When we count guest reviews that mention an anniversary or birthday stay across eight prefectures, such reviews are common at properties in Shizuoka and Kanagawa and rare in Tokyo and Osaka. The HotelBank Editorial Team ran NLP analysis on 918,852 guest reviews (752 properties, last 24 months). The median share of reviews that speak positively about an anniversary stay (the mention rate) was highest in Shizuoka at 8.3%, followed by Kanagawa at 5.4%, while Tokyo stood at 1.7% and Osaka at 1.5%. Of the 91 properties with a mention rate of 10% or more, 62 are in Shizuoka and Kanagawa, and at the municipal level Hakone, Ito, Atami and Higashi-Izu lead the list. This article uses review counts to show which regions and which property sizes attract anniversary demand, and pairs them with the December estimated settled ADR of those municipalities to draw lessons for product design and pricing.

Mention Rates in 8 Prefectures — Shizuoka Median 8.3%, 39 Properties at 10%+

We start with the distribution by prefecture. In Shizuoka, the median mention rate of the top 100 properties was 8.25%, the boundary of the top quarter (third quartile) reached 12.83%, and 39 of the 100 properties exceeded 10%. Kanagawa followed with a median of 5.43% and 23 properties at 10%+. These two prefectures are the only ones that hold a deep base of “anniversary inns” as a region.

The picture changes in cities with large review volumes. Tokyo’s top 100 properties carry about 200,000 reviews, yet the median is 1.73% and only one property reaches 10%. Osaka (69 properties) has a median of 1.46% with no property reaching 10%. City hotels serve many purposes — business, sightseeing, events — so anniversary comments are easily diluted in the total. Okinawa’s median is low at 2.77%, but 13 properties are at 10%+, a distribution without a broad base but with standout properties scattered around. In our count of the same mention rate for stays with children by prefecture, Tokyo also ranked last, so the pattern of specific-theme comments thinning out in multi-purpose urban markets is shared.

Source: NLP analysis of guest reviews (HotelBank Editorial Team research, N=752 properties / 918,852 reviews, November 2024–October 2026)

Source: NLP analysis of guest reviews (HotelBank Editorial Team research). Up to 100 properties per prefecture, in descending order of mention count

Where the 91 Properties at 10%+ Are — Hakone 16, Ito 13, Atami 11

Counting the 91 properties with a mention rate of 10% or more by municipality, the leaders are Hakone (16), Ito (13) and Atami (11), followed by Nakijin (7) and Higashi-Izu (6). In Ito, 13 of the 20 properties covered exceeded 10%, and in Nakijin all 7 properties were at 10% or more. Since most of the local properties are talked about as places to celebrate, these two municipalities show a particularly high density.

Adding Numazu to the Izu Peninsula municipalities of Ito, Atami, Higashi-Izu, Izu, Nishi-Izu and Minami-Izu gives 38 properties at 10%+. Within about two hours of the Tokyo area, and with locations that easily pair sea views with in-room hot springs, these areas appear to be chosen as destinations for a special night for two. In Kyoto Prefecture as well, 4 of the 7 properties at 10%+ are in Kyotango, so the tendency for anniversary comments to gather at seaside hot-spring towns rather than city centers holds across prefectures.

Source: NLP analysis of guest reviews (HotelBank Editorial Team research); estimated settled ADR compiled by the HotelBank Editorial Team from MetroEngines Research. ADR is for December 2025 (closed month); prefecture December ADR: Shizuoka ¥15,546, Kanagawa ¥15,289, Okinawa ¥10,890. Nakijin is a reference value because few properties are covered (N=19)

Property Size — Median 10.8% at 10 Rooms or Fewer, 2.0% at 101+ Rooms

To see which property sizes attract anniversary comments, we sorted the 752 properties in the eight prefectures by room count. Properties with 10 rooms or fewer (56) had a median mention rate of 10.83%, falling as size increases — 8.08% at 11–20 rooms, 6.00% at 21–50 and 3.97% at 51–100 — down to 1.98% at 101 rooms or more (358 properties). Among the 91 properties at 10%+, the median room count is 18, a size distribution entirely different from the 661 properties below 10% (median 122 rooms).

