Shintenchi to beachside BBQ at Kachibai. A new Night Pool, open 8–11pm until October, is reserved for guests 20 and older.

Kids gravitate to the Splash Park, where a 1.2-ton bucket dumps overhead every ten minutes, and to snorkeling trips that reach the reef after a five-minute boat ride — younger children can cover the same water by glass-bottom boat instead. Their Ayapani daycare also offers kids-only workshops, giving parents a break to slip off to the spa or the Star Bar.

Best for: Families with a wide age range who want a mix of activities and supervision, with enough scale to keep everyone busy within the resort.

Hoshinoya Karuizawa — Karuizawa, Nagano

Location: A private valley bordering the Karuizawa Wild Bird Sanctuary, at the foot of Mt. Asama, Nagano Prefecture. 

Getting there: The Hokuriku Shinkansen (Asama or Hakutaka trains — the faster Kagayaki doesn’t stop here) runs from Tokyo Station in about 65–70 minutes; a free shuttle covers the last stretch from Naka-Karuizawa Station. 

From Tokyo: Around 90 minutes door to door, the shortest trip on this list.

The resort’s 20 pavilions, housing 77 rooms, are spread across three settings: riverside Mizunami, forest Yamaroji and villa-style Niwaroji. Together, they create a retreat built around the landscape rather than a traditional hotel structure. The river running through the property is also part of its sustainability approach, with hydro and geothermal systems providing roughly 70% of its energy without fossil fuels.

Dining follows the same connection to place. Kasuke serves alpine kaiseki featuring river fish, game and mountain vegetables, while Hoshino Onsen — flowing on-site since 1915 — remains one of the resort’s defining experiences. Guests also have exclusive access to the Meditation Bath, where the atmosphere shifts between light and darkness to encourage contemplation and detachment.

Families are welcome, and Hoshinoya Karuizawa makes sure children aren’t bored away from the city. A Children’s Room accepts guests from four months to nine years old, but advance reservation is required for childcare after 5pm. Rather than that, many children find the highlight is often Picchio, the resort’s wildlife guide service, where flying squirrel tours recorded a 96.1% sighting rate in 2021, all but guaranteeing an exciting hike in nature.

Best for: Couples and anyone traveling without kids who wants a genuine nature retreat close to Tokyo. Families are welcome and the childcare is real, but this isn’t built around kids’ entertainment.

Haimurubushi — Kohama Island, Okinawa Prefecture

Location: Kohama Island in the Yaeyama Islands, inside Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park — Japan’s first certified Dark Sky Reserve. 

Getting there: Fly to New Ishigaki Airport, drive about 30 minutes to Ishigaki Port, then take a 25–30 minute ferry (Yaeyama Kanko or Anei Kanko) to Kohama Port, where a free hotel shuttle covers the last 5–7 minutes. 

From Tokyo: Close to 5 hours door to door once transfers are added up.

Haimurubushi reopened in July 2025 after a major renovation and continues to expand its offering. The resort added 45 Garden Terrace Premium Rooms with 40-square-meter private gardens, while eight Oceanfront Pool Villas are scheduled to open on July 15, 2026. Each villa comes with a private 12-square-meter heated-and-cooled pool and a connecting interior door option designed for multigenerational groups. The resort now has 156 rooms in total.

The adults-only side of the property centers on the Quiet Pool, an infinity pool for guests aged 16 and above, alongside a wellness area featuring a container sauna that uses herbs grown on the estate for the löyly or steamy heart of the sauna.

Families come for a different reason: the island itself is a playground. From July 20 to August 31, 2026, Haimurubushi runs a summer program built around Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park, where children can catch their own dinner, learn about coral ecosystems before snorkeling, kayak to an uninhabited island or explore mangroves barefoot from age two. A new 40-square-meter indoor children’s space, with a nursing room and bottle-preparation area, opened in July for younger guests aged 0 to 6.

Best for: Families willing to travel further for a structured, nature-heavy stay, and honeymooners seduced by the adults-only pool once the kids are asleep.

Seaside Village 13 — Ibaruma, Northern Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture

Location: Ibaruma, on the quieter northern half of Ishigaki Island, a short walk from the beach. 

Getting there: From New Ishigaki Airport, it is approximately a 20-minute drive north. A complimentary airport shuttle is available by advance reservation. However, renting a car is strongly recommended for sightseeing, dining out and grocery shopping.

From Tokyo: About 4 hours door to door.

Seaside Village 13 consists of 13 standalone villas and a separate clubhouse. Each villa has its own kitchen, living and dining area, and washer-dryer.

Villa categories range from two-bedroom and three-bedroom villas to Superior and Deluxe Villas. The Deluxe Villas have three bedrooms – one with a king-size bed and two with semi-double beds – as well as a spacious tatami room and two bathrooms, making them particularly suitable for multigenerational families and larger groups.

The property also features a heated outdoor pool, a Jacuzzi, a small shop, self-cooking yakiniku dining and BBQ grill rentals for guests who wish to bring their own food and drinks.

Baby cots, high chairs and diaper pails are available free of charge. There is no scheduled kids’ club; instead, the property is designed for families and groups who prefer to cook, relax and set their own pace, closer to a private beach-house stay than a resort with a fixed program.

