Hatsukaichi City

Hot springs, or ‘onsen,’ are a great idea any time of year, but there’s something about being outside and up to your chin in hot water that just really appeals in the depths of winter. Fortunately, you don’t need to book a room at one of the famous Kyushu hot springs towns, which are entirely overrun with tourists anyway. There are plenty of choices for a spontaneous hot springs getaway right here in Hiroshima. Two words of warning. Even if you’re a complete novice, you doubtless know that there’s more to taking an onsen bath than just stripping down and entering the tub with a flawlessly executed back somersault. But if you want more in the way of guidance, you’ll find a good rundown of basic etiquette here. Also, in this part of Japan, many (but by no means all) natural hot springs contain trace amounts of radon. Locals insist that the stuff is not only harmless, but beneficial, and the presence of the element is a selling point for these onsens. In their defense, at least one study of Misasa in Tottori Prefecture, where radon levels are three times as high as elsewhere, found significantly fewer cancer fatalities over…