Great Onsens?

32 comments

1. The [Nyuto Onsen group](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3650.html), specifically [Tsurunoyu](http://www.tsurunoyu.com/english.html) is amazing. If you stay at one of the eight hotels, you can travel between them by forest trails. If you are just passing through, make sure to check the “open to the public” schedules.

   [Dogo Onsen](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5502.html) is obviously worth checking out. Unfortunately, I only had an hour to spare when I visited so I couldn’t do one of the more involved courses. Though, it looks like [everything but the first baths are currently under renovation](https://dogo.jp/onsen/honkan#status), so it might not be worth checking out any time soon.

   Edit: If you’re looking for something a little different, the [black sand onsens](https://www.kagoshima-kankou.com/s/for/areaguides/sandbath/about.cfm) of Ibusuki, Kagoshima are quite relaxing. It’s more akin to a steam room than a bath.

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3. one of the best I’ve visited is 小梨の湯 笹屋 in Nagano

4. Have you been to Unzen? [https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/721/](https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/721/)

5. I went to Suimeikan on Gero and it was amazing

6. Maguse Onsen in Nagano is my favourite of the ones I’ve visited. The view down the valley in winter while soaking in the outdoor bath is awesome. I also liked Happuno Onsen in Shiga. It was autumn when I visited and the view of the sun setting on the gold coloured mountains was amazing.

7. I loved the sand bath in Ibusuki. Good to pair with a hike up Mt. Kaimon if weather is great. Stayed at a youth hostel, not a ryokan there though.

   In Hokkaido, Noborito Onsen is a cool area too with the steam hells (similar to Beppu and Osorezan) .

8. My wife and I loved going to Shin Kado Ya in Atami. A bit out of the way, but really nice place.

9. [Healthy Land in Ibusuki](https://goo.gl/maps/v29CidBZPbfbroht5) is an outdoor bath right by the sea, and you can see Kaimon-dake from the bath. I don’t remember the bath itself being anything special, but the view was spectacular.

10. Kurama in Kyoto‼️

11. The Dormy Inn has an awesome onsen and offered free ramen every night. It is the only one I’ve ever experienced but will definitely be staying there again when I return to Japan.

12. I’ve been to 2 so far: Yamato No Yu and Mikokuyu.

    Both great onsens, especially as I have tattoos. Yamato is a little out of the way, you have to get a train there, but its worth it, and its a nice day trip. We hired a private room, got food, had our own little bath, and then after explored the entire public facility. It was incredibly peaceful, and as a first experience it was fab.

    Mikokuyu is more popular with locals, but the people were genuinely so nice, the locker keys had kanji on it and we couldn’t work out which locker was ours, and all of the guys there helped us out and we had a laugh about it . Not as expansive as the other I mentioned above, but I do feel like its a bit of a hidden gem in a way, and was a more authentic experience.

    If anyone has been to any good onsens which allow people with tattoos i’d love for you to @ me or DM me!!

13. Kyoto has a great onsen called Tenzan-no-yu Onsen. It’s a short walk from the train. It has a little bit of everything. Natural stone? Check. Modern Spa Onsen? Check. Sauna? Check. After that there is a lounge and cafe attached. The price for all of it is pretty reasonable at ¥1050 for the onsen use. Also it has a fish foot bath.

    If you want a long luxious trek to rural Japan, go to Takamine in Nagano. It is a little resort on top of the mountain. They have baths set up out doors overlooking the valley. There are indoor hotsprings too, but almost no one uses them, giving you almost unlimited access to them. You will have to spend the night and they provide a multi-course dinner and breakfast. The hotel also provides kimonos. Did I mention this is an alpine resort? Alpine Japan is something I didn’t know I needed.

14. | only Twice in 2020)

    OP – I’ve put my (first) trip off twice already in 2020. How have you been able to go twice this year?

15. I wouldn’t consider myself onsen connoisseur but one of the more memorable experiences I had was on top of this hotel in Noboribetsu: [https://takimotokan.co.jp/ja/](https://takimotokan.co.jp/ja/) .Roman baths if I were to describe it…. I have no clue how many pools they have (8?) but each has different type of water recommended for different purposes: skin condition, blood pressure, arthritis etc. There’s a a great outdoor pool and views on the Hell Valley are nothing to sneeze at. The hotel is a bit of a Las Vegas type monstrosity but there’s no need to stay there. You can purchase a day or a half day pass.