Best for: Families, multigenerational groups and travelers who value privacy, space and a flexible, self-catering stay. Selected Deluxe Villas are pet-friendly. The property does not offer the same range of full-service dining facilities as a large resort, but breakfast and self-cooking yakiniku dinners are available by reservation.

Oriental Hotel Okinawa Resort & Spa — Nago, Okinawa 

Location: Nago City, in Yambaru, the forested northern third of Okinawa’s main island and a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site. 

Getting there: Fly into Naha Airport, then drive north about 70 minutes on the Okinawa Expressway. 

From Tokyo: About 3.5–4 hours door to door.

Every room has an ocean-view balcony over the East China Sea, and standard rooms run 44 square meters, larger than the Japan norm. A three-year renovation of the lobby, Club Lounge, Garden Pool, and guest rooms wrapped up in April 2024, creating an even more luxurious experience for new visitors. The Garden Pool, one of the largest in Okinawa, stays partly heated for near year-round swimming, with a Night Pool running until 10pm through October. As the official partner hotel of JUNGLIA OKINAWA, the theme park that opened in Yambaru in July 2025, this hotel sits closer to it than almost anywhere else on the island.

For dining, the main buffet, QWACHI, spotlights Okinawan ingredients across an open-kitchen spread of Japanese, Western, Chinese and BBQ dishes, while some breakfasts rotate to Uchina Dining Jinanbou for a Japanese and Okinawan inspired feast. Meanwhile for more casual diners, the Lobby Lounge serves cocktails and afternoon tea, plus a matcha chocolate fountain. Kids age 6 and under eat free at all restaurants across the resort.

The hotel has plenty to do for kids, starting with a Children’s Playroom, plus an indoor pool for year-round swim. At the Amenity Base, ARIN KRIN, guests pick their own room amenities and can borrow board games for a rainy afternoon.

Best for: Families using Okinawa’s main island as a base for JUNGLIA and the Churaumi Aquarium, who want a larger, more developed resort rather than an outer-island retreat.

TheMana Village — Cape Ashizuri, Kochi (Shikoku)

Location: Ashizuri-Uwakai National Park, at Cape Ashizuri, the southernmost point of Shikoku. 

Getting there: Fly Haneda to Kochi Ryoma Airport (about 1 hour 30 minutes), then drive roughly 2 hours 50 minutes — there’s no shortcut. 

From Tokyo: About 4.5 hours door to door, the most remote resort on this list.

All 30 rooms face the Pacific, with rates running from about ¥50,000 a night for two in a standard Japanese-style room to ¥150,000–200,000 for a suite with a private open-air bath and terrace, both including dinner and breakfast. Azzurrissimo, the on-site Italian restaurant, serves dinner on a deck built where the old pool once sat, positioned to feel suspended over the water. The Japanese option is a Tosa kaiseki course built around straw-grilled bonito, while for the epitome of luxury, a private chef service for villa guests launched this year.

The Deluxe Room “Yui” comes stocked with picture books, toys, and a microwave for families with infants or toddlers, while the standalone Villa BASE gives everyone a private kitchen and a BBQ deck. Most kids remember the tuk-tuk rides through the cliffs and rocky coastline best.

Best for: Couples and families chasing remoteness and stargazing over resort amenities. There’s no kids’ club, no theme park nearby and no urban entertainment, intentionally.

None of these seven properties offer the same experiences. After all, a Kohama Island villa and a Karuizawa forest pavilion make for entirely different trips. Matching the resort to the traveler, rather than the other way around, is what separates the perfect stay from a wasted flight.

FAQs

Which resort is best for a quick escape from Tokyo? 

If you want to minimize travel time, HOSHINOYA Karuizawa is your best option. At roughly 90 minutes door to door via the Hokuriku Shinkansen, it’s the fastest escape on the list, dropping you into a forested nature retreat and geothermal hot springs without losing half a day to travel.

Do I need a rental car to visit the Okinawan island resorts? 

It depends on the property. Resorts like Fusaki Beach Resort and Haimurubushi operate free shuttles from their respective airports and ports, meaning you can easily get by without a car.

On the other hand, for Seaside Village 13, a complimentary airport shuttle is available by advance reservation, so a rental car is not strictly required for transportation between New Ishigaki Airport and the property.

However, because Seaside Village 13 is located in northern Ishigaki and shops, restaurants and major sightseeing spots are spread across the island, renting a car is strongly recommended.

Are traditional Japanese onsen family-friendly? 

Yes, but the experience varies by resort. ANA InterContinental Beppu is particularly well-suited for families, as they offer bookable family onsen rooms. This allows parents and young children to experience traditional hot spring soaking privately, without worrying about public bath etiquette or gender separation for younger kids.

Is it worth bringing kids to HOSHINOYA Karuizawa or TheMana Village? 

While both resorts welcome families, they aren’t designed around children’s entertainment. HOSHINOYA Karuizawa offers wildlife tours (like flying squirrel spotting) and a childcare room, but lacks traditional kids’ resort amenities. TheMana Village leans even further into remote adult luxury with no kids’ club at all. If your family wants built-in activities, pools, and playrooms, Fusaki Beach Resort or Oriental Hotel Okinawa are much stronger fits.

How we chose these resorts

Japan’s luxury resort market ranges from urban-adjacent retreats to remote island escapes, so we chose not to rank these properties exclusively by star level or price. Instead, we selected and judged them based on four factors: sense of place, quality of accommodation, distinctiveness of experience and suitability for different types of travelers.