{"id":2019,"date":"2015-10-14T10:16:10","date_gmt":"2015-10-14T01:16:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/japans-best-onsen-towns\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T11:35:31","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T02:35:31","slug":"japans-best-onsen-towns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/japans-best-onsen-towns\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan’s Best Onsen Towns"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"4421620285_5227d3f439_z\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As temperatures around the country fall, now\u00a0is the perfect time to indulge in the Japanese pastime of onsen.\u00a0Best described as a hot spring bathing spa, onsen\u00a0is\u00a0a long held\u00a0tradition in Japan\u00a0and the\u00a0near endless supply of geothermal springs is the one positive aspect of living in a nation of constantly shifting tectonic plates. Below are some of the most highly regarded onsen areas\u00a0in the country.<\/p>\n

Kurokawa Onsen, Kyushu<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The island of Kyushu is known for being perhaps the best area for\u00a0onsen, and\u00a0Kurokawa Onsen is probably the pick of the bunch. Located around 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Mount Aso, it is a beautiful town that has retained its traditional charm and resisted the big money lure of the concrete and neon spa hotels you find elsewhere.\u00a0Kurokawa Onsen is particularly well known for its ‘rotenburo’ (outside baths) next to rushing rivers, such as the Yamamizuki<\/a> bath, considered\u00a0one of the best riverside baths in Japan .<\/p>\n

Beppu Onsen, Oita<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Another Kyushu based onsen area, Beppu, in\u00a0Oita prefecture, is one of the country’s best known, and produces eight different springs. One of the most remarkable things about the onsen in Beppu, aside from the fact that you can see the steam rising up all over the city, is the variety of bath\u00a0types. Rather than just having\u00a0hot water onsen, Beppu also boasts steam baths, hot mud baths and sand baths where bathers are buried in naturally heated sand. If you want to try out the latter, head to Takegawara Spa<\/a>. It was constructed in 1879 and is perhaps Beppu’s most famous bathhouse. Though be warned, the building is partially surrounded by a red light district.<\/p>\n

Kusatsu Onsen, Gunma<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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Located in the mountains of Gunma at 1200 metres (4,000 ft) above sea level, Kusatsu Onsen<\/a> is probably Japan’s most popular spa, and has been listed in Japan’s Top 100 Onsen at number one for the last 12 years in a row. The high quality water, as much as 32,300 liters of\u00a0it being discharged every year\u00a0making it\u00a0the greatest quantity\u00a0in Japan, is said to cure all diseases bar\u00a0love sickness.\u00a0The unique bathing method of jikanyu (where bathers sit in 48 degree water for exactly three minutes) and yumomi (stirring the water\u00a0with long planks for cooling the temperature of the water, also serving as an important pre-bathing exercise) are customs that have been passed down since the Edo period.<\/p>\n

Hakone Onsen, Hakone<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you want an onsen with a view, you can do no worse than gazing out over Mount Fuji as you soak in your spa. It is perhaps more down to its stunning view and its close proximity to Tokyo that makes the spa town of Hakone<\/a> so popular, but what a view it is! Of course not all spas in the area have the advantage of being in eyeshot of the nation’s most enduring symbol, but if you can find one – particularly during the time of the magical Diamond Fuji<\/a> – there is possibly a no greater Japanese experience.<\/p>\n

Noboribetsu Onsen, Hokkaido<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Noboribetsu<\/a> is considered to be the best onsen in the northern island of Hokkaido. Part of the\u00a0Shikotsu-Toya National Park<\/a>, there are nine different kinds of water including various minerals such as iron, salt and sulphur. The latter is considered to be particularly good for the skin, but doesn’t leave you smelling so fresh (as a suggestion: don’t plan a long train journey directly after a sulphur bath. Your fellow passengers will not appreciate it).<\/p>\n

Okuhida Onsen, Gifu<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This one comes with a personal recommendation. Set up in Gifu Prefecture’s\u00a0Northern Japanese Alps, the spa valley\u00a0of Okuhida<\/a> is a beautiful little spot famed for its outdoor rotenburo baths. There are a variety of bathing types, both\u00a0segregated and mixed (some prefectures do not allow mixed bathing, though Gifu is not one of them), with five water sources feeding the towns along the valley. The largest, and oldest, is Hirayu Onsen, and is said to have been discovered\u00a0in the 1560s by Takeda Shingen’s troops as they crossed through the Okuhida region.<\/p>\n

Dogo Onesen, Ehime<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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If you are looking for an onsen with artistic pedigree, Dogo Onsen is the one for you. Mentioned in Japan’s oldest history book, the Nihon Shoki, it also pops up in Shikibu’s he Tale of Genji, Soseki’s Botchan and is the model for the bathhouse in the Ghibli anime Spirited Away.\u00a0The main onsen is the\u00a0Dogo Onsen Honkan,<\/a> a wooden\u00a0structure, dating from\u00a01894. The interior of the Honkan is a maze of traditional stairways and rooms and the old-fashioned baths are furnished with granite stone and marble walls. Beautiful and historical combined.<\/p>\n

