Snow-view open-air baths are among the winter lodging experiences guests are most likely to write about. The HotelBank Editorial Team used guest reviews compiled by MetroEngines Research to calculate the share of reviews that speak positively about the open-air bath (the mention rate) over the 24 months from November 2024 to October 2026, covering properties in 12 snow-country prefectures (Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Akita, Yamagata, Fukushima, Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa, Nagano, Gifu and Gunma). Among properties with at least 100 reviews, we compared the top 100 in each prefecture by number of mentions (or all of them where a prefecture has fewer than 100). In Fukushima, 68 of the 100 reach the level where at least 1 in 10 reviews praises the open-air bath, as do 65 in Nagano and 61 in Hokkaido. The leading properties have mention rates of 45.9% at Koganezaki Furofushi Onsen (黄金崎不老ふ死温泉) in Aomori, 45.3% at Obokoso (おぼこ荘) in Hokkaido and 45.0% at Hishino Onsen Tokiwakan (菱野温泉 常盤館) in Nagano, meaning nearly half of their reviews touch on the open-air bath. This article organizes the review metric by prefecture and by property, overlays the estimated settled ADR for January-February 2026 and ryokan room occupancy in the hot spring areas where the top properties are located, and works through the operational questions involved in developing the snow-view open-air bath into a winter product.

Prefectures by Properties with a 10%+ Mention Rate Among the Top 100: Fukushima 68, Nagano 65, Hokkaido 61

We start with depth by prefecture. Among the top 100 properties by mentions, the number where at least 10% of guests write positively about the open-air bath is 68 in Fukushima, 65 in Nagano, 61 in Hokkaido, 57 each in Gunma and Gifu, and 56 in Niigata, so a majority clear the bar in six prefectures. In prefectures where the top group does not reach 100 properties, the figures are 44 of 88 in Yamagata, 39 of 60 in Iwate and 37 of 58 in Akita; by ratio, Iwate (65%) and Akita (64%) are on par with Nagano and Hokkaido. Aomori has 21 of 38 and Toyama 21 of 39: the groups are small, but more than half are at 10% or above.

Ishikawa, at 19 of 74, has a lower ratio than the other 11 prefectures. This does not mean its open-air baths are poorly regarded. It can be read as reviews of properties in the Kaga Onsen area and Kanazawa spreading across food, service and sightseeing on foot, which relatively dilutes mentions of the open-air bath alone. The mention rate reflects the composition of what guests choose to write about, and should be read as a separate metric from rating scores. An article that used the same review mention-rate method to count free-flowing baths, Free-Flowing Onsen by Prefecture 2026: 1,254 Inns, 426 Under-Marketed, also shows that ryokan discussed alongside their open-air baths have high rate levels.

Source: HotelBank Editorial Team research (NLP analysis of guest reviews)

Top 3 Inns by Prefecture: Mention Rates Around 45% in Aomori, Hokkaido and Nagano

Next, we look at individual properties. Listing the three properties with the highest mention rates in each prefecture, the leaders are Koganezaki Furofushi Onsen in Aomori (Fukaura Town, 70 rooms) at 45.9%, Obokoso in Hokkaido (Yakumo Town, 19 rooms) at 45.3% and Hishino Onsen Tokiwakan in Nagano (Komoro City, 35 rooms) at 45.0%, with reviews touching on the open-air bath approaching half of the total at all three. An open-air bath right by the sea, a lone inn in the mountains and a panoramic open-air bath reached by cable car differ in setting and in scale, but share one trait: the open-air bath itself has become a reason to stay. They are followed by Kiyotsukan (清津館) in Niigata (Tokamachi City, 12 rooms) at 43.1%, Hotakaso Yama no Hotel (穂高荘 山のホテル) in Gifu (Takayama City, 86 rooms) at 42.1% and Aizu Nakanosawa Onsen Rotenburo no Yado Hanamiya (会津中ノ沢温泉 露天風呂の宿 花見屋) in Fukushima (Inawashiro Town, 40 rooms) at 41.2%.

Mountain hot springs, however, include properties that close for winter. Akita’s top property, Fukenoyu (ふけの湯; Kazuno City, 26 rooms, 38.9%), is typically closed from mid-November to late April. Iwate’s No. 3, Sukawa Kogen Onsen (須川高原温泉; Ichinoseki City, 36 rooms, 24.9%), is typically closed from early November until spring (around late April to early May). Yamagata’s No. 2, Masugataya (桝形屋; Yonezawa City, Ubayu Onsen, 35.0%), is a secluded hot spring that shuts during the snow season. Akita’s No. 4, Kurikoma Sanso (栗駒山荘; Higashinaruse Village, 32.2%), is listed as operating from late April to early November, and Iwate’s top property, Saiunso (彩雲荘; Hachimantai City, Toshichi Onsen, 36.3%), is listed as typically closed from late October to late April. These inns earn high mention rates from their open-air baths in spring through autumn, and should be set aside when reading this article’s “winter product” discussion. The table notes the properties that close for winter.

