Hotel
Kusatsu, Karuizawa & the Japan Alps
KAI Kusatsu
A hot spring ryokan opening in June 2026 at Kusatsu Onsen, Gunma, linked by a private tunnel to the town's historic bathing district.
Price on request
Hotel · Okuhida, Japan
KAI Okuhida
A 49-room onsen ryokan at Hirayu in Okuhida, Gifu, where each guest room opens to its own outdoor hot spring bath set beside a window onto the Japanese Alps.
Overview
KAI Okuhida sits in the Okuhida Onsen area of Hirayu, in the Japanese Alps of Gifu prefecture, a three-minute walk from the Hirayu Bus Terminal and five minutes by car from Hirayu IC. The ryokan has 49 rooms, each built around a private outdoor hot spring bath positioned by a window that frames the surrounding mountains, with a waterproof sofa alongside for cooling off after bathing. KAI Signature Rooms go further into local craft, with furnishings drawing on Hida Shunkei lacquerware and Hida dyeing, and headboards carved with a curved wood motif.
Dinner is a kaiseki course built around Hida beef, prepared two ways: grilled on a lava stone plate and wrapped in hoba-yaki, the regional method of cooking on a magnolia leaf. Meals are served in semi-private dining rooms suited to couples, families or small groups, with sittings at 5:30pm and 7:30pm. Breakfast, served between 7:30am and 9:30am, uses regional ingredients such as dried vegetables and perilla leaves, with a Western-style alternative available year round except from 1 to 3 January. Children aged four to eleven have their own Japanese platters, and a vegetarian kaiseki, free of the eight major allergens, can be arranged with advance notice.
On site there is one restaurant, a café and lounge, a spa and massage facility, three onsen, a public bath, a playroom and a pool. Check-in is from 2:30pm and check-out by 11:00am. Pets are allowed, Wi-Fi is free throughout, and private parking is available. The ryokan is about 45 minutes by car from JR Takayama Station and 90 minutes from the World Heritage village of Shirakawa-go, with Kamikochi and the Shinhotaka ropeway also within reach for day trips.
- Rooms
- 49
- Minimum stay
- 1 night
- Check in
- 15:00
- Check out
- 12:00
Why we like it
- 49 rooms, each with a private outdoor hot spring bath set by a window
- Kaiseki dinner built around Hida beef, grilled on lava stone and wrapped in hoba-yaki magnolia leaf
- Three minutes on foot from Hirayu Bus Terminal, 90 minutes by car from Shirakawa-go
- KAI Signature Rooms feature Hida Shunkei lacquerware, Hida dyeing and carved wood headboards
- Vegetarian kaiseki available, free of the eight major allergens, with advance booking
- Three onsen, a public bath, spa and massage facility, and a pool on site
Gallery
Rooms & suites
Categories shown for orientation. Your travel advisor will confirm which are available for your dates and recommend the one that suits the trip.
KAI Signature Rooms
Rooms built around traditional Hida craft, including Hida Shunkei lacquerware and Hida dyeing, with headboards carved in a curved wood motif. As with other rooms at the ryokan, each has a private outdoor hot spring bath by a window onto the surrounding landscape.
Up to 2 guestsSeasonal landscape view
Amenities
- Restaurant
- Café / Lounge
- Spa / Massage
- Onsen
- Public bath
- Playroom
- Pool
- Meeting Room
- Private parking
- Free Wi-Fi
Reserving through us
Included when your travel advisor confirms this stay
- Daily breakfast for two
- Room upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
- Property credit or equivalent where the house offers one
- Early check in and late check out on request
- Welcome amenity and your travel agent known to the general manager
Eligible preferred amenities are applied wherever available, subject to the property at the time of stay, and are confirmed in your proposal.
Location
Okuhida, Japan
Mountain towns an hour from Tokyo by bullet train, onsen in the forest and the Alps behind.
Questions
- Do all rooms have private onsen baths?
- Yes. Rooms at KAI Okuhida are built around private outdoor hot spring baths positioned by a window, with a waterproof sofa nearby for cooling off between soaks.
- What is served for dinner?
- Dinner is a kaiseki course featuring Hida beef prepared two ways, grilled on a lava stone plate and wrapped in hoba-yaki, the regional magnolia-leaf method. Sittings are at 5:30pm and 7:30pm in semi-private dining rooms.
- Is there a vegetarian option?
- A vegetarian kaiseki dinner and vegetarian breakfast are available, free of the eight major allergens. Requests should be made at or shortly after booking, by 4:00pm five days in advance.
- Are pets allowed, and is parking available?
- Pets are allowed and private parking is provided on site. Wi-Fi is free throughout the ryokan.
- How far is the ryokan from Shirakawa-go and Takayama?
- KAI Okuhida is about 90 minutes by car from the World Heritage village of Shirakawa-go and around 45 minutes by car from JR Takayama Station. It is a three-minute walk from Hirayu Bus Terminal.
You might also consider
Hotels and resorts in Karuizawa & the Japan Alps
Hotel
Karuizawa, Karuizawa & the Japan Alps
HOSHINOYA Karuizawa
Seventy-seven pavilions stand within a wild bird sanctuary near Karuizawa, an hour from Tokyo by train, each designed around cool winds and geothermal heating.
Price on request
Hotel
Matsumoto, Karuizawa & the Japan Alps
KAI Matsumoto
A hot spring ryokan in Asama Onsen, Matsumoto, pairing Italian dinners and regional Shinshu wines with nightly live music and a two-onsen bathing hall.
Price on request