About 18 kilometers east of Toyako, Hokkaido’s most celebrated onsen resort has it all. Mountain scenery, fantastic hot spring baths, and a close-up look at the geothermal forces that make the hot springs possible.
Jigoku Dani, which means Hell Valley, is a name you’ll find at several onsens thro...
A wonderful combination of hot spring and beach resort, Kaike Onsen is located in Tottori's Yonago city, next to Shimane and within view of Mt. Daisen. The white beach has been voted one of Japan's hundred best, and the hot springs were discovered in 1890 when a local fisherman found hot water gush...
Tucked deep in the Northern Alps of Gifu Prefecture, the Oku Hida Onsen Villages are actually five separate alpine hot springs, and an absolute delight to anyone who takes pleasure in hot water, mountain scenery and the sound of high rivers rushing over stone.
The five villages are Hirayu, Fukuc...
One of Japan's most famous hot springs, Tamatsukuri Onsen is an assortment of modern and traditional resort inns lining the Tamayu River about two kilometers from Shimane Prefecture's Lake Shinji.
The hot springs here have been valued for their therapeutic effects for at least 1,600 years. The tow...
For those who don't have time to split their trip between Matsue and Tamatsukuri Onsen, an obvious choice is to visit Matsue Shinji-ko Hot Springs, on the shore of the lake. The inns and hotels here are a bit expensive, but the amenities make them well worth the money if you're feeling indulgent. ...
The little town of Yunotsu was once a prosperous port for the shipment of silver from Iwami Ginzan. Today it's primarily a fishing port and hot springs town, small but intensely atmospheric, with the scenic road winding up from the port to the hot springs wide enough for a single car and lined with...
For a break from Beppu’s usual onsen routine, head to the beach for a sunayu, or sand bath.
There are two places in Beppu where you can try this unusual style of bathing. Beppu Beach Sand Bath is one of them. Located in Shoninga-hama Park, at Beppu Beach Sand Bath you’ll have a view of Beppu ...
Like Akan ko to the north, Toya ko is a beautiful caldera lake, nearly circular and about ten kilometers across. The lake is graced with four wooded islands, accessible by boat from the hot springs resort town of Toya Ko Onsen. Both the lake and the town are located within the Shikotsu-Toya National...
The sulfur hot springs of Myoban Onsen, set in the hills north of Beppu, have drawn visitors for centuries. Today, the onsen’s relatively quiet atmosphere makes it a good escape from the crowds and flashiness of its better-known neighbor.
Scattered around Myoban you’ll see low, thatched buildin...
The handsome old Takegawara Onsen is a Beppu Landmark. Established in 1879, the faÁade of the building was added in 1938, and the elegant high-ceilinged lobby invites lingering. But of course, the real attraction here is the baths. Takegawara’s water is quite hot, and will take some getting used ...
This resort and amusement park takes its hot spring them to extremes, with over 25 water attractions. From the Mediterranean atmosphere of the “God’s Aegean Sea” to the Turkish Hamam and the coffee, wine, green tea and sake baths, visitors to Kowakien Yunessun can choose among some of the strangest...
Lake Shinji, or Shinji-ko, is Japan's seventh largest, and connected by a lagoon to the Japan sea. As a result, the lake hosts a bounty of marine life. In Matsue, Shimane's prefectural capital, travelers flock to sample Kyodo ryori, an assortment of seven dishes drawn from the waters of the lake. ...
For 1,300 years, both locals and visitors have enjoyed the Iwai Hot Springs, located on Tottori's Gamo River. Among onsen aficionados, Iwai is known both for its special bathing song and for the custom called "yukamuri," in which hot water is ladled up and poured over the bather's towel-covered hea...
800 years ago, according to legend, a samurai named Okubo Samanosuke was traveling through modern day Tottori prefecture. In return for his having spared the life of a white wolf, Myoken, god of the North Star, appeared in his dreams and directed him to a steaming hot spring, the origin for the famo...
Just north of the quaint city of Kurayoshi, visitors will find Lake Togo, with Hawai Onsen on the western shore and Togo Onsen on the east. At Hawai, the hot water gushes from the floor of the lake, and some of the hotels are built to look as though they rise straight from the water. At Togo, orch...
