Ikaho Onsen Stone Steps — Historic Spa Town

Ikaho Onsen (伊香保温泉) is a hillside hot spring resort centered on 365 stone steps (石段街, ishidan-gai) lined with ryokan, souvenir shops, cafes, and game arcades. The town's iconic stairway — each step representing one day of the year — dates to the 16th century and climbs 300 meters through the resort's heart. The steps are atmospheric, especially at night when paper lanterns illuminate the ascent and steam rises from drainage channels carrying overflow hot spring water.

Ikaho is famous for two spring sources: kogane-no-yu (黄金の湯, 'golden water,' iron-rich, reddish-brown) and shirogane-no-yu (白銀の湯, 'silver water,' clear, metasilicic acid-rich). The golden water flows visibly along the stone steps in wooden channels, giving the street a constant soundtrack of running water. The resort is more accessible and family-friendly than Kusatsu, with retro charm from its Showa-era heyday (1950s-70s) when it was Tokyo's premier weekend onsen getaway.