*Room counts are from the MetroEngines Research property master. Winter closure notes are typical-year guides based on each inn’s notices and on tourism information sites; they vary by year, so please check each inn’s official information for the latest operating periods. OTA public prices for Hoshi to Mori no Romantopia Hoshi no Yado Hakuchoza have not been confirmed since February 2026, so please check its official information for its operating status.

Source: HotelBank Editorial Team research (NLP analysis of guest reviews)

Comparing the top property’s mention rate across the 12 prefectures, seven exceed 40%: Aomori, Hokkaido, Nagano, Niigata, Gifu, Fukushima and Ishikawa. Ishikawa’s leader, Yamanaka Onsen Tokiwakan (Kaga City, 8 rooms), reaches 41.1%, showing that even in Ishikawa, where the prefecture-wide ratio was low, a small inn built around its open-air bath can earn a high mention rate. Toyama’s leader, Shogawa Onsen Furyu Mido Zashiki Yumetsuzuri (Tonami City, 30 rooms), is at 23.6%, the lowest among the 12 leaders, but its estimated settled ADR for January 2026 of ¥29,000 is the highest among the snow-view inns covered in this article. It can be described as an inn valued for the overall package, combining the open-air bath with its food and guest rooms.

Source: HotelBank Editorial Team research (NLP analysis of guest reviews)

Estimated Settled ADR in Hot Spring Areas, January-February: Niseko Town ¥42,000, Noboribetsu City ¥23,000, Yuzawa Town ¥23,000

So what is the winter rate level in the hot spring areas where these inns are located? For the municipalities of the top properties, plus major hot spring areas added for context (Nozawaonsen Village, Yamanouchi Town, Kusatsu Town, Tsumagoi Village, Noboribetsu City, Toyako Town, Semboku City, Gero City, Takayama City, Yuzawa Town and others), we set the estimated settled ADR (median of covered properties in the municipality) for January and February 2026, the settled months of last winter, alongside the same month of 2025. Municipalities with fewer than 5 covered properties (Fukaura Town, Miyota Town, Nomi City, Asahi Town and Murayama City) were excluded.

In January 2026, the highest is Niseko Town at ¥42,000 (+16.4% YoY, N=10), followed by Noboribetsu City at ¥23,000 (+17.1%), Yuzawa Town at ¥23,000 (+11.6%), Karuizawa Town at ¥23,000 (+7.3%) and Kaga City at ¥22,000. Among the municipalities in the table, eight grew 20% or more YoY in January: Hachimantai City (+38.5%), Owani Town (+33.3%), Gero City (+29.0%), Tsumagoi Village (+25.6%), Kazuno City (+23.9%), Tonami City (+23.6%), Semboku City (+20.5%) and Agano City (+20.3%). Tohoku hot spring areas known for snow-view open-air baths stand out, such as Semboku City, home to the Nyuto Onsen area, and Hachimantai City, home to the Hachimantai Onsen area. Conversely, Kaga City fell by double digits at −11.3%, and Inawashiro Town (−2.3%), Toyako Town (−1.8%) and Yonezawa City (−0.4%) also slipped, so winter rate growth differed by hot spring area. For the January 2027 rate tiers across 98 municipalities in five snow-country prefectures, hotels included, together with room stock, see Snow Country Hotel ADR Jan 2027: Kutchan ¥49k, Hakuba ¥29k, 5 Tiers.

Source: compiled by the HotelBank Editorial Team from MetroEngines Research data

In February, levels fall from January in many municipalities. Kusatsu Town goes from ¥19,000 in January to ¥18,000 in February, Gero City from ¥20,000 to ¥17,000, and Shibukawa City (Ikaho) from ¥19,000 to ¥15,000, so the size of the adjustment once New Year demand drops out differs by hot spring area. By contrast, hot spring areas with ski resorts, such as Yamanouchi Town (¥15,000 to ¥14,000), Nozawaonsen Village (¥17,000 to ¥16,000) and Yuzawa Town (¥23,000 to ¥22,000), see smaller February declines, suggesting that snow resort demand is supporting rates.

