Oirase Keiryu Hotel with Kids: Winter Onsen, Apple Buffet & Frozen Ice Falls
Day 1–2 of our Aomori winter trip | Kids: a toddler and a preschooler
We stayed at Oirase Keiryu Hotel during our winter trip to Aomori, mostly because we wanted our kids to experience snow in a proper winter setting — and it ended up being one of the most memorable stays we’ve had as a family.
Quick Info
| Location | Oirase, Aomori Prefecture |
| Stay length | 1 night |
| Room type | Superior Room (shower only, no bathtub) |
| Kid policy | Children up to 6 could share a futon with us at no extra cost |
| English support | Staff comfortable communicating in English; many international guests |
| Season visited | Winter |
| Our kids | a toddler and a preschooler |
Checking In
We noticed quite a few international guests at check-in, and the staff seemed comfortable communicating in English. The hotel itself is stylish and refined — it’s not overrun with young families, but the hospitality was excellent.
Hachinohe, where we’d just come from, had very little snow — but here, the area around the hotel had plenty of snow. Our kids, who rarely see snow at home, immediately started pointing outside and saying, “Yuki da!” (It’s snow!) the moment we arrived.
The Room
We stayed in a Superior Room — shower only, no bathtub in-room. There was a large icicle visible right outside our window, which startled (and delighted) the kids. Worth checking in advance, but at this property, kids up to age 6 could share a futon with us at no extra cost — a small detail that made a big difference for our budget and convenience.
The Onsen
The outdoor bath (rotenburo) was our favorite — you can soak while taking in the outdoor scenery. The water quality felt lighter and cleaner compared to Aomoriya, our second hotel on this trip. In winter, there’s a special outdoor bath designed to resemble a frozen waterfall. It’s cold getting in, but warms up fast, and our older one loved it.
A quick note for families with very young kids: generally, children who aren’t potty-trained aren’t taken into the large communal baths. Our toddler, still in diapers, used the in-room shower instead.
The Main Activity: Chasing the Winter Ice Falls
Oirase is technically off-season in winter. But winter brings a view you simply can’t see any other time of year — frozen ice falls — and seeing them was one of our main reasons for this trip.
The hotel runs a free illuminated ice fall tour (guided only in Japanese). We took a night bus out to the viewing spot, and according to our guide, the spot isn’t a waterfall at all in summer — it’s the freezing process itself that creates this waterfall-like illusion. Because the area is a protected zone, the lighting isn’t permanently installed; instead, a car carrying lights travels along with the tour bus to illuminate the falls as you go.
My kids are big Frozen fans, so naturally my daughter started singing “Let It Go” and my son kept asking “Did Elsa make this? Where’s Olaf?” 😄 The tour lasted about 30 minutes and was completely manageable with young kids — just make sure everyone’s properly bundled up, because it is cold.
We also joined a paid optional bus tour through Oirase Gorge and on to Lake Towada (Japanese-language only, though a few other international guests joined too, and the narration leaned adult-oriented). Round trip plus the Lake Towada stop took about an hour total. The kids stayed surprisingly calm throughout, seemingly captivated just by how unfamiliar the snowy scenery looked, and we got lucky with clear skies — Lake Towada was beautiful, and the kids enjoyed playing in the snow during our stop there.
Food
We had dinner and breakfast at Aomori Apple Kitchen, a buffet-style restaurant. Apple-based dishes are the specialty, with mostly Western-style cuisine — and honestly, even as a Japanese person, some of the apple-infused dishes were more creative than I expected. There was an apple juice tasting flight too, which really showcased Aomori’s reputation as a top apple-growing region. My fruit-loving kids were in heaven with apple chips, fresh apples, and apple juice on repeat. My top recommendation: the apple pie for dessert, where you can add your own soft-serve ice cream on top.
For breakfast, the French toast was the standout — the tartness of the apple jam paired with it so well that we went back for seconds. Before dinner, we also spent time at the East Wing Lounge, where the kids quickly became obsessed with the free-flowing apple juice while we relaxed by the huge fireplace.
What My Kids Loved Most
Our younger one
- The icicle outside our hotel window
- Snow around the hotel grounds — building footprints and a small snowman, plenty of fun without needing to go far
- The apple juice at the East Wing Lounge
Our older one
- The frozen-waterfall-shaped outdoor bath
- Singing along to “Let It Go” during the ice fall tour
- Walking out to the bridge view of Oirase Stream (the main path is closed in winter, but staff pointed us to this spot) and finding what she called a “heart-shaped” piece of ice
Things to Know Before You Go
Some tours are adult-oriented in content
The Oirase Gorge & Lake Towada tour narration is aimed at adults and may not hold a toddler’s attention fully — though ours stayed calm and curious regardless.
Check the futon-sharing policy
Kids up to 6 could share a futon with us here at no extra charge — worth confirming directly if you’re booking with young children.
The in-room bath is shower-only
If a bathtub is important to your routine, check room types — our Superior Room had shower only.
FAQ
Is Oirase Keiryu Hotel good for families with young children? Yes, though it’s more popular with couples and international tourists than large families. The hospitality and facilities work well for young kids, including futon-sharing options for children up to 6.
Are the hotel tours available in English? The ice fall tour and the Oirase Gorge & Lake Towada tour we joined were Japanese-language only, though some international guests joined regardless.
Is the Oirase Stream walking path open in winter? The main path is closed, but you can still view the Stream from a nearby bridge near the Oirase Gorge Museum.
Are there restaurants to eat lunch? There’s a pizzeria near the hotel, but dining options in the immediate area are fairly limited. We ended up stopping by Ara, Ringo. for apple-based desserts instead, since we were still quite full from breakfast.
Our Route at a Glance
A quick visual of everywhere we stayed and explored during our 3 days in Aomori.
