Nihon-no-Ashitaba vs Hoteiya: Private Baths in the Hills or Near Lake Kinrinko?
Compare Ashitaba’s private-use bath circuit with Hoteiya’s outdoor and two vacant-use private baths; Hoteiya is closer to town.
Checked: September 27, 2026 The word “private” can describe two different arrangements. At Nihon-no-Ashitaba, the bathing areas around the property are used privately. At Hoteiya, two baths can be used by one group for up to 40 minutes, but only when a room is vacant; there is also a public outdoor bath. If you are choosing between the two, that distinction matters more than a generic “private bath available” label.
| Nihon-no-Ashitaba | Hoteiya | |
|---|---|---|
| Property | 13 detached buildings across a 4,500-tsubo hillside site | 13 named room categories in a village-style layout |
| Shared bath setup | All on-site bath areas are private-use | Public outdoor bath, plus two free 40-minute private-use baths |
| Room bath | Varies by cottage | Varies by room; some categories have no in-room bath |
| Private-bath access | The inn’s current pages do not give one universal reservation rule for every bath | Use Hotei-no-Yu or Yufudake-no-Yu whenever vacant; no fixed slot is promised |
| Nearby walk | More of a property stay than a town-side base | Lake Kinrinko is about an eight-minute walk away |
At Ashitaba, privacy applies to the bath areas—not automatically to your room
Nihon-no-Ashitaba has a large open-air bath, a smaller bath by the bamboo, and several baths in its Showa-style bathing area. The inn describes them as all private-use. That gives couples and families a way to bathe together without joining a mixed public bath, but it does not make every room a private-onsen room. Check whether the exact cottage has its own bath if you do not want to leave the room.
The property is spread across a hillside above the town. Its pickup notice lists station transfers by advance reservation, with five arrival times from 3 to 5 p.m. and five return times from 9 to 11 a.m. Since that notice dates from 2022, confirm the service and schedule while booking. The location is a better match if you expect to stay in for dinner and use the property’s baths, rather than head back and forth to the shopping streets.
Hoteiya gives you a town walk and more than one way to bathe
Hoteiya’s outdoor public bath runs from 3 to 11 p.m. and again from 6 to 9 a.m. The two private-use baths have the same broad daily windows, with sessions capped at 40 minutes and no charge. Guests can use either whenever it is vacant; you cannot reserve a dinner-time slot in advance from the published rules.
That makes an in-room bath a matter of timing as well as room choice. Some Hoteiya room categories do not have a guest-room bath, so confirm the category name and plan around the shared baths if that is the room you want. The public outdoor bath may be enough for a solo traveler; a couple who wants to bathe together can try one of the private-use baths, but should allow for the possibility of waiting.
Hoteiya is about an eight-minute walk from Lake Kinrinko. Its official facilities page says guests arriving at Yufuin Station or the bus center can call for a pickup, usually in seven to ten minutes. That is useful with luggage, though it is not a fixed scheduled shuttle. The lake walk is easier to fold into the day than it would be from a hillside property.
Choose Ashitaba if you want the inn’s private-use baths to be part of the evening and are happy to confirm the older pickup notice. Choose Hoteiya if you want a public bath, a possible private-use session and a short walk to the lake, while accepting that a shared bath may not be free right when you want it. For a broader look at Yufuin stays without a car, compare the last-mile arrangements before settling on a room.
Sources and image credits
- [Nihon-no-Ashitaba: baths](https://www.2hon-no-ashitaba.co.jp/onsen/onsen.html), [access](https://www.2hon-no-ashitaba.co.jp/access/access.html) and [pickup notice](https://www.2hon-no-ashitaba.co.jp/news/news-3.html). - [Hoteiya: baths](https://www.hoteiya-yado.jp/onsen/), [rooms](https://www.hoteiya-yado.jp/rooms/) and [facilities and station pickup](https://www.hoteiya-yado.jp/facilities/). - Images: [Nihon-no-Ashitaba](https://2hon-no-ashitaba.co.jp/onsen/img/showa35.jpg) and [Hoteiya](https://www.hoteiya-yado.jp/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/onsen_2-scaled.jpg), retained from the original guide.Tags: Yufuin, private-use bath, Lake Kinrinko, Nihon-no-Ashitaba, Hoteiya
