Onsen activities in Asia
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Minakami Onsen
Minakami Onsen is a thriving onsen town that frequented by couples. If you’re not interested in a romantic rendezvous, you can white-water raft in the summer. To get there, take the Jōetsu Line from Takasaki to Minakami Station ( tokkyū/futsū ¥2360/950, 54/64 minutes). From the station, the onsen is a pleasant 15-minute walk. Or take the Jōetsu shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Jōmō-Kōgen Station (¥5240, 1¼ hours), then a 15-minute shuttle bus (¥600).
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Chōjūkan Inn
To get to the gorgeous, wood-walled inn at Hōshi Onsen, take the Jōetsu shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Jōmō-Kōgen Station (¥5240, 1¼ hours). From there, take the bus for Sarugakyō Onsen (30 minutes). At the last stop, take another bus for Hoshi Onsen (25 minutes). Try to arrive around noon to sample the inn’s mountain-vegetable steamed rice. The highlight here is the all-wooden indoor mixed bath, a masterpiece of onsen architecture. There are also segregated open-air baths.
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Jakotsu-yu
One of the hottest onsen in town, with mineral-rich dark water at 45˚C.
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Ikaho Onsen
Ikaho Onsen is a great public bath with views of Mt Haruna. To get there, take the Jōetsu Line from Takasaki to Shibukawa Station ( futsū ¥400, 25 minutes), and then a local bus to the onsen (¥550, 20 minutes). There’s also a shuttle bus from the east exit of Takasaki Station to Ikaho Onsen Bus Terminal (¥1000, 55 minutes, three daily), and buses from Shinjuku (¥2300, 2½ hours, nine daily).
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Kusatsu Onsen
Kusatsu Onsen is a quintessential old-time onsen town. Take the Agatsuma Line from Takasaki to Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station ( futsū ¥1110, 87 minutes), then a local bus to the onsen (¥670, 30 minutes). There is an express bus from Shinjuku Station New South Exit Bus Terminal (¥3200, 4¼ hours, nine daily).
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Tenzan
This large, popular bath is 2km southwest of town; weekends and holidays can be busy. A free shuttle bus runs from the bridge near Hakone-Yumoto Station. After soaking in rotemburo of varying temperatures and designs (one is constructed to resemble a natural cave), the 20-minute walk back down the hill along the river is invigorating.
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Yashio-No-Yu Onsen
Yashio-no-yu Onsen, a modern hot-spring complex, has open-air baths, saunas and a large indoor bath. Take a Chūzenji-bound bus from either train station in Nikkō; it’s a 12-minute ride to the Kiyomizu-itchōme stop. Walk back towards Nikkō, under the bypass and across the bridge.
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Ogurayama Onsen
One of Nikkō’s best soaks, Ogurayama Onsen, is a jazzy, modern onsen with indoor and outdoor baths. A cafe-bar serves up beer and sake from ¥500. It’s in the foothills past the Nikkō Chirifuri Ice Arena, east of Tōshō-gū.
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Yumoto Onsen
Yumoto Onsen is a quiet onsen, with several hotel baths as well as those at Yumoto Onsen-ji temple about 30 minutes from Chūzenji-kō by bus (¥840) and can be a good way to wrap up a day spent trudging between temples and shrines.
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Asakusa Kannon Onsen
A large, old-school bathhouse – look for its ivy-covered exterior near Sensō-ji.
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Kappa Tengoku
Just up the hill from Hakone-Yumoto Station, Kappa Tengoku is a nice rotemburo (outdoor bath) if it’s not crowded.
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Yunosato
Also sentō style, known for its distinctive round stone bathtubs.
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Yume-no-yu Onsen
After a long hike, this welcoming onsen, just in front of JR Aso Station, has wonderful indoor and outdoor pools, a large sauna and private 'family' bath (¥1000 per hour).
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Yuda Onsen
Just west of the city is the 800-year-old Yuda Onsen. The area is covered in a rash of hotels and bathing facilities, mostly along a busy main road; it's not a place for tottering between baths in your yukata. Still, if you've got a bit of time to kill in Yamaguchi, a soak here isn't a bad way to spend a few hours.
You can use the baths at the large Hotel Kamefuku , the less-crowded Kokuminshukusha Koteru and, for a taste of luxury, the traditional ryokan Umenoya.
There's a tourist information office on the main road, where you can pick up a map and guide to all the baths.
Buses run regularly to Yuda Onsen bus stop from Yamaguchi Station (¥190, 10 minutes). They drop you on…
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Yanagi-yu
Worth a quick soak as you make your way around town. Nice wooden construction.
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Utsukushi-ga-hara & Asama Onsen
Northeast of town, Utsukushi-ga-hara Onsen (not to be confused with Utsukushi-ga-hara Kōgen) is the more beautiful of these two bathing areas, with a quaint main street and views across the valley. Asama Onsen's history is said to date back to the 10th century and includes writers and poets, though it looks quite generic now. Hot Plaza Asama feels like a neighbourhood sentō but boasts many pools and sauna.
Both towns are easily reached by bus from Matsumoto's bus terminal (Utsukushi-ga-hara Onsen: ¥330, 18 minutes, twice hourly; Asama Onsen: ¥350, 23 minutes, hourly).
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Unzen Spa House
This large bathing complex also has glass-blowing workshops (lessons ¥2000 to ¥3000 per 10 to 15 minutes).
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Shin-yu
Simple sentō (public bath) style with lots of local colour.
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Sato-no-yu
Fantastic variety of baths, including Arab-themed saunas, rooftop rotemburo and a 'Penguin Sauna' (basically a walk-in freezer – the only one we've seen anywhere – good after a hot bath). Women's and men's baths shift floors daily, so you'll have to go two days in a row to sample all of the offerings.
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Onsen
There are many onsen in and around Hakuba- mura, but Mimizuku-no-yu, near the Hotel Hakuba, has some of the best mountain views from the tub.
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Nagomi-no-sato
An onsen complex a 15-minute walk along the main road south of the Mori museum.
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Mandara-yu
Small wooden rotemburo.
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Kou-no-yu
Nothing fancy, but a good rotemburo and pleasant inside baths.
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Kojigoku
Super-rustic wooden public bath, a few minutes' drive or about 15 minutes on foot from the village centre.
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Kamikōchi Onsen Hotel
On cold or drizzly days, the hot baths here are a refreshing respite.
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