Earth Hostel — Nikko Riverhouse
Book Your Stay
A hostel on the river in the mountains of southern Nikko.
Fireflies along the river. Shooting stars overhead.
Open spring through late autumn
Reserve Your Room
Select your dates, choose your room type, and confirm directly — no booking fees, no third-party markups.
What’s Included
Your Room
Choose from Japanese tatami dorms (8 or 10 beds, bunk style) or private Annex Riverside Rooms for up to 4 guests with private toilet and sink. Every bed has its own space. Every room has air conditioning — heating and cooling.
The River
Earth Hostel sits directly on the Kurokawa (Black River) in southern Nikko. Swim from the hostel beach, listen to the current from your room, or simply sit by the water at any hour — no curfew, no lockout.
Shared Facilities
Free Wi-Fi throughout the property — rooms, common area, open air lounge, even the beach. Shared showers in what was originally an onsen. A warm upstairs common room for planning tomorrow’s adventures.
Good to Know Before You Book
Check-in & Check-out
Check-in: 4:00 PM – 11:00 PM. Check-out: before 10:00 AM. If you need to arrive earlier or leave later, a day use service is available for a fee — 1,000 yen per person for guests staying 2 or more nights, 2,000 yen for single-night stays. Day use requires your own transport or our hostel shuttle from Shimogoshiro or Fubasami stations. Children 2 and under stay free. Children 3–6 are half price on direct bookings only.
Getting Here
Take the Tobu Nikko Line or JR Nikko Line to Nikko, then use our free hostel shuttle to reach us in the Okorogawa area of southern Nikko. Full shuttle details and pickup instructions are provided at booking confirmation.
A Few House Rules
No pets. No snorers in shared dorms — if you know you snore, please book a private room. Staff speak English. Luggage storage is not available on site; station coin lockers are your best option for day bags.
When We’re Open
Earth Hostel operates seasonally — spring through late autumn. We close for winter. Check the booking widget above for live availability, or visit our FAQ for more detail on seasonal dates.
This is not your ordinary hostel. There are no souvenir shops, no city lights nearby. Only stars, trees, mountains — and a river that runs beneath your window all night long. In summer, fireflies drift through the dark along the riverbank. Out in the open-air lounge, stick insects, praying mantis, and Japanese rhinoceros beetles make their unhurried appearances — the kind of wildlife encounter you don’t plan for. And every morning, before anything else, you wake up to birds.