When flying with young kids, I think the key is breaking up all that sitting time as much as possible.
There are plenty of hotels near Narita Airport, but International Resort Hotel Yurakujo isn’t just a place to sleep — it’s somewhere you can have fun no matter the season or weather.
It’s a hotel where adults and kids alike can relax and have fun, and really get a taste of Japan while they’re at it, so I wanted to introduce its charms in detail.
Access
If you’re coming by car from Tokyo, get off at the Tomisato IC on the Higashi-Kanto Expressway — it’s about 20 minutes from there (the red line).
There’s also a shuttle bus from Keisei Narita Station (purple circle 1), though it doesn’t run very frequently. It stops at AEON Mall Narita (purple circle 2) along the way.
There’s also a paid shuttle bus from Tokyo Station.
From the hotel, it’s about 30 minutes to Narita Airport (the light blue line).
About Getting to the Airport (Shuttle Bus)
The shuttle to the airport is a large sightseeing-style bus.
You get to watch planes while you ride, so even though it’s about a 20-minute trip, our kids had a blast the whole way.
It’s a big bus, but apparently they don’t add extra buses even when it’s crowded. It’s reassuring to get in line early.
Keep in mind that the bus doesn’t run very often, and it takes about 20 minutes to reach the airport. You can find the bus timetable and boarding locations (a little small and hard to read, but it’s there) on the official Yurakujo website, so it’s worth checking against your travel schedule.
We got a printed copy of the timetable at the front desk when we checked in.
We landed at Narita at 8 PM on our way home, but since we didn’t have any checked baggage, we still made the 8:35 PM bus.
If your flight time and the bus schedule are cutting it close, it’s reassuring to double-check the boarding location ahead of time!
Free Parking for 2 Weeks
If you park at a lot near the airport for around a week, it’ll run you anywhere from about 4,000 yen (approx. $26.67) to 8,000 yen (approx. $53.33) or so, depending on the season and location.
What’s amazing about this hotel is that guests get free parking for up to 2 weeks just for staying one night!
Our room cost 9,800 yen (approx. $65.33) this time. We got a great deal, had a lot of fun, and even bought ourselves some peace of mind.
If you’re driving to the airport — especially for a longer trip — I highly recommend this place!
The Room
This is a fairly typical hotel room. There’s a sofa and a table, and it felt pretty spacious — there was plenty of room even with several suitcases open.
The building itself is a bit older, but it was clean and well kept.
The in-room bathtub was also fairly spacious.
The toilet is right next to the bathtub.
This isn’t the kind of luxury hotel where you’d want to just relax in your room — but the bathing facility I’m about to introduce is a wonderful spot that both adults and kids can enjoy!
International Resort Hotel Yurakujo
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Into Yurakujo! A Theme-Park-Like Hot Spring Facility
The real highlight here is, without a doubt, the bathing facilities and the “Yurakujo” hot spring complex.
There’s a giant fountain right at the entrance, with shows held on a regular schedule.
My older son is the star of this photo, but you can still tell how massive the fountain is.
Walk through the footbath and you’ll find yourself in a world that feels like a trip back to the Edo period (Japan’s historical era from 1603 to 1868). And it’s actually included in the cost of your stay.
A Japanese-Style Kids’ Area
We spotted a horse-drawn carriage. Things like this usually come with a “please don’t touch, please don’t climb on it” sign — but this one was actually fine to climb on, just with a “be careful” note. I got on board myself, excited, and it really did rock back and forth (lol)
There was also a Japanese-style play area for kids. Even if they run and crash into the walls, everything is soft.
There weren’t any other kids around, so we had the whole place to ourselves to play as much as we wanted!
Even though we live in Japan, I felt like I was experiencing more of its traditional charm here than I do in everyday life (lol)
There’s also a game arcade in the middle (extra charge)
Both of our train-loving boys were completely captivated (lol).
The bathing area is spacious too, and the changing room has plenty of hair dryers.
There’s a hair dryer right next to the baby cots too, so I was able to slowly dry my own hair for the first time in ages (lol).
Closed on Mondays
It seems to be open on public holidays, but if your stay falls on one, it’s best to double-check on the official Yurakujo website ahead of time!
