Yufuin Ryokan Musouen Review: Authentic Onsen & Kaiseki

During a memorable trip to Japan with my mom, we spent an unforgettable night at the Yufuin Musouen Ryokan.

Since it was my mom's first time staying at a ryokan, I agonized over finding the perfect place. Luckily, this spot exceeded all expectations for the price! Here is my full review.

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Japan

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Japan Travel

Yufuin Ryokan Pricing & Musouen

Traditional Ryokan, Kaiseki, & Hot Springs Review

@Words & Photos: Duangdi

How Much Does a Yufuin Ryokan Cost?

Yufuin Travel

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Ryokan prices in Yufuin vary wildly based on the property, room size, number of guests, meal inclusions (kaiseki dinner and breakfast), and whether the property has extensive public or private baths. For our stay at Musouen, we paid about $385 total for two people, which included both an elaborate dinner and breakfast.

Even within Musouen, there are several room types, so prices can range quite a bit!

✔️ My Criteria for Choosing a Yufuin Ryokan:

1. Must have both grand public baths and private hot springs

2. Traditional Kaiseki dinner included

3. Authentic traditional ryokan atmosphere

4. Under $400 per night

5. Stellar guest reviews

I wanted a place that checked all five of these boxes.

Ryokans can be surprisingly expensive, so finding one that met all these conditions for under $400 wasn't easy. That's when Musouen caught my eye!

Book Here

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We booked an 8-tatami Japanese-style room in the main building. It was the perfect size for two people, and the view was absolutely breathtaking.

Stepping into the room, the lush green scenery I had only seen in photos unfolded right before our eyes. It was raining slightly, which I initially thought was a bummer, but the rain actually made the green leaves look even more vibrant and beautiful!

The room comes with a lovely tea set, allowing you to experience a traditional Japanese tea ceremony right at your own table. They even provided some delicious rice crackers (senbei) to snack on!

We changed into the yukatas provided in the room and snapped a photo against the lush green backdrop. 💛

Since it's a traditional tatami room, there are no Western-style beds. Instead, plush futons were laid out for us. Every time I sleep at a ryokan, I'm amazed by how soft and supportive the futons are—I never wake up with a sore back!

Keep in mind that the room doesn't have a private shower, just a toilet and a sink. This is standard for traditional ryokans; guests are expected to bathe in the public or private onsen facilities.

The room was well-stocked with amenities, including face towels, wooden clogs (geta), umbrellas, a special bag for the hot springs, and even split-toe socks (tabi).

Don't worry about bringing toiletries to the baths! The main hot springs are fully equipped with small towels, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion.

The Musouen property is massive, with several different buildings spread across the grounds. It was a little confusing at first, but we easily navigated to the baths using the map provided by the front desk.

Musouen boasts an impressive array of hot springs: 2 outdoor baths for men, 1 massive outdoor bath for women, 2 indoor family baths, 2 outdoor family baths, and 2 indoor public baths.

The outdoor family baths (private baths) don't require a reservation. If the wooden sign outside says "Vacant," you can just go in! Just remember to flip the sign to "Occupied" while you're using it.

We initially planned to use the private family baths, but after seeing the main outdoor public bath, we ended up going there twice! It's so much bigger and more atmospheric in person than in the photos.

Because there were hardly any other guests around, my mom and I basically had the entire massive hot spring to ourselves!

After a relaxing soak, we headed to the dining room for our reserved Kaiseki dinner.

The meal started with beautiful, bite-sized appetizers and continued with an incredible variety of dishes. By the end, we were absolutely stuffed!

Everything was incredibly flavorful, and you could tell the ingredients were exceptionally fresh. We were so satisfied. ;)

The next morning, we woke up early for one last soak in the hot springs.

Then, it was off to the dining room for breakfast. The morning meal was a traditional Japanese home-style spread. I absolutely love Japanese home cooking, so I devoured every bite.

Finally, my favorite spot: the lounge! It's a gorgeous space where you can enjoy complimentary coffee and tea. Honestly, it's prettier than most trendy cafes, and we spent a good amount of time relaxing here before check-out.

Booking Your Yufuin Ryokan

Yufuin Travel

/ Prices are based on rates as of mid-April 2026.

I booked through Trip.com. Because Musouen is such a highly sought-after ryokan, many room types were already sold out for our dates.

Generally, I found that Trip.com offered slightly lower prices, while Agoda had a wider variety of room types available. I highly recommend comparing both platforms before you book!

/ Trip.com Hotel 3% Discount Code

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If you want to save a little extra cash, you can use the Trip.com discount code to get an additional 3% off your booking.

I used the promo code myself and saved about $12! 💛

Yufuin Musouen

Book Here

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(Don't forget to use the discount code MOMENTH3)