One of the must-have experiences when traveling to Japan is soaking in hot springs. Especially if you come to Japan in winter, hot spring villages or destinations are the perfect choice for you to both admire the beautiful natural scenery and relax your body after a long day of activity.
1, Ginzan Onsen – Hot spring village in Yamagata province
Picturesque hot spring village in winter
Ginzan Hot Spring Village is a 40-minute bus ride from JR Oishida Station. It is characterized by multi-story wooden Western-style inns located along the banks of the Ginzan River. The inns here use milky white hot water mixed with fine minerals that is piped directly into the indoor baths.
The town scene is lit up and extremely romantic.
In winter, when snow covers the paths and leaves traces on the roofs, the warm light from the riverside inns adds to the romantic atmosphere. Relaxing in the warm water and enjoying a hot pot with local ingredients is an experience you should not miss when staying here.
Ginzan Onsen is definitely a destination not to be missed when coming to Japan.
2, Takayu Onsen – hot spring for a day trip in Fukushima
The peaceful beauty of the Japanese countryside in Takayu town (Photo: ©TAKAYU Scorching-Spring Resort)
Takayu is a hot spring town with a history of over 400 years, located on the slopes of Mount Azuma at an altitude of 750m in Fukushima City. The 11 hot spring baths here will let visitors experience the chirping of birds while soaking in the cloudy white hot water.
Experience an outdoor hot spring bath amidst a snowy winter landscape (Photo: ©TAKAYU Scorching-Spring Resort)
From November, Takayu begins to be covered in white snow until March of the following year. The special thing about this town is that visitors can choose from many types of hot tubs such as outdoor baths with a view of the dreamy snow-covered landscape, indoor baths, private baths… In addition, visitors can stay overnight at inns in town. Attakayu public bath in the town has a strong ancient Japanese architecture, especially the hot tubs here are all open-air and made of wood and stone. In recent years, the ingredients in the hot water in Takayu have been scientifically proven to have healing effects on the body.
Inns with indoor hot tub options that embrace nature (Photo: ©TAKAYU Scorching-Spring Resort)
From Tokyo Station, take the bullet train (shinkansen) for about 1 hour and 30 minutes to Fukushima Station, then take the bus for another 40 minutes to Takayu Onsen. If you take the bullet train from Sendai, it only takes 25 minutes to reach Fukushima Station.
3, Shima Onsen – A fairy tale town in Gunma province
Sekizenkan Inn is located right next to the town’s red bridge.
Shima Onsen is a beautiful hot spring town along the Shima River in the northwest of Gunma Prefecture. Its charm lies in the breathtaking natural scenery combined with the beauty of the hot spring town that blends old and new. Among the inns here is the oldest wooden hot spring inn in Japan, with the main building designated as an important cultural property of Gunma Prefecture.
The scene of the town lit up at night is as beautiful as in a fairy tale.
During their stay in town, visitors can enjoy canoeing on the emerald-green Lake Okushima or whitewater rafting on the white-frozen Shima River. Historic inns and ryokan with private baths serve meals made from fresh local ingredients or sell unique souvenirs of classic Showa-era hot springs.
From Tokyo Station, you can take a direct express bus to Shima Onsen, which takes about 3.5 hours. If you take the train from Tokyo, Shinjuku, or Ueno stations, it will take more than 2 hours to get to JR Nakanojo Station, from there it takes another 40 minutes by bus to Shima Onsen.
4, Nozawa Onsen – Experience hot springs and skiing in Nagano Prefecture
If you come to Nozawa Hot Springs, you should definitely visit all 13 open-air baths scattered throughout the town. The baths here are 100% natural hot springs and are also the common property of the villagers. Management is strictly implemented to ensure the water is always clean. The locals use the hot water every day and always welcome visitors to use it.
After skiing or outdoor activities, soak in the hot springs to relax and restore your body. In addition, the hot spring eggs here are also worth trying because the whites are softer than the yolks – a feature very different from regular boiled eggs.
From JR Iiyama Station, you can take a regular bus for 25 minutes to Nozawa Onsen. There is also a dedicated round-trip bus with a frequency of about 10 times a day between JR Iiyama Station and Nozawa Onsen.
5, Dogo Onsen – 1 of 3 ancient Japanese hot springs in Ehime province
Japan’s oldest hot spring in Ehime Prefecture
Dogo Onsen in Ehime Prefecture is one of the three oldest hot springs in Japan, boasting a history of 3,000 years. The hot springs here are alkaline and very gentle on the skin, so they are also known as “skin-beautifying hot springs”.
Here is Dogo Onsen Honkan, the first public bathhouse in Japan to be recognized as a National Important Cultural Property in 1994. Visitors can choose to stay at inns and hotels in town and then come here to bathe in the hot springs. Dogo Onsen Honkan is a magnificent structure with a 3-storey main building combining Western techniques but still bearing the traditional Japanese mark. If you have the opportunity to come here, try listening to the sound of the drum hanging in the center on the roof of the 3rd floor of the main building. This sound was selected by the Ministry of the Environment as one of the 100 best sounds in Japan. In the past, people beat the drum to announce the time every hour, but now it is only beaten 3 times in the morning, noon and evening.
You can choose to experience the interesting travel from JR Matsuyama Station to Dogo Onsen Honkan by ground train in the middle of the traffic on the street in 25 minutes and the ticket price is less than 40,000 VND.
* Currently, Dogo Onsen Honkan is under repair, so the appearance and location of the empty seats may differ from the information in the article.
6, Kurokawa Onsen – Hot spring town in Kumamoto province
Panoramic map of Kurokawa hot spring town (Photo: ©︎KurokawaOnsen Ryokan Affiliation)
On the border between Kumamoto and Oita prefectures, there is a hot spring town called Kurokawa. Although it takes 3 hours to travel from Kumamoto Station, when you see the collection of 30 ryokan located in the middle of green mountains and forests, far from the hustle and bustle of city life, you will feel that the effort is completely worth it. Each ryokan here has its own unique style with narrow paths connecting the rows of inns. Standing on the nearby mountain, you can see the whole town like a large ryokan located in the middle of wild nature.
Every winter, the town of Kurokawa holds an annual Yuakari illumination event. About 300 globe lanterns and 2-meter-tall cylinders are designed to blend in with the natural landscape. This year, the event will last from December 17, 2022 to April 2, 2023, with the illumination from dusk to 10 p.m.
Which of the 6 hot spring destinations above have you chosen?
Japan is blessed with beautiful, rustic hot spring villages and towns. During the day, you can stroll around and admire the natural scenery and participate in outdoor activities. In the evening, enjoy hot local cuisine, soak in the warm water to restore your body and recharge for a new day of experiences.