The same pattern appears in urban areas. The property with the highest mention rate in Tokyo has 16 rooms, the top property in Kyoto has 14, and the top property in Nagano has 5. Operations with few rooms, where staff can attend to each party, seem more likely to leave celebratory touches and small considerations in reviews. That said, three large properties also exceed 10%, so small size is not a prerequisite. Large properties with banquet halls and restaurants have room to propose anniversary experiences suited to those facilities.

Source: NLP analysis of guest reviews (HotelBank Editorial Team research, N=752 properties). Room counts from MetroEngines Research property data

Top 15 by Mention Rate — Small Izu Ryokan and Inns Designed for Two

The table below shows the top 15 properties by mention rate across the eight prefectures. First is Kissho CAREN (吉祥CAREN, 30 rooms) at Hokkawa Onsen in Higashi-Izu, where 177 of 498 reviews, or 35.5%, mentioned an anniversary stay. Second is HAKONE NICA (8 rooms) in Hakone at 28.6%, and third is Wa no Takumi Hananoren (和の匠 花暖簾, 5 rooms) at Toi Onsen in Izu City at 26.3%. Thirteen of the 15 have 30 rooms or fewer, and 12 are in Shizuoka or Kanagawa.

The names themselves reveal the product focus. Properties that put stays for two up front, such as Futari Komorebi (ふたり木もれ陽) and Futari Towani (ふたりとわに) — futari means “the two of us” — and villas on Miyakojima and Irabujima where two guests use a whole unit rank high. Designs that narrow down from the outset who the stay is for and how it is spent overlap with anniversary use.

Source: NLP analysis of guest reviews (HotelBank Editorial Team research, November 2024–October 2026, 20+ reviews and 10+ mentions)

How Guests Describe Their Anniversary Stays — Cake, a Single Flower, a Celebration at Dinner

Reading the reviews of the top properties shows that anniversary satisfaction comes less from large-scale facilities than from small touches during the stay. Comments about mealtimes are common — “a cake and a single flower as a gift,” “a surprise celebration at dinner” — and the occasions range widely, from couples’ anniversaries to family longevity celebrations, as in “two nights for our silver wedding anniversary” and “to celebrate my father’s 81st birthday.”

As one guest put it, “we always come here for our anniversaries”: anniversary inns do not end with a single stay but build a relationship in which guests choose them again every year. Being remembered for a past celebration leads to the booking for the next anniversary.

Source: Partial quotes from guest reviews of top properties (HotelBank Editorial Team research, November 2024–October 2026)

December Rates — Izu and Hakone Municipalities at 1.5–2.0x Their Prefecture

Municipalities with many anniversary comments also have rates above their prefecture as a whole. In December 2025 (closed month), estimated settled ADR was ¥30,300 in Atami, 1.95x Shizuoka Prefecture (¥15,500), and ¥28,500 in Hakone, 1.86x Kanagawa Prefecture (¥15,300). Izu City at 1.71x, Ito at 1.61x, Yugawara at 1.60x and Higashi-Izu at 1.52x — every Izu and Hakone municipality is at 1.5x its prefecture or more.

Year over year, all six Izu and Hakone municipalities rose. Changes from December 2024 were +30.8% in Atami, +24.3% in Yugawara, +16.9% in Izu City, +13.7% in Higashi-Izu, +10.5% in Ito and +5.4% in Hakone; Atami and Yugawara outpaced their prefectures (Shizuoka +19.3%, Kanagawa +14.1%). December, which includes Christmas and the year-end, is a month when anniversary bookings overlap, and these areas appear to have held demand even as rates rose. In 2026, Christmas Eve falls on a Thursday; the premium on that special date across eight areas, including Hakone and Atami, can be checked by day of week in Christmas Eve 2026 Is a Thursday: Rates Stay Weekday-Level.

