The Ritz-Carlton, Nikko

"CN Gold List 2025 5* | From $880pn A hotel for all seasons, the Ritz-Carlton Nikko occupies a prime spot on the skirts of Mount Nantai inside a UNESCO World Heritage site resplendent with ancient temples. The first luxury hotel in this part of the country, just a two-hour train ride from Tokyo, stays true to its bucolic surroundings: In the oblong glass-fronted lobby, there's a harmonious interplay of light and space and cozy fabrics. The Library and Lakehouse restaurant are warmed by flickering fireplaces; the spa features unique-to-Nikko artworks, including exquisite floral Nikko-bori wood carvings. Subtly textured cedarwood rooms induce a sense of calm with silently sliding doors, fretwork inspired by local Tochigi latticework, puffy white (Western-style) beds, granite onsen, and balconies where you can wrap yourself in a cashmere blanket, sip green sencha, and watch cormorants and Black Kites flit around the lake."