The Ultimate Japan Onsen Guide: Discover the Charm, Enjoyment, and Famous Hot Springs

Some facilities have open-air baths where you can soak up the open air and the view.
Open-air baths set in nature let you take in beautiful scenery. That’s a big part of the appeal.
Some offer different views each season—spring cherry blossoms, lush summer greens, autumn colors, and winter snow.
Soak while gazing at the scenery and you’ll feel deeply relaxed.
Warming up a body chilled by the outside air feels amazing, so autumn and winter are especially great seasons for hot springs.

Popular hot spring areas often have onsen towns, and their unique ambiance is part of the appeal.
You’ll also find restaurants serving local specialties, souvenir shops with regional products, and places to experience local arts and culture.
Stay in town, slip into a yukata, and stroll the streets while trying and comparing different baths at public bathhouses (day-use bathing facilities).

Hot spring water contains various minerals. Its properties are called the spring quality(senshitsu).
The effects on the body are called benefits, and many Japanese choose an onsen for them.
Using those benefits to treat ailments is known as toji (therapeutic bathing).
To gain enough effect to improve health issues, you need a long stay, so few people practice full-scale toji today.
Even a short soak away from daily life can refresh your body and mind.
That’s why many people try a light toji experience.
When you feel tired or down, consider a relaxing stay in a Japanese onsen town for a healing getaway.

Many people in Japan enjoy “day-use onsen” without staying overnight.
At inns that allow day bathing, day-use onsen facilities, or public bathhouses, you can enjoy the local hot springs between sightseeing stops.
In hot spring towns where inns and facilities cluster, try hot spring hopping. Go from bath to bath and enjoy strolling the streets.
Hot spring hopping lets you feel differences in the water and enjoy each facility’s unique features. You’ll appreciate onsen even more.

In Japanese onsen and sento, swimsuits and similar clothing are not allowed. The basic rule is to bathe naked.
This keeps the water clean.
At hot springs, bathing naked also helps you get the full benefits. A few places do allow swimsuits or towels. If you really feel uncomfortable, look for one of those facilities.

If you dip your towel in the tub, any dirt or dust on it will dirty the water. So be careful not to put your towel in the bath.
It’s fine to bring a towel into the bathing area, so don’t worry.

Before entering the bath, always rinse your body with hot water or take a quick shower.
This is not only to wash away any dirt, but also to gradually warm up your body and prevent a sudden rise in blood pressure.
It also helps your body adjust to the spring’s mineral content before soaking in the bath.

At an onsen, the “washing area” where you wash your hair and body is shared by everyone. Saving a spot is bad manners.
Don’t reserve a place. Just use an open station when you need it.

To keep the changing room dry, wipe off any water on your body before you step out of the bath area.
As moisture evaporates it draws heat, so drying off also helps prevent a sudden chill.

Famous as one of the Three Great Hot Springs, Kusatsu Onsen boasts Japan’s highest natural flow: over 32,300 L per minute. Its sources are highly acidic and known for strong disinfecting properties.
At Yubatake, the town’s symbol, steam and the scent of sulfur rise as natural hot water gushes at 4,000 L per minute. Walkways and benches around it make for a pleasant stroll.
Sai-no-Kawara Park is also popular, with the open-air Sai-no-Kawara Rotenburo where you can bathe amid nature.

Discovered as early as the Engi era (901-923) or the Tenryaku era (947-957), Gero Onsen is a storied hot spring.
Oda Nobunaga adored it and often came for therapeutic soaks.
It’s known as a “beauty bath” that leaves your skin silky-smooth.
The town stretches along the clear Hida River. Sights and inns cluster within an easy walk from JR Gero Station, which is a big plus.

Rising on the north slope of Mount Rokko, Arima Onsen is a signature hot spring of Kansai.
It appears in the Nihon Shoki and Fudoki, and is also counted among Japan’s “Three Ancient Hot Springs.” Emperors, feudal lords, writers, and artists have loved it, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi was a frequent visitor.
Though it’s within Kobe City, it’s wrapped in rich nature. Renowned inns line the streets, and the atmospheric town enchants visitors.

Beppu Onsen is the collective name for hot springs across Beppu City in Oita.
With 2,847 sources and a daily outflow of Approx 130,000 kiloliters, it’s the largest in Japan. It’s split into 8 areas, known as the Beppu Hatto (the Eight Hot Springs) or Beppu Onsenkyo. The water types and colors vary, so onsen hopping is highly recommended.

Said to be Japan’s oldest hot spring, Dogo Onsen is even mentioned in the Nihon Shoki (The Chronicles of Japan).
Located in Ehime Prefecture, it remains one of the region’s most popular sightseeing spots.
According to legend, a white heron once healed its injured leg in the waters of Dogo Onsen.
The alkaline simple spring water is smooth and gentle on the skin, making it ideal for both therapeutic bathing and beauty benefits.
One of Dogo Onsen’s greatest charms is the ability to enjoy a relaxing stroll through its nostalgic streets while visiting multiple baths.
Day-trip bathing is also available, allowing visitors to experience its timeless atmosphere with ease.

