THE GUIDE
This guide covers the rated stays on the San'yo coast of the Seto Inland Sea and on the San'in coast of the Sea of Japan: from Kurashiki and the islands of the Shimanami Kaido to the coast facing Miyajima, and on to the hot-spring town of Nagato Yumoto and Izumo. The stays across the water on Shikoku, Naoshima included, are compared in our Shikoku guide.
On this page
The Inland Sea coast
On the San'yo side of the Inland Sea, Sekitei is a garden ryokan at Miyahama Onsen, across the water from Miyajima. Azumi Setoda, on Ikuchijima island on the Shimanami Kaido, occupies the residence of the Horiuchi family, salt and shipping merchants, built in 1876. Ryokan Kurashiki is inside the Bikan Historical Quarter of Kurashiki, in a former sugar wholesaler's mansion and storehouses.
Behind the mountains: San'in
On the Sea of Japan side, at Nagato Yumoto Onsen in Yamaguchi, Bettei Otozure gives each of its eighteen rooms an open-air bath of free-flowing hot spring; its main building is Otani Sanso. Inland in northern Okayama, Kifu no Sato is a hot-spring ryokan at Yunogo Onsen.
A selection across Chugoku
Nagato, Yamaguchi
Bettei Otozure
別邸音信
≈US$306〜Per person · 2 meals
from US$612 for 2
Onomichi, Hiroshima
Ryokan Onomichi Nishiyama
Ryokan尾道西山
≈US$306〜Per person · 2 meals
from US$612 for 2
Prices are in US dollars, converted from the yen the properties quote at the Oct 7, 2026 reference rate, and are indicative.
A price marked ≈ is itself an estimate: halved from a published two-person total, or rounded from an earlier figure. Totals for 2 assume two guests sharing one room.
One stay from this guide: Bettei Otozure
Check rates at Bettei Otozure
Listed alphabetically. Prices and cancellation terms differ between them, and this page does not see either — it is worth opening more than one.
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How do Miyajima, Naoshima, Kurashiki and Setoda connect?
Miyajima is about 10 minutes by ferry from Miyajimaguchi. Naoshima is about 15–20 minutes by ferry or small passenger boat from Uno Port in Okayama, or 50–60 minutes from Takamatsu Port. Kurashiki is 12–17 minutes by train from Okayama. Setoda, on the Shimanami Kaido, is about 40 minutes by high-speed boat from Onomichi Port; where to stay along that cycling route is set out in where to stay on the Shimanami Kaido.
For a coast-wide comparison that also includes Mie, Okinawa and Kyushu, continue to Japan’s seaside and island hotels.
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