Gero Onsen, Gifu<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Just one and a half hours from Nagoya, Gero<\/a> is a lovely town that is worth the trip for onsen lovers and\u00a0ranidaphiles alike. Due to the city’s name sounding like the Japanese sound for ‘ribbit’ (in Japan frogs say ‘gero gero’), there are homages to frogs everywhere, but that is not why most people come. In a dramatic setting amongst the mountains of Gifu and with waters that are said to be particularly good for relieving neuralgia, skin complaints and rheumatism, Gero is an onsen town so old that it was famed in the 10th century and mentioned as being one of Japan’s top three in a document from the\u00a0Muromachi period. Depending on the time of year you can bathe riverside, and all around the city there are small foot baths (ashi-no-yu) for free use.<\/p>\n

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Super Sento\u00a0Options<\/h1>\n
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Onsen in Tokyo<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Tokyo\u00a0has plenty of places you can get to if you are unable to escape the city! Below are a list of the ‘super onsen’ in the Tokyo area. So if you can’t get away to one of the places above, any one of these are a perfectly adequate place to enjoy the onsen experience.<\/p>\n

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  1. Oedo Onsen Monogatari<\/strong> <\/a>in Odaiba: Old Edo recreated for your bathing pleasure)<\/li>\n
  2. Asakusa ROX Matsuri-yu<\/a><\/strong> in Asakusa:\u00a0\u00a0Onsen bathing with a magestic\u00a0view of the Tokyo Sky Tree<\/li>\n
  3. Edo-yu<\/a><\/strong> in Ryogoku:\u00a0Another Edo period spa\u00a0offering bedrock baths, sauna and massage treatments<\/li>\n
  4. La Qua<\/a><\/strong> near Tokyo Dome:\u00a0Highly recommended\u00a0spa treatments.<\/li>\n
  5. Yudokoro<\/a><\/strong> in Kasai: Features the largest outdoor bath in Tokyo.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    Onsen in Yokohama<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Manyo Club Onsen<\/a><\/strong> in Yokohama’s Minato-Mirai district called \u4e07\u8449\u5036\u697d\u90e8 Manyo Club in English is located a short 5 minute walk away from the Minato-Mirai line’s Minato-Mirai \u00a0Station. \u00a0The “super sento”\u00a0carries all the amenities of a fine countryside hot springs hotel but with dramatic views of the Yokohama seaside.<\/p>\n

    Onsen in Nagoya<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Canal Resort<\/a> is in Nakagawa-ku, and is a super sento. \u00a0It probably would not be considered among the “best” of Japan, but its available and very nice!<\/p>\n

    Onsen in\u00a0Kobe<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Arima Onsen<\/a> is a hot spring town within in\u00a0Kobe with a 1,000 years of history behind. \u00a0Located away from the city center, on the other side of Mount Rokko, it enjoys a\u00a0natural setting with a mountainous feel to it,, despite its proximity to Kobe and Osaka.<\/p>\n

    Onsen in Hiroshima<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Yunoyama Hot Spring<\/a> is\u00a0s a traditional hot spring with over 1,000 years of history, it has even been designated an intangible Folk Cultural Asset of Japan.<\/p>\n

    Rules of Onsen<\/h2>\n

    Like many aspects of Japanese culture there is\u00a0etiquette to consider when visiting an onsen, and\u00a0if you wish to impress your hosts it is best if you follow the rules. Before you head to the\u00a0onsen, check out some of the how to’s, do’s and don’ts<\/a> of the onsen experience.<\/p>\n

    Mark Guthrie<\/p>\n

    Photo: flickr.com \u201cKurokawa Onsen, Kyushu<\/a>\u201d by\u00a0David McKelvey<\/a>\u00a0(CC BY-SA 2.0)<\/a>\u00a0-Modified<\/p>\n

    Photo: via flickr.com<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0anjuli_ayer<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0(CC BY-SA 2.0)<\/a>\u00a0-Modified<\/p>\n

    Photo: via f<\/a>lickr.com\u00a0<\/a>by\u00a0Christian Kaden<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0(CC BY-SA 2.0)<\/a>\u00a0-Modified<\/p>\n

    Photo: via f<\/a>lickr.com\u00a0<\/a>by\u00a0Takanori Ishikawa<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0(CC BY-SA 2.0)<\/a>\u00a0-Modified<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    As temperatures around the country fall, now\u00a0is the perfect time to indulge in the Japanese pastime of onsen.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":2020,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,59,37,82],"tags":[89,73,114,47,45],"class_list":["post-2019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-japan","category-life-in-japan","category-tokyo-2","category-travel","tag-february","tag-january","tag-onsen","tag-tokyo-city-2","tag-tokyo-metropolis-2"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2019"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2019\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51125,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2019\/revisions\/51125"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2020"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}