Ryotei Tanokura or Yufuin UBL Hotel? Compare In-Room Baths and Public Facilities
Compare Tanokura’s in-room baths, including five private open-air tubs, with UBL Hotel’s shared bath and ten rooms with private springs.
Checked: September 27, 2026 The room price alone will not tell you which stay is better value. Tanokura puts a hot-spring bath in every room; at UBL Hotel, the private in-room bath is a feature of ten special rooms. Standard UBL rooms rely on the separate public bathing building, which includes outdoor pools and a sauna.
| Ryotei Tanokura | Yufuin UBL Hotel | |
|---|---|---|
| Room count | 11 | 33: 23 standard Japanese rooms and 10 special rooms |
| Private in-room bath | Hot-spring bath in all rooms; five add a private open-air bath | 24-hour, spring-fed private indoor bath in the ten special rooms |
| Standard-room bathing | Private in-room hot-spring bath, plus two public baths | Separate public bath building with indoor and outdoor areas and a sauna |
| Lake Kinrin | About a one-minute walk | About a six-minute walk |
| Station connection | Pickup terms vary; confirm directly | Free station shuttle is listed by YUFUINFO; confirm current arrangements |
Tanokura’s standard room is already a private-onsen room
At Tanokura, the room upgrade is for an open-air bath, not for access to hot spring water. All 11 rooms have an in-room hot-spring bath, while five add a private outdoor bath. That makes the standard room a reasonable choice if you want to bathe privately but are content with an indoor tub.
Tanokura also has two public baths with outdoor sections, and the men’s and women’s sides switch in the morning. The posted pages differ on the earliest opening time, so ask the inn at check-in if you plan to bathe before 6 am.
UBL makes you choose between the shared bath and a special room
UBL’s 23 standard Japanese rooms are for guests who are happy to use the shared facilities. The dedicated bath building has indoor and outdoor pools plus a sauna; its rooms do not include the private hot-spring bath found in the special categories. Those ten rooms have a spring-fed indoor bath available 24 hours. Despite some broad booking-site labels, the official description specifies an indoor bath, not an open-air one.
Location is close enough that neither inn requires a car just to reach Lake Kinrin. Tanokura is almost beside the lake, while UBL is around six minutes away on foot. YUFUINFO lists UBL’s free station shuttle; contact the hotel about timing and availability before planning around it. Tanokura also lists station pickup, but check the conditions attached to your reservation.
Choose Tanokura if an in-room hot-spring bath is a must even in the lowest available room. UBL is the better match if you enjoy a full public bath and sauna, or if you are willing to reserve the special room for a private soak. For another UBL comparison, read Hoteiya vs UBL Hotel; the 24-hour in-room onsen comparison covers more options.