Dinner at Yurakujo
You can eat dinner right there inside the Yurakujo facility.
It’s set up like a food court, and the menu genres cover plenty of kid-friendly options too, like fried chicken (karaage) and tonkatsu sets, udon, and soba.
You order using the touch panel here!
You can switch the language too.
There’s plenty of seating, from tatami-mat areas to regular tables.
We went on a weekday, so the spacious grounds were nearly empty — it was tough holding the kids back from running wild (lol), but it really did feel like we had the place to ourselves.
Mealtimes on weekends can get crowded. There are also private-room plans available, so if you’d like to take it easy even during busy times, it might be worth booking one.
By the way, since I love spicy food, I decided to try the “mala tang” (a spicy, numbing Sichuan-style soup).
It turned out to be a really authentic, seriously spicy medicinal-herb (yakuzen) mala tang!
I was struggling with the spice so much that my kids got worried — my older son told me, “Just drink apple juice, okay!”, and my younger son held out a piece of fried chicken on his fork for me.
I wouldn’t call myself amazing with spicy food, but I do love it, and personally I felt like this was even spicier than Shin Ramyun, a Korean noodle brand well known in Japan for being especially spicy!
A lot of international guests stay at this hotel, so it really felt like an authentically seasoned dish!
By the way, my husband ordered tonkatsu and the kids had udon — everything we tried was delicious.
Day-Use Visits
Yurakujo also welcomes day-use visitors, without needing to stay overnight.
| Guest | Weekdays | Weekends/Holidays & Select Dates | Included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adults (Junior high school age and up) | 1,800 yen (approx. $12.00) ※1,000 yen (approx. $6.67) after 6 PM | 2,200 yen (approx. $14.67) | In-house robe (similar to a yukata), 岩盤浴 (a Japanese-style heated stone sauna), bath towel, face towel |
| Kids (Ages 6–12) | 900 yen (approx. $6.00) | 900 yen (approx. $6.00) | In-house robe, bath towel, face towel |
| Ages 5 and under | Free | Free | None (bringing your own towels etc. is recommended) |
| Bath towel | 150 yen (approx. $1.00) |
| Face towel | 100 yen (approx. $0.67) |
| Extra in-house robe (kids’ or adults’) | 300 yen (approx. $2.00) each |
This also works great if you just want to use the baths before a flight, or want somewhere to rest after a long journey!
Bedtime
After eating our fill, we headed back to our room.
You can hear some noise from the hallway, but it’s a quiet area where you can barely hear airplanes.
Rental Items for Families with Kids
Baby cots, bed guards, thermometers, humidifiers, nail clippers, and more are all available to borrow.
Kids’ Pricing
Ages 5 and under: completely free (the stay, meals, and Yurakujo itself — all free!)
Ages 6–12: the stay itself is free (meals and Yurakujo access are charged separately)
A note for when you book: don’t include kids who’ll be sharing your bed in the guest count — list them in the “remarks” field instead!
International Resort Hotel Yurakujo
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A Side Note: Nearby Plane-Spotting Spots
- Narita Sakura no Yama (marked with a blue plane icon) — accessible by bus from Narita Station. A famous cherry-blossom spot with a roadside station called “Sora no Eki” (“Sky Station”).
- Hikoki no Oka (“Airplane Hill,” marked with a red plane icon) — accessible by bus from Narita Airport. The Museum of Aeronautical Sciences is nearby.
You can get there by bus, but since buses don’t run very often, I’d recommend driving if you can.
Both spots let you see planes up close. This photo was taken at Hikoki no Oka at a beautiful sunset.
These are great spots to check out if you’re staying at this hotel before a flight. Playing at an indoor play area beforehand is an option too, but personally, I try not to catch a cold right before a trip, so I like heading somewhere outdoors where the kids can run around instead!
In Summary
We used this as a pre-flight stay, but honestly, the whole family had enough fun here that it could easily be a destination in itself.
We got to soak up a genuinely Japanese, festival-like atmosphere, and with so many international guests around, it also put us in the mood to get going on our trip.
Highly recommended whether you’re about to fly out of Narita, or you’ve just landed at night and want somewhere to stay!
Thanks so much for reading all the way to the end.
International Resort Hotel Yurakujo
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There are many hotels near Narita Airport.
