In Japan, you don’t “go to the baths” the way you’d visit a spa. You go to a hot-spring town, you settle in for the night, you put on a yukata after check-in, and you spend a part of the evening walking in geta sandals from one bath to another, slipping into the ryokan next door for another pool, eating a kaiseki dinner, finishing with a last bath at midnight. It’s an entire travel mode, and it’s one of the things Japan does best.
This article isn’t about onsen as installations (I wrote the general Onsen guide for that). It’s about the towns built around their hot springs: their alleys, their atmosphere, what you live there beyond the bath. Here are the ten worth the detour, organized in three categories: the unimpeachable classics, the lesser-known but excellent, and the real expeditions.
The classics (essentials)
Kinosaki Onsen (Hyogo)
If you visit only one hot-spring town in Japan, take Kinosaki. A main street lined with a river and weeping willows, seven public baths spread along the promenade, and the local custom of putting on your yukata at check-in to walk from bath to bath until midnight. Your ryokan gives you a pass that opens all seven baths. It’s the archetypal Japanese onsen experience, and one of the most charming. 2h45 from Kyoto by train. Combine with a crab kaiseki session in winter (Kinosaki is famous for its snow crab).
Kurokawa Onsen (Kumamoto, Kyushu)
My favorite in Kyushu. A tiny village nestled in a wooded valley, crossed by a river that flows between the ryokan. No concrete buildings, no neon, no chains: a strict local code keeps the wood, paper, and stone aesthetic intact. You buy a wooden “tegata” (a medallion) that opens three baths of your choice among 24 ryokan. Do it at sunset, when bamboo lanterns light up along the river. Magical in autumn, fairy-tale in winter under the snow.
Yufuin (Oita, Kyushu)
A more open hot-spring town, longer, with a pedestrian main street full of artisan shops, cafés, small galleries, and the silhouette of Mount Yufu in the background. It’s the onsen for travelers who also want a bit of liveliness and a real culinary scene (pastries, surprisingly good local cheeses). Combine with Kurokawa: 90 minutes by bus and you’ve done the two best hot-spring towns in Kyushu in three days.
Hakone (Kanagawa)
I include it for completeness but with a caveat: Hakone has become a tourist factory. It’s the most accessible hot-spring town from Tokyo (90 minutes), so it’s saturated. If you go anyway, avoid the central ryokan and pick a more outlying onsen (Sengokuhara, upper Hakone-Yumoto), or even better: visit Hakone only as a day trip (Lake Ashi, Owakudani Valley, the open-air museum) and sleep in Yugawara or Atami. See my guide to day trips from Tokyo for the details.
The lesser-known, prefer these
Ginzan Onsen (Yamagata)
Three or four rows of four-story wooden ryokan lined along a river, gas lanterns lighting up at dusk, snow falling in winter: Ginzan is probably the most photogenic hot-spring town in Japan. It’s also said to have inspired the setting of Spirited Away. Drawback: it’s become very popular in recent years, and access is regulated in winter. Go for one night, off-weekend, and spend the evening on the street rather than in your room. 4h from Tokyo by train + bus. See also my article Japan in Winter.
Shibu Onsen (Nagano)
A postcard hot-spring village, paved alleys, nine public baths that visitors in yukata do in order (the ninth brings luck). And above all, 30 minutes by bus, the famous Jigokudani Monkey Park where Japanese macaques bathe in a natural onsen in winter. Combine the two. Spectacular and surprisingly little-known to foreigners considering its charm.
Dogo Onsen (Matsuyama, Shikoku)
One of the oldest onsen in Japan (3,000 years according to legend), and the setting that inspired the bathhouse in Spirited Away. The main building, the Dogo Onsen Honkan, is a three-story wooden structure listed as an important cultural property: it alone is worth the trip to Matsuyama. The town around is less charming than Kinosaki or Kurokawa, but the building is unique. Combine with a visit to Matsuyama castle and a tour to Yokaichi on the north coast of Shikoku. See my article on the village of Yokaichi.
Kusatsu Onsen (Gunma)
Famous for having the most acidic and therapeutic water in Japan. At the center, the Yubatake: a large wooden structure that channels the boiling water from the springs and cools it in cascade, steaming permanently. At night, lit up, it’s a show. Rougher, more therapeutic than the postcard towns: you come to Kusatsu for the water quality, not just for the photo. 3h30 from Tokyo by direct bus.
The truly offbeat (for those who want adventure)
Nyuto Onsen (Akita, Tohoku)
Seven isolated ryokan in the heart of Akita’s forest, accessible by bus from Tazawako. Not a town, more a hamlet scattered in nature. The most famous, Tsurunoyu, is a 350-year-old black-wood ryokan with a large mixed outdoor bath, milky white, steaming in the snow. No concession to modernity, reasonable prices, the atmosphere of a bygone inn. This is what the Japanese call a “hi-to-onsen” (secret onsen). For those traveling off-season and willing to take a rural bus, it’s the most authentic experience on this list.
Arima Onsen (Hyogo, near Kobe)
One of the oldest onsen in Japan, only 30 minutes from Kobe. Known for its two distinct types of water: “kinsen” (golden water, iron-rich) and “ginsen” (silver water, radium-rich). The mountain town is compact, paved alleys, two public baths, and the splendid Mount Rokko nearby by cable car. A perfect combination for a one-night detour from Kobe or Kyoto.
Gero Onsen (Gifu)
Often classified among the “three great onsen of Japan” with Arima and Kusatsu, but surprisingly little visited by foreigners. Small town on the banks of the Hida river, hot-spring alleys, several free baths along the river (including an open-air foot bath and outdoor mixed baths for the brave). Excellent stop on the road to Takayama and Hida-Furukawa: see my article In the Alleys of Hida-Furukawa.
How to choose, how to combine
- One night near Tokyo: Hakone (in an outlying ryokan) or better, Shibu to combine with the monkeys. Skip Atami, it’s a concrete town.
- One night near Kyoto/Osaka: Kinosaki, the obvious choice. Arima if you’re in a rush.
- For pure beauty: Ginzan in winter, Kurokawa in autumn, Kinosaki in May.
- For off-circuit authenticity: Nyuto. No hesitation.
- For the bath as a cure: Kusatsu for its acidic water, Gero for radium.
- As a couple: Kurokawa, romantic from start to finish.
- First time in Japan: Kinosaki and a ryokan there. Everything is easy for discovering the ritual.
The onsen ritual (quick reminder)
For the full detail, see my general Onsen guide. In short: you undress entirely (clothes and towel stay in the locker or a small bag), you wash sitting on a stool with the provided soap and shampoo before entering the bath, you rinse carefully, then you soak without soap and without towel in the water (the small towel folded on your head, not in the bath). Tattoos are still a question: most public baths refuse them, but places like Kurokawa and many private ryokan are now more tolerant. When in doubt, take a private bath (kashikiri-buro): most ryokan offer one on reservation.
When to go
- Winter (December-February): the prime season. Ginzan, Nyuto, Kurokawa under the snow are unforgettable. See Japan in Winter.
- Autumn (October-November): Kurokawa and Hakone in the momiji.
- Spring (April-May): Kinosaki and Arima are perfect, mild climate.
- Summer (June-August): avoid in most cases (boiling water + outside heat = exhausting). Except in altitude: Kusatsu and Nyuto stay pleasant thanks to their coolness.
For the best ryokan in some of these towns, see my guide The Best Ryokan in Japan. To plan an itinerary that includes two or three hot-spring towns without overdoing it, see the 10-day itinerary.