    Tbh my favorite experiences when it comes to public bathing were in capsule hotels. Those were sentos (not hot springs) rather than onsens but I just loved the vibe: no shoes, pajamas, beer, cantinas with with cheap food, manga libraries with rows of comfy chairs… and literally nobody else speaking English.

16. My favorite of all time is Furofushi Onsen in Aomori! It’s very inaka so you definitely need a car, but the view can’t be beat. They have an outdoor onsen literally a stone’s throw away from the Japan sea. Come in the winter because there are no bugs and the hot water is magnificent! Definitely do not recommend the summer because there are mites and the water is way too hot lol. But it’s absolutely magical when it’s snowing and you’re next to the ocean.

17. I really enjoyed Syoubun in Minakami. First time at a ryokan by myself and it was a 13/10 experience for a non-Japanese tourist traveling alone. Incredibly peaceful and the dinner and breakfast were delicious. There were perhaps 10-12 other guests besides myself. I’ve been to Japan 4 times and would like to visit it again on my next visit.

18. Hi,

    I visited Japan last year for few months and totally enjoyed Onsens. Here is my most preferred list:

    Hokkaido

    – Noboribetsu, the onsen of the Dai-ichi Takimotokan is a must go, probably the best onsen in Japan. Non-hotel guests can visit the onsen for a price.

    – Toyako

    – Onsen around Daisetsuzan: Asahidake (I stayed at La Vista… more for older people but great Onsen) and Sounkyo (Kumoi was really nice)

    ​

    Honshu

    I stayed for two weeks and the Hida Moutains and it was absolutly fantastic. I can recommend

    – Okada Ryokan Warakutei (great small town in the middle of the mountain, great stay

    – Near Shinhotaka Ropeway I stay at Shinzanso (food was as amazing as the outdoor bath next to the river)

    – I stay at the Nishi-ito-ya Mountain Lodge in Kamikochi and it was as well a great experience (both bath and food)

    Around Nikko I really liked Kinugawa Onsen

    ​

    Hope this will help preparing your next trip!

19. pin

20. Specific onsen ryokan wise, if you have money to burn, the Lamp no Yado in Ishikawa’s Noto Peninsula had to be one of the best I’ve been to for both food and baths (carved into the side of a cliff!!). I’ve been to a lot of ryokan because that’s also my preferred method of onsen-visiting and this one takes the cake for the best experience overall.

    Onsen town wise, Kinosaki is lovely, pretty easily accessible, has great food, and most of the ryokan give you a public bath ticket free so you can visit each of the seven town baths in addition to whatever options your inn has.

21. Hey OP!!! My friends and I are booked to travel to Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo during cherry blossom season. With some research, we found out that a lot of Onsens do not allow people with tattoos and a few of us unfortunately don’t have the ability to just throw a towel over them to keep em discreet. We’ve seen a few recommendations online but was wondering if you knew of any good ones that allow tattoos in the hot spring baths as supposed to the artificial baths only

22. Been to at least 100 Onsens/Sentos.

    One that I will always remember is
    Sukumo Resort Yashinoyu.

    Nothing special in terms of bathing amenities but the view is absolutely breathtaking. Watching a big red sunset disappear behind the ocean was incredible.

    Would be a fucking pain in the ass to get to though, it’s on the bottom left corner of Shikoku.

23. If you ever find yourself in Kagawa for either udon or the Setouchi Art Triennale or even for a drive around Shodoshima, visit Busshozan Onsen in Takamatsu. The building/architecture was for the Triennale and if you’re not good with hot springs that are too hot, this place will be great! A carbonated spring onsen with baths of several temperatures, all open air, all surrounding a garden. There’s also a selections of books to read and buy in the relaxation area/lobby (all books were in Japanese though), design goods, and a small restaurant. I wish I could go during this time, they even lower the temperature of the baths for the hot summers!

