Oyado Kaikatei Ryokan Review: Price, Private Open-Air Bath, and Kaiseki in Yufuin, Japan
While planning my Fukuoka trip, the one thing that took me surprisingly long was choosing a Yufuin ryokan.Seriously…
I don’t think I even spent this long deciding on a Maldives resort. Yufuin has so many ryokan that every time I thought I’d found the one, another place looked even better. And since one night here definitely isn’t cheap, I went deep into YouTube and blog reviews before making a decision.
In the end, the criteria that mattered most to me were a private open-air bath, a detached standalone room, and kaiseki included.Since I was only staying one night in Yufuin, I really wanted the full ryokan experience.
After comparing a bunch of places, I ended up choosing Oyado Kaikatei in Yufuin.
1. How I Chose a Yufuin Ryokan
It’s actually hard to choose a Yufuin ryokan based on price and reviews alone. From room style to hot spring setup to meal options,every ryokan is a little different, so it helps to decide first which two or three must-have featuresyou absolutely won’t compromise on, then narrow things down from there.
If you start looking for a place that checks every single box, the price climbs fast. For me, a private open-air bathwas the top priority.
If you look around, a lot of ryokan offer family baths or reservable private bathsthat you can use just for your group. Those are often cheaper than rooms with their own outdoor bath, but they usually work on a timed reservation system, with the next guests using it after you.
I knew I’d feel rushed if I had to plan my day around a bath time slot, so I wanted an in-room open-air bath I could use whenever I felt like it, with no time or visit limits.
After that, I compared whether the room was fully detached, whether dinner kaiseki and breakfast were included, and whether meals were served in a private dining space.
And of course, location matters too. If a ryokan is a bit far from Yufuin Station, check in advance whether they offer pickup and drop-off service to and from the station, or if you’ll need to take a taxi.
2. Oyado Kaikatei Price
When I stayed, the Oyado Kaikatei price was a little over $370 for one night for two people. That included a detached private room, a private outdoor open-air bath, an indoor bath, a kaiseki dinner, and breakfast the next morning.
At first, I obviously thought it was expensive. But after actually experiencing everything, I came away feeling like the value made total sense.
For two people, you get a full multi-course dinner, breakfast, a night in a detached room, and unlimited access to your own private bath—honestly, it almost felt like a great deal.
Of course, that was the rate when I booked, and room prices can vary depending on your travel dates, room type, and booking platform, just like any other hotel. Definitely check the actual final price for your dates before booking.
I also added Yeogi Eottae discount coupon info at the bottom of this post, so don’t miss that.
3. Detached Room and Private Open-Air Bath Review
This was the biggest reason I chose Kaikatei, so let me show you the detached room and bath setup.
The room we were assigned, Sazanka,was a detached tatami room. Since it was a standalone unit, I never had to worry about noise from neighboring rooms.
It also came with both a private outdoor open-air bath and an indoor bath, so I soaked at night, again the next morning, and basically anytime I felt like it.
There was even a wooden floating tray for the bath. We put snacks and beer on it and let it drift on the water while we soaked, which made the whole experience even more fun.
During our stay, we barely ran into other guests, and not having to walk anywhere else for the hot spring made everything feel incredibly easy and relaxing.
After dinner, we came back to the room and our futons had already been laid out for us. Even though it wasn’t a bed, the bedding was so thick and comfortable that I slept amazingly well without any back pain.
4. Kaiseki Dinner and Breakfast
Dinner started at 6:00 p.m., and each room had its own designated private dining space. Ours was basically a dining room reserved just for the Sazanka room. We used that same space again for breakfast the next morning.
Dinner was a traditional Japanese kaiseki meal, with course after course of sashimi, meat, and other seasonal dishes. It took about 1 hour and 20 minutes from start to finish, which makes sense for a full course meal.
But because the dining room was private, we could relax, talk at our own pace, and enjoy the meal without paying attention to anyone else.
The food was fresh and beautifully presented. That said, I’m not usually the biggest fan of lightly seasoned Japanese home-style flavors, so for me it wasn’t mind-blowingly delicious.
Still, that part really comes down to personal taste. If you already enjoy Japanese home cooking or food that’s more delicate than bold, you might like the meal even more than I did. As a full traditional ryokan kaiseki experience, though, I was very satisfied.
It was also convenient not having to go out and look for restaurants, since both dinner and breakfast were taken care of at the ryokan. Breakfast itself was solid too.
5. Real Pros and Cons of the Stay
If you want to fully experience a classic Japanese ryokan, Kaikatei is a great choice. It honestly felt like a glimpse into how wealthy families in old Japan might have lived.
The staff spoke good English, so communication was easy, and there were Korean-language instructions in several places too, which made the stay even more comfortable.
On the other hand, if location is your top priority, this may not be the best fit. It’s not right in front of Yufuin Station—you’ll need about 5 to 6 minutes by car from the station. For us, though, that wasn’t a problem at all.
We had booked an expensive ryokan on purpose, so we planned to stay in and enjoy the property the whole time instead of going back out.
The room style is very traditional, with tatami floors and floor seating, so if you absolutely need a bed, you may want to look for a ryokan that offers Japanese-Western style rooms instead.
On the flip side, if you’re traveling with a child, a tatami room can actually be more comfortable. Kids can play and sleep on the floor without you worrying about them falling off a bed.
On the day I stayed, I also got unexpectedly lucky because the Yufuin fireworks festivalhappened to be taking place. Watching fireworks from the ryokan was such an unexpected bonus, and it’s one of the reasons this stay still stands out so clearly when I think back on my Yufuin trip.
6. Yeogi Eottae Discount Coupon
One nice thing about Kaikatei is that every room is detached and comes with its own private open-air bath,so you probably don’t need to stress too much comparing room categories.
That said, do check the details carefully—especially whether breakfast is included and whether the room is non-smoking.
If you book through Yeogi Eottae, you can get a September overseas accommodation coupon pack,but it doesn’t show up if you just open the app normally. You can only claim it through the link below.
September Overseas Accommodation Discount Coupon (Click)
(It can be used through September 30, and there’s no restriction on the check-in date. Apply the coupon and lock in next year’s stay early.)
Kaikatei is a popular Yufuin ryokan, and it doesn’t have a huge number of rooms, so dates close to your trip are often sold out. If you want to stay at Kaikatei, I’d recommend booking at least one or two months in advance to have a better chance of getting a room.