Soak next to monkeys or in a sake bath at these onsens.
As caption has it , a Buddhistic monk by the name of Dochi Shoninwas travel across Japan about 1,300 years ago , in hunting of healing waters to help cure the ill , when he stumble upon the small cragged hamlet of Kinosaki . He was told he needed to pray to the local shrine atOnsenji Temple , half style up Mount Daishi , and on the 1,000 day of prayer , hot water supply came gushing out of the earth as a souvenir of gratitude from a guardian immortal .
Today , the natural hot natural spring in Kinosaki find just as magical . A foundation of Japanese wellness , onsens ( hot springs ) have long been a place where Quaker , family , and community come together and soak in the collective healing tycoon rule in the mineral rich water .
traveler extend to make the pilgrimage one-half elbow room up Mount Daishi to this day ( though now you’re able to also take a cable railcar ) to give their respect . Though it ’s definitely not required to bow one ’s head and consider all who ’ve come before , the act of doing so serves as a reminder of just how ancient Japan ’s onsen culture is to the hoi polloi who call this majestic res publica nursing home .
Photo courtesy of ANA InterContinental Beppu Resort & Spa
arrange directly on the Pacific Ring of Fire , Japanis comprised of 7,000 island , 200 volcanoes , and an estimated 25,000 hot bound , so it ’s no wonderment given how ubiquitous they are that they ’ve long played an important role in Japanese history .
Like most cultural traditions that go back thousands of years , there ’s middling of a learning curve and some etiquette regard here . Some pool are sex - specific or have a strict no - tattoo policy . There are also consideration about where ( and when ) you remove your shoes and protocols both before and after bathing . Keep in mind it ’s an experience to bath totally defenseless with a bunch of strangers .
You could easily do a 24-hour interval trip to Hakone fromTokyoor mind to a wizardly off - the - power system onsen town bid Shuzenji on the Izu Peninsula . From where to go to what to know , here ’s how to go spicy bounce hopping across Japan mighty now .
Photo courtesy of JNTO
Hop on a Romance Car and head to hot spring heaven in Hakone
One of the most democratic day trip for local anesthetic and visitors outside ofTokyo , Hakoneis an easy - admittance great deal getaway with plenty of onsens to save . For one of the most unique experiences in town , Yunessunis an onsen - themed waterpark — but nothing like the raucous , slippery resort area in the US . Yunessun is complete with a coffee bath , wine-coloured tub , cave bathing tub , sake and green tea leaf tub . democratic with traveler of all ages , it offers one of the most scenic outdoor hot spring with views over the Hakone mountains .
There ’s plenty of traditional ryokans ( Japanese lodge ) and bathhouses lining the banks of the Sukumo River , includingHakone Hatsuhana . Reopened in 2022 , the hotel offers a admixture of Japanese and Western style room , private and public onsens , and locally inspired cuisine at their on - site restaurant . Just downstream , Tenzan Onsenis a democratic public bathhouse with an first-class onsite café to soak in the views with a beverage in manus pre- or post - soak .
For the easiest and most lineal route there , take the Odakyu Limited Express from Tokyo ’s Shinjuku Station . The " Romance Car " to Hakone - Yumoto Station pick out about an time of day and twenty minutes . Hot tip : pay up a bit and grab a seat in the front reflection auto for bird’s-eye view along the elbow room .
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Head south to the “Hells of Beppu”
Steaming valley , bubbling streams , and stewing guts beach burst in the southern island of Kyushu , where the metropolis of Beppu is home to more than 2,000 hot leaping . Among these is the illusive “ Jigoku Meguri , " a course of eight hot spring nickname “ the spell of hell . ”
Whether you ’re look to stay in some earnestly luxe digs ( or have some change of location points to burn),ANA InterContinental Beppu Resort & Spaopened as the first international hot natural spring hotel in the country . Every room comes with its own red-hot - spring - run hot bathtub on the balcony with opinion over Beppu and the Sea of Japan in the aloofness . The on - siteHARNN Heritage Spa ’s Memoir of Beppu spa handling will swallow you mind , body , and soul with body brushing , clay mask , massage , and a tub ritual .
Set at the foot of Mount Yufu , Hoshino Resorts KAI Yufuinopened in August 2022and offers multiple indoor / outside spicy leap baths in addition to traditional Kaiseki meals . Whatever you do , it ’s deserving a sojourn to experience a traditional public bathtub atTakegawara Onsendowntown andBeppu Beach Sand Bathfor a prospect to be buried in spicy , mineral rich gumption .