Source: Compiled by the HotelBank Editorial Team from MetroEngines Research (estimated settled ADR, closed months of December 2024 and December 2025; figures in parentheses are the number of properties covered)

Implications for Operators — Product Design Around Stays for Two and Anniversaries, and December Pricing

To sum up, anniversary demand gathers at small properties strong in stays for two, and at hot-spring areas with high rate levels such as Izu and Hakone. This structure points to three revenue opportunities for operators.

The first is to build the anniversary into the product’s name and content from the start. What reviews mention most are easy-to-prepare touches such as cake, flowers and a celebration at dinner; stating them explicitly as a plan communicates the purpose at booking and makes preparation on the day easier. Large properties, too, can come closer to the attentive experience of inns with 10 rooms or fewer by creating an “anniversary corner” limited to certain restaurants or room types. The elements that appear in the plan names of easy-to-fill ryokan in Izu and Atami are laid out with real examples in Shizuoka Ryokans: What “Full” Inns Name Differently.

The second is to design December pricing in tiers that match anniversary demand. Izu and Hakone municipalities price at 1.5–2.0x their prefecture in December and are still growing year over year, so it makes sense to offer plans with celebratory extras as the upper price tier, starting with the dates that anniversary bookings fill earliest. Beyond the weekends around Christmas, multi-night stays and weekday-only perks that capture weekday anniversary demand are also ways to protect rates while smoothing occupancy.

The third is to create a starting point for repeat stays. As the comment “we always come here for our anniversaries” shows, anniversary inns readily generate bookings for the following year. Practices such as remembering what the guest celebrated last time and sending an invitation at the same time the following year can work as a mechanism to welcome guests back for their next anniversary without new acquisition costs.

Summary

Counting 918,852 guest reviews across eight prefectures, anniversary comments are concentrated in Shizuoka (median mention rate 8.3%) and Kanagawa (5.4%), and the 91 properties with a mention rate of 10% or more cluster in hot-spring areas such as Hakone, Ito, Atami and Higashi-Izu. By size, properties with 10 rooms or fewer have a high median of 10.8%, and the smaller the inn and the more it emphasizes stays for two, the more it is described as an anniversary destination. December estimated settled ADR in Izu and Hakone municipalities was 1.5–2.0x their prefecture and up year over year. Building anniversaries into plan names and content, designing tiered December price bands and turning stays into next-year repeat visits are areas for upside that properties in any region can pursue.

FAQ

Q. Which prefectures have the most reviews mentioning anniversary stays?

Comparing eight prefectures, the median mention rate of reviews speaking positively about anniversary stays is highest in Shizuoka at 8.25%, followed by Kanagawa at 5.43% and Nagano at 4.00%. Tokyo was 1.73% and Osaka 1.46% (November 2024–October 2026; properties with 20+ reviews and 10+ mentions).

Q. In which municipalities are the properties with many anniversary comments concentrated?

Counting the 91 properties with a mention rate of 10% or more by municipality, the order is Hakone (16), Ito (13), Atami (11), Nakijin (7) and Higashi-Izu (6). Adding Numazu to the six Izu Peninsula municipalities gives 38 properties.

Q. How does property size relate to the anniversary mention rate?

The smaller the property, the higher the mention rate: the median was 10.83% for properties with 10 rooms or fewer (56) and 1.98% for those with 101 rooms or more (358). However, three large properties also exceed 10%, so small size is not a prerequisite.

Q. How high are December rates in areas with many anniversary inns?

In December 2025 (closed month), estimated settled ADR was ¥30,250 in Atami (1.95x Shizuoka Prefecture) and ¥28,454 in Hakone (1.86x Kanagawa Prefecture), and all six Izu and Hakone municipalities were at 1.5–2.0x their prefecture.

Q. Is the mention rate a ratio across all properties in the prefecture?

No. It is the distribution within up to 100 properties per prefecture, counted in descending order of mention count; Shizuoka, Kanagawa, Tokyo, Hokkaido and Kyoto are the top 100. The mention rate is also not a rating score but a measure of how often the topic appears.