*Estimated settled ADR is the median of covered properties in the municipality (tax-excluded equivalent). N is the number of covered properties in January 2026. Municipalities with fewer than 5 covered properties are not shown. Even with 5 or more covered properties, Yakumo Town, Murakami City, Himi City, Ichinoseki City and others are not included in the table.

Source: compiled by the HotelBank Editorial Team from MetroEngines Research data

Price Bands of Inns Selling the Snow-View Open-Air Bath as a Winter Product, and Ryokan Winter Occupancy

We confirmed eight inns whose reviews refer to snow in the original text. Matsukawaso (Hachimantai City, 50 rooms) has reviews saying “the snow-view open-air bath was the best,” Kiyotsukan (Tokamachi City, 12 rooms) “the open-air bath in the snow was the best,” and Obokoso (Yakumo Town, 19 rooms) “the open-air bath in the snowy scenery was full of charm.” Reviews linking snowy scenery and the open-air bath were also confirmed at Komagatake Onsen (Semboku City, 9 rooms), Fuga no Yado Choseikan (Agano City, 27 rooms), Shogawa Onsen Furyu Mido Zashiki Yumetsuzuri (Tonami City, 30 rooms), Aizu Nakanosawa Onsen Rotenburo no Yado Hanamiya (Inawashiro Town, 40 rooms) and Yumoto Ryusen (Murakami City, 5 rooms).

The eight inns’ estimated settled ADR for January 2026 ranges from ¥11,000 at Matsukawaso to ¥29,000 at Yumetsuzuri. The core range is ¥15,000 to ¥23,000: Obokoso at ¥16,000, Hanamiya at ¥17,000, Yumoto Ryusen at ¥15,000, Kiyotsukan at ¥20,000 and Choseikan at ¥23,000. In listed prices (average of all plans, tax included), which include two-meal kaiseki plans, the range is ¥27,000 to ¥68,000, around twice the estimated settled ADR, showing that the selling price band of snow-view inns is built around meal-inclusive products at ¥30,000 to ¥70,000 for two guests in one room. Compared with the median of their municipalities, Kiyotsukan, Choseikan, Yumetsuzuri, Obokoso, Hanamiya and Yumoto Ryusen achieved rates above the local market in January. Within the eight inns, however, mention rate and rate level are not proportional (Yumetsuzuri, with the lowest mention rate, has the highest rate), so the mention rate alone cannot explain winter rate levels. The structure in which the gap between listed prices and estimated settled ADR appears widely among snow-country inns is verified using settled figures for five prefectures in Snow Country Winter ADR at 40-50% of Listed; Only Hokkaido Up in Feb.

*Review quotations are partial quotations from guest reviews posted between November 2024 and October 2026 (HotelBank Editorial Team research), translated from the Japanese. Komagatake Onsen’s January 2026 figure is not shown because the number of observed days in the period did not meet the estimation threshold. The January 2027 column is an estimate based on listings as of the survey date (November 1, 2026) and will change.

Source: compiled by the HotelBank Editorial Team from MetroEngines Research data

As a demand-side indicator, we compared ryokan room occupancy across the 12 prefectures from the Japan Tourism Agency’s Overnight Travel Statistics Survey (second preliminary figures). In January 2026, against a national ryokan occupancy of 33.7%, Hokkaido at 42.4%, Gunma at 42.3% and Gifu at 37.5% ranked highest. In February, against a national 40.1%, Hokkaido at 54.0%, Gifu at 49.7%, Gunma at 49.0% and Yamagata at 40.9% exceeded the national level. The January-to-February increases in Gifu (+12.2pt), Hokkaido (+11.6pt), Niigata (+8.6pt), Aomori (+7.6pt), Yamagata (+7.1pt) and Gunma (+6.7pt) exceeded the national figure (+6.4pt), which can be read as February winter products such as snow festivals, snow resorts and snow-view hot springs lifting ryokan occupancy. In Tohoku, Aomori (25.4% in January to 33.0% in February), Akita (28.2% to 33.0%) and Iwate (29.6% to 30.3%) remain below the national average, but their ryokan estimated settled ADR shows strong growth at +40.6% in Aomori, +15.2% in Akita and +12.1% in Iwate (all January, YoY). This can be read as a phase in which rates are being raised first while room remains to add occupancy.

Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Overnight Travel Statistics Survey (January and February 2026, second preliminary figures); estimated settled ADR from MetroEngines Research; compiled by the HotelBank Editorial Team

*Room occupancy is the second preliminary figure for ryokan (by facility type) in the Japan Tourism Agency’s Overnight Travel Statistics Survey. The agency changed the stratification basis from number of employees to number of guest rooms starting with the January 2026 survey, and notes that year-on-year differences may include the effect of this revision. Estimated settled ADR is for ryokan in the prefecture (median of covered properties).

Implications for Operators: Winter Open-Air Bath Hours, Freeze Protection and Seasonal Photo Updates

Viewing these figures from an operator’s perspective, inns with high open-air bath mention rates already have an experience guests write about unprompted. There are three main opportunities to connect this asset to winter rates and occupancy.

The first is winter operating hours for the open-air bath. The value of a snow-view open-air bath is concentrated at night and in the early morning, while the snow season adds to the burden of cleaning, snow removal and water temperature control, so how to set the hours becomes the question. Looking at the eight inns with reviews mentioning snow, the core of the praise is the experience of bathing while snow is actually falling, as in “bathing amid swirling snow” and “warming up while watching the falling snow.” Extending night hours by one to two hours, or simply stating the early morning hours in the plan description, would reassure guests booking for the snow view and leaves room to raise the open-air bath mention rate further.

The second is freeze protection and access routes. Freezing on the path to the open-air bath, in the changing room and in the washing area affects the guest experience. Investments such as snow-melting mats, covered walkways, stronger heating in changing rooms and non-slip surfaces are more easily recouped through reviews at inns with high mention rates. When promoting a snow-view open-air bath as a “winter-only highlight,” completing safety measures first is a precondition for turning it into a product.

The third is seasonal photo updates. If the open-air bath photos on booking sites and the official site show fresh greenery or autumn leaves year-round, the winter value is hard to convey. Placing snow-view photos first, at least during the December-to-February sales period, and including terms like “snow view” and “winter open-air bath” in plan names conveys that winter value along the path from search to booking. Among ryokan in the 12 snow-country prefectures covered here, estimated settled ADR for January 2026 showed double-digit YoY growth, with Fukushima at +31.4%, Nagano at +21.9%, Hokkaido at +28.4% and Gifu at +21.9% (all ryokan, prefectural median). In a phase when winter rates are rising, updating how an existing asset like the open-air bath is presented to suit the season is a revenue opportunity that requires almost no additional investment.

Summary

Tallying open-air bath mention rates from 593,596 guest reviews in 12 snow-country prefectures, more than 60% of the top 100 in Fukushima, Nagano and Hokkaido are inns where at least 1 in 10 reviews praises the open-air bath, and the leading properties reach mention rates of around 45%. In the hot spring areas where the top properties are located, estimated settled ADR for January 2026 was highest in Niseko Town at ¥42,000, Noboribetsu City at ¥23,000 and Yuzawa Town at ¥23,000, while hot spring areas known for snow-view open-air baths, such as Hachimantai City, Gero City and Tsumagoi Village, grew 20% or more YoY. The eight inns with reviews confirmed to mention snow have estimated settled ADR of ¥11,000 to ¥29,000 and listed prices, including two-meal plans, of ¥27,000 to ¥68,000, and 6 of the 7 with a confirmed January rate were above the median of their municipality. In Japan Tourism Agency statistics, February ryokan occupancy of 54.0% in Hokkaido, 49.7% in Gifu and 49.0% in Gunma also exceeded the national 40.1%, making the winter open-air bath a product with room to grow in both occupancy and rates. The three measures of winter open-air bath hours, freeze protection and seasonal photo updates all connect the existing asset of the open-air bath to a winter product.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Do inns with high mention rates also have high rating scores for their open-air baths?
The mention rate is the share of reviews that write positively about the open-air bath, not a rating score itself. Because this tally counts only positive mentions, inns with high mention rates can be described as those where the open-air bath is central to guest satisfaction, but this needs to be read separately from how high or low their rating scores are.

Q. Why do inns that close for winter appear near the top?
Because reviews are tallied year-round over 24 months, mountain hot springs that operate only from spring to autumn are also covered. Fukenoyu, Saiunso, Sukawa Kogen Onsen, Masugataya and Kurikoma Sanso typically close during the snow season, so it is appropriate to set them aside when considering winter products.

Q. Why is ADR in hot spring areas up so much from the prior year?
In January 2026, ryokan in many of the 12 snow-country prefectures saw double-digit YoY growth in estimated settled ADR. This is thought to reflect a combination of inbound snow resort demand, fuel and labor costs being passed through to prices, and how the days of the week fell over New Year. Note that at the municipal level, swings are larger where the number of covered properties (N) is small.