24. Only been to Onsens twice, but my favorite is in Hakodate in the Yunokawa district at Hotel Banso. During my trip in Japan, had a sore and painful hamstring from walking too much. Went into the onsen for 30 mins and came out pain free. no joke and felt energized

25. You should definitely go to Amagiso Ryokan in kawazu, the onsen that is right near the waterfall is just gorgeous, never seen anything like this in my life

26. Hello! Saw your post and wanted to share my great experience in Noboribetsu’s Takimotokan but saw that someone has already shared about it – so I thought I’ll second his opinion on that onsen. I stayed there for one night and I can’t even remember how much time I spent in the various onsens during that stay. It’s not exactly rustic and all, but the facilities were clean and the buffet dinner that came along was fantastic. The best one was being in the outside onsen and enjoying the bath under the stars!

    I was looking around upon seeing your topic and chanced upon [this](https://www.anywhr.co/insights/virtual-tours-of-best-onsen-hot-springs-towns-in-japan), pretty nice preview of what can be once the covid crisis goes over. Can’t wait to go to Japan and enjoy another onsen…

27. This may not be as great as many suggested here but during a long overnight layover in Japan me and family stayed at the Narita View Hotel. The hotel itself has a free shuttle to and From the airport and was surprised they had an outdoor herbal onsen.

    We arrived at the airport around 7pm, got food at the food court and hopped the shuttle which was a 10 min ride. Around 9:30pm after we settled in our room me and girls did the onsen which I believe was open till 11pm.

    This was a first for my family and a 2nd for me (did one but not in Japan) so they absolutely loved the herbal bath especially after a long flight. They opened up at 6am but I was soo relaxed from the bath I got a really good nights sleep.

    Its a nice affordable stay especially when transitioning back to a flight, its a simple bathhouse and since the hotel was right next to a golf course it was very calming and quiet all around the outdoor baths. Plus direct shuttle back to the airport was a huge plus.

28. The most memorable onsen I have ever been to is Domu onsen, located in Wakkanai Hokkaido. It is the northernmost onsen in Japan. Not only we enjoyed a stunning view of the Japan Sea but also the Rishiri and Rebun islands. What made the visit even more interesting was that the shop sells a “bathing” certificate for having soaked in the northernmost onsen. That makes me wonder where the southernmost onsen in Japan is and would love to pay a visit!

29. Takaragawa Onsen in Gunma. Way up in the mountains.

    The beauty of this place can’t be expressed in words.

30. I would recommend going to Kurokawa, its about a 2 hours bus ride into the forest from Fukuoka, if you happen to be there.

    This is natural park, not inside the city or crowded places. Every onsen has unique design and purpose for your skin, healing or relaxing etc.

    https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4575.html

    They have a lot of onsen spread around in their park.. You can buy a wooden pass for 1300 yen to visit baths of 3 different ryokan, or pay more to check other onsen. Plenty of places to stay overnight. They have men / women and mixed onsen. It’s a beautiful hidden gem!

31. I’ve only been to one Ryokan+Onsen, and I booked it “relatively” last minute (only a couple months in advance). The Ryokan stay was between visiting Sendai and Tokyo, so my radius was somewhat limited. I wanted the convenience of online booking, and (preferably) a refund policy (of some kind), because I felt I was booking in haste and wasn’t sure if I’d stick with it (not knowing much about them or how to book them).

    I settled on Tokinenoyado Yunushi Ichijo (not sure which parts of that name are the critical parts lol I’m sure it’s not always so much of a mouthful). It’s a historic Ryokan with private onsen near Shiroishi. I was very pleased with the experience. Shiroishi doesn’t have too much going on, but it’s quaint. The Ryokan itself and the Kaiseki were amazing. The Onsen were nice as well..but they were “built”–the water source was presumably legitimate thermal groundwater (they had info on the sources), but it was piped into the Ryokan. It wasn’t like a natural steamy pool in the forest. Still, it was far nicer than anything in any Ryokan I’d visited in Tokyo (which to be fair isn’t many).

    There were one or two other private Ryokan nestled in the same small wooded valley. The “Onsen spot” reminded me a little bit of Spirited Away/Jiufen. We stayed for two nights, and on the middle day, we went to Shiroishi, which was unremarkable, but fun enough. It was a nice change of pace to be in a sleepy town after Tokyo and Sendai. If I did it again, I probably wouldn’t leave the Ryokan. I’d bring a book and spend the time in the onsen and/or contemplation.

32. Ryokan Azumaen is another great location