Photo courtesy of Hoshino Resorts
To reach Beppu , it ’s about an hour and half flight from Haneda Airport to Oita Airport or six hours by Shinkansen ( slug gearing ) Sonic Limited train from Tokyo .
Soak with Japanese snowmonkeysin Nagano
Home to theJigokudani Snow Monkey Park , where adorable red - faced macaques fall down from the mountains to warm up up in the thermal pools , Nagano Prefecture is teeming with hot bound township and ski stamping ground . If you manoeuver north , Nozawa Onsenis a sleepy-eyed village with 13 traditional - panache public bathhouses and onsens date back to the Edo Period .
At its bosom , Nozawa Onsen Ski Resortis a great place to post up for a few nighttime if you want to strike the slopes — and an even better place to unwind and relax at the regalia oftraditional onsensat the base of the mountain afterwards . Closer to the Snow Monkey Park , in the flock of Nagano , Shibu Onsenis a traditional hot spring township that dates back 1,300 long time . The Ithiel Town come chock full of historical architecture and nine wizard hostelry , includingKanaguya , a 250 - class onetime ryokan with a mix of private and public bath .
FromTokyo , it ’s about an hour and a half train drive to Nagano via the JR Hokuriku Shinkansen .
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Step back in time at the seven mystic onsens of Kinosaki
A sojourn to Kinosaki is like taking a measure back in time . protrude your sojourn with a short hike toOnsenji Temple , where you could pay your respect to the shrine that started it all . From there , the townsfolk ’s seven mystic bathing machine are all within walk distance , and it ’s standard pattern for visitant and local anesthetic to hot - bound hop their way around town in a yukata ( Japanese robe ) .
While most of the ryokans have individual bathing tub , Nishimuraya Honkanis a nine - key boutique that offers garden - side rooms , some of which come with their own personal , receptive - zephyr bath .
To get there , travel two and a one-half hours by JR Limited train from Kyoto or three hour from Osaka .
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Seek serenity in Shuzenji, aka “little Kyoto”
Thanks to its small bamboo forest , ancient tabernacle , and traditional ryokans , Shuzenji has been telephone “ little Kyoto ” minus the gang . Named for the Shuzenji Temple , which dates back some 1,200 years , it ’s not only one of the honest-to-goodness and most democratic onsen towns along Japan ’s Izu Peninsula , it ’s easy the most beautiful . You ’ll witness a bathhouse unfastened to the public atHakoyuand infantry baths lining the river that bunk direct through town .
Arai Ryokanis one of the effective places to post up and offer up a mix of private and public raging outpouring along with 31 traditional guestrooms . The onsite eating place offer a bounty of locally sourced seafood and develop , all of which comes with the freshly grated wasabi that grows in the region .
Just up the route , Asabadates back to 1675 and is one the most luxurious ryokans in townsfolk . With cultural computer programming like their riverbank theater output , the open - tune onsen , and kaiseki dinner at the onsite eating house , this lodge will truly transport you to a bygone epoch .
Flickr/Nishimuraya Kinosaki Onsen
After going two hours by train from Tokyo , take the JR Tokaido Shinkansen Line to Mishima Station . From there , take the Izu - Hakone Sunzu Line for about 40 minutes to Shuzenji Station .
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Head north for the healing hot springs of Hokkaido
Japan ’s northmost island of Hokkaido is widely known for its world - famous ski resorts and immense hilly terrain . But its abundance of outdoor rude hot springs and volcanic lakes have long made it a hot bounce address well worth the visit .
inhale by the indigenous Ainu people who once last here , Kai Porotois an artsy onsen hotel that opened in 2022 . Set along the slide with thought over the eponymous lake , the ryokan offers a generous mixture of western and Japanese manner rooms and suite .
Head about an minute down the seashore and you ’ll find the haunt Ithiel Town ofNoboribetsu , which is renowned for its natural thermal hot give and volcanic crater called Jigokudani . call “ Hell Valley , ” this volcanic crater is one of Hokkaido ’s most fabled venue for hot saltation seekers .
There ’s plenty of home to hang your hat here , but for your own secret in - way onsen , headland toBourou Noguchi Noboribetsu . The retreat offers one of the streamlined stop in town with a grampus kaiseki dinner experience to match .
To get there , take an 60 minutes and a half flightfromTokyo ’s Haneda Airport to Sapporo ’s New Chitose Airport .
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Photo by Michelle Gross
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