Set along the upper reaches of the Kinugawa River in Nikko, Kinugawa Onsen is one of Kanto’s most popular hot spring resorts.
The water is a mild, tasteless, odorless alkaline simple spring. The gentle, soft water is said to help with burns and skin conditions, as well as stomach issues and fatigue, making it popular with everyone.
The majestic scenery along Kinugawa Gorge is another highlight. Enjoy fresh spring greens, autumn colors, and snowy views year-round.

A hot spring town in Atami, Shizuoka. It has over 500 sources, and about 90% are high‑temperature springs of 42°C or higher with a high concentration of beneficial minerals.
The water is colorless and odorless. It’s known for moisturizing and skin‑beautifying effects. This rare vein has supplied water steadily for 1,200 years. Don’t miss it when you visit Atami.

Hakone-Yumoto Onsen Area is one of Hakone’s Seven Hot Springs and the largest onsen town in Hakone.
Some say it opened in the Nara period. In the Edo period it thrived along the Tokaido, one of the Five Highways. Today, bathhouses, inns, restaurants, and souvenir shops line the streets, creating a lively vibe.
It’s Hakone’s main onsen district, bustling with visitors every day.

A classic onsen town loved by literary greats like Naoya Shiga and Toson Shimazaki. Its history spans over 1,300 years.
There are seven sotoyu (public bathhouses) within a 20-minute walk. Stroll the charming streets and enjoy bath-hopping.
Each opened at a different time, so water temperatures and the look of the buildings vary. Visit “Ichi-no-Yu,” praised as the best by a renowned Edo-period doctor, “Mandara-yu,” the birthplace of Kinosaki Onsen, and “Goshono-yu,” popular for luck in love. Find your favorite.

A historic onsen town in Minami Ward, Sapporo. It’s often called Sapporo’s hidden retreat.
It opened over 150 years ago. The area is part of Shikotsu-Toya National Park. The town stretches along riverbanks carved by the Shirai and Toyohira rivers.
The water is a sodium chloride spring. There are 56 sources, clustered near Tsukimi Bridge and Takayama Bridge along the Toyohira River that flows through town.

A famed hot spring in the Iburi region of southwestern Hokkaido.
Known since the Edo period as a rare spot where many types of springs exist in one area. Many sources gush from Jigokudani (Hell Valley), formed by volcanic activity Approx 10,000 years ago. It boasts 10,000 tons of hot water per day. Inns and hotels offer a variety of baths to enjoy.

Yufuin Onsen is a hot spring town at the foot of Mount Yufu near the center of Oita Prefecture.
There are no large hotels. Many inns have a calm, refined vibe, and the area is popular with women.
Its spring output is said to be the second largest in Japan. With many sources, inns are spread out rather than clustered, so the town feels relaxed.
The water is mainly alkaline simple springs. It’s gentle and is said to help with neuralgia, sensitivity to cold, and recovery from fatigue.

A hot spring town that grew alongside mining at the Nobesawa Silver Mine, which prospered in the Edo period.
Don’t miss the vivid reliefs called Kote-e on the chic inn facades. The town also has footbaths and public baths.
The water is a sulfur spring with a slight salty taste. It’s said to help with skin conditions, women’s health concerns, and sensitivity to cold.
Go a little farther and you’ll find nearby sights like Shirogane Falls and the Nobesawa Silver Mine ruins.

In January 1961, hot water gushed from a vineyard in Isawa and flowed into a nearby river. That “blue-sky hot spring” is said to mark the start of Isawa Onsen.
It’s one of the largest in Yamanashi, the land of hot springs, with over 30 inns and hotels. Enjoy everything from down-to-earth inns to large hotels with pools.
It’s also one of Japan’s leading hot spring resorts and was selected for the “New Top 100 Tourist Destinations in Japan.”

Legend says Kobo Daishi discovered this spring on his travels. It’s a lone inn inside Joshin’etsu Kogen National Park.
Founded in 1875. The main building, which keeps its Meiji-era charm once favored by writers and artists, and the 1940 annex are Registered Tangible Cultural Properties.
Besides the main and annex, you can choose Kunzan-so with spacious rooms for an upgraded stay, and Horyuden, built in 1989, to suit your trip.

A secluded onsen ryokan at 1,300 meters in a mountain valley at the far end of Nasu Onsen-kyo, long famed as a healing retreat.
It boasts the largest flow of spring water in Nasu Onsen-kyo.
Start with the vast natural open-air bath “Kawa no Yu,” formed by damming a stream from the inn’s own source behind the property. Enjoy four open-air baths, large and small, fed by free-flowing spring water with no added water or heating (heating may be used in some seasons).

A signature hidden hot spring of Akita, and one of the most popular inns in the Nyuto Onsen area.
It sits deep in the mountains, like a samurai hideaway.
There are four sources—Shirayu, Kuroyu, Nakanoyu, and Takino-yu—each with different spring qualities, enjoyed across eight baths.
For lodging, the thatched-roof Honjin rooms are recommended. They have irori hearths. Meals feature the signature yam hot pot and river fish grilled over charcoal, for a taste of old-time life.