7 Best Hotels in Nagoya, Ise-Shima, and the Kii Peninsula, Japan

The imperial family and visiting baseball teams are among those served by the city's oldest hotel, which is also a haunt for celebrities in search of a little privacy. It's centrally located and provides the extra class and character you'd expect for the price. The lobby's white-brick walls are balanced by soft carpets and dark-wood furnishings. The guest rooms are spacious and overlook the city center. The Nagoya Kanko is five minutes by taxi from Nagoya Station or a short walk from Fushimi Station.

This friendly temple, close to Okuno-in, is where you can take part in morning prayers and observe the morning fire ceremony. Much like staying at a ryokan, the accommodation is all tatami, varying from modest 11-square-meter (118-square-foot) rooms for solo travelers to smart, family-size options. All room rates include a good vegetarian dinner and breakfast served in-room. From the cable-car terminus, take the bus for Okuno-in and get off at the Karukayado stop. Eko-in is several hundred meters east along the main road.

This large business hotel always gets good guest reviews for service and location, and it's a reliable option in Nagoya. The large guest rooms, many of which were refurbished in 2016, feature light-wood furnishings and translucent shoji (window screens). Facilities include an indoor pool and 24-hour fitness center. The staff are multilingual, and the hotel is near Fushimi Station.

Opened in 2021, this bright and airy hotel next to Inuyama Station offers simple, but smart Western-style rooms. Where it stands out is with its activities geared toward travelers after cultural experiences. On-site, the hotel runs tea ceremonies, sweets-making classes, and ceramic painting workshops for both guests and nonguests. It also offers history walks of Inuyama's old town and can arrange ukai tickets. 

Opened in the heart of Sakae in 2024, the new hotel offers spacious rooms with sweeping city views and is in the perfect location for nightlife and shopping. Occupying the 24th to 32nd floors of the towering Chunichi Building, rooms on the Premium floor, where everything is 55 square meters or larger, offer the top options. The main differences between the sleek room categories are in the design, some being defined by lighter woods and materials, but others with a darker feel. You'll also find a gym and sauna that are free for all guests, plus several restaurants and a bar.

Across the Nagara River from Gifu Castle, Ryokan Sugiyama is a tasteful blend of traditional and modern, offering large rooms with tatami floors and elegant shoji doors—ask for one overlooking the river. The staff are polite in a mannered way, and the food (meals and no-meals plans are available) features the ubiquitous ayu alongside traditional ryokan fare. There's a nice hot-spring bath on the roof. The place is run by the same family whose cormorant fishing masters ply the river every night in ukai season, and some of the staff speak English. It's a 15-minute taxi ride from Gifu Station or a 10-minute walk north of the castle.

Originally opened in the 1950s and then reopened in 2016 after a major renovation ahead of hosting the Ise-Shima G7 summit, the Shima Kanko is Ise-Shima’s premier Western-style luxury hotel, with a very refined look and feel throughout its two zones: the spacious Classic and the Bay Suites. The facilities include several highly rated French and Japanese restaurants, a tea-ceremony room, a spa, summer-only pool, and a gym where President Obama took his morning run during the summit.