Onsen
Hot spring baths and ryokan experiences
35 spots
Kirishima Onsen Village
The Kirishima volcanic highland is home to some of Kyushu's most celebrated hot spring villages. The Kirishima-Kinkowan…
Ureshino Onsen — Skin-Softening Miracle Waters
Ureshino Onsen is called 'bijin no yu' (beautiful woman's water) — the sodium bicarbonate-rich water has a slippery, sil…
Takeo Onsen Motoyu — Japan's Oldest Public Bath
Motoyu, the central public bath of Takeo Onsen, occupies a building constructed in 1915 in the style of a Noh stage — a…
Saga Onsen Hizen Yumo — Scenic Mineral Spring Spa
Located 20km south of Saga City in the Sefurisan mountain range, Hizen Yumo Onsen is a concentrated cluster of three ryo…
Ureshino Onsen Ryokan Night Walk
Ureshino's 30 ryokan are concentrated within 800 meters of riverside corridor — close enough that walking the onsen town…
Obama Onsen — Longest Hot Spring Footbath in Japan
Obama Onsen is a coastal hot spring town facing the Tachibana Bay, known for having the highest water temperature of any…
Yamaga Onsen & Lantern Festival
Yamaga Onsen is a 1,800-year-old hot spring town in northern Kumamoto with alkaline waters (pH 9.5) that leave skin feel…
Kurokawa Onsen — Rustic Mountain Hot Spring Village
Kurokawa Onsen (黒川温泉) is a preserved onsen village in the mountains north of Mt. Aso, designed to look like an Edo-perio…
Yufuin — Mountain Onsen Town with Mt. Yufu View
Yufuin is a highland hot spring resort (elevation 450m) set in a basin surrounded by mountains, most notably Mt. Yufu (1…
Beppu Sand Bath — Buried on the Beach
Takegawara Onsen (竹瓦温泉), operating since 1879, offers Beppu's most accessible sand bath experience. Visitors wear yukata…
Hyotan Onsen — Family-Run Traditional Bath
Hyotan Onsen (ひょうたん温泉) is a family-operated bathhouse in Kannawa that has won 'Best Onsen in Japan' rankings multiple ti…
Myoban Onsen — Yunohana Sulfur Huts
Myoban Onsen is a hot spring district on Beppu's western hillside famous for yunohana (湯の花, 'hot spring flowers') — crys…
Nagayu Onsen — Carbonated Hot Spring Soak
Nagayu Onsen (長湯温泉) in Taketa City is one of Japan's few naturally carbonated hot springs (炭酸泉, tansan-sen). The water c…
Ibusuki Sand Bath — Buried Alive on the Beach
Ibusuki is famous for sunamushi onsen (砂むし温泉) — hot sand baths where attendants bury visitors up to the neck in naturall…
Arima Onsen — Gold & Silver Hot Springs Since 631 CE
Arima Onsen (有馬温泉) is Japan's oldest onsen resort, with 1,400-year bathing history documented since 631 CE. The town is…
Kinosaki Onsen — Seven Public Bath Pilgrimage
Kinosaki Onsen (城崎温泉) is a traditional hot spring town famous for its seven public bathhouses (外湯, sotoyu) — each with d…
Echigo-Yuzawa Onsen — Snow Country Hot Spring Town
Echigo-Yuzawa is the onsen town that inspired Yasunari Kawabata's Nobel Prize-winning novel 'Snow Country' (雪国, 1948) —…
Unazuki Onsen — Gateway Hot Spring to Kurobe Gorge
Unazuki Onsen (宇奈月温泉) is Toyama's premier hot spring resort town, nestled at the entrance to Kurobe Gorge where the Kuro…
Awara Onsen — Historic Hot Spring Resort Town
Awara Onsen (芦原温泉) is Fukui's premier hot spring resort, established in 1883 when a farmer accidentally discovered therm…
Tamatsukuri Onsen — 1,300-Year Beauty Hot Spring
Tamatsukuri Onsen (玉造温泉) is a 1,300-year-old hot spring resort famous for beautifying waters rich in sulfate and chlorid…
Dogo Onsen Honkan — Japan's Oldest Hot Spring Bathhouse
Dogo Onsen Honkan is Japan's most famous public bathhouse, a three-story wooden castle-like structure built in 1894 that…
Bessho Onsen — Mountain Hot Spring Resort
Bessho Onsen is a secluded hot spring resort nestled in the mountains near Mt. Ishizuchi, known for its milky-white sulf…
Iya Onsen Cliff Bath — Riverside Rotenburo via Cable Car
Hotel Iya Onsen (ホテル祖谷温泉) operates one of Japan's most dramatically positioned outdoor baths — a riverside rotenburo (露天…
Takegashima Hot Spring — Seaside Onsen with Pacific Views
Takegashima Onsen (竹ヶ島温泉) is a small hot spring resort on Tokushima's southern coast, featuring outdoor baths overlookin…
Aoni Onsen — Lamp-Lit Mountain Retreat
Aoni Onsen (青荷温泉) is a remote mountain hot spring inn accessible only via narrow forest road (or on foot), where electri…
Hanamaki Onsen — Hot Spring Resort Town
Hanamaki Onsen is a collection of hot spring resort villages in the mountains west of Hanamaki City, including Hanamaki…
Naruko Onsen Hot Spring Town
Naruko Onsen has soothed travelers for over 1,000 years, a mountain hot spring town nestled in a volcanic valley where f…
Sakunami Onsen
Sakunami Onsen has welcomed travelers for over 1,500 years, a riverside hot spring town nestled in a forested mountain v…
Nyuto Onsen — Rustic Mountain Hot Springs Village
Nyuto Onsen (乳頭温泉郷) is a cluster of seven secluded hot spring inns deep in the Towada-Hachimantai National Park, 50 kilo…
Ginzan Onsen — Taisho-Era Hot Spring Romance
Ginzan Onsen is a tiny hot spring village preserved in Taisho-era (1912-1926) architectural style, with multi-story wood…
Zao Onsen — Sulfur Springs and Ski Resort Village
Zao Onsen is a high-altitude hot spring village at 880 meters elevation on the slopes of Mt. Zao, one of Japan's oldest…
Atsumi Onsen — Mogami River Hot Springs and Ryokan Tradition
Atsumi Onsen is a small hot spring village along the Atsumi River (a tributary of the Mogami River) about 40 minutes fro…
Higashiyama Onsen — Samurai Retreat Hot Spring Town
Higashiyama Onsen (東山温泉) is a historic hot spring town nestled in a mountain valley 5km east of Aizu-Wakamatsu, where st…
Spa Resort Hawaiians — Indoor Tropical Water Park & Hula Shows
Spa Resort Hawaiians (スパリゾートハワイアンズ) is Japan's largest indoor water park, a surreal tropical complex featuring constant…
Iwaki Yumoto Onsen — 1,600-Year-Old Coastal Hot Springs
Iwaki Yumoto Onsen (いわき湯本温泉) is one of Japan's oldest documented hot spring resorts, with written records dating to 556…