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PlacesKanto · Nikko

Nikko Yumoto Onsen

A hot-spring village at the far end of Oku-Nikko, beside Lake Yunoko. The sulfur water is milky white. Deep snow in winter.

PlacesKanto · Hakone

Hakone-Yumoto hot-spring town

The hot-spring town at the entrance to Hakone. Souvenir and sweet-bun shops line the street by the station, and there are day-use baths.

PlacesChubu & Hokuriku · Hida-Takayama

Okuhida Onsen (Hirayu Onsen)

A hot-spring village below the Northern Alps, with open-air baths for day visitors. Buses to Kamikochi connect here.

PlacesChubu & Hokuriku · Matsumoto

Asama Onsen

A long-established hot-spring district in the northeast of the city, with baths open to day visitors.

PlacesKansai · Kobe

Arima Onsen

One of Japan's oldest hot-spring towns, with brown "gold" water and clear "silver" water. Public baths welcome day visitors.

PlacesChugoku · Matsue and Izumo

Tamatsukuri Onsen

An old hot-spring town with inns along a river. There are foot baths and sights linked to magatama, ancient curved beads.

PlacesShikoku · Matsuyama and Dogo Onsen

Dogo Onsen Honkan

The symbol of Dogo, one of Japan's oldest hot springs. A wooden bathhouse built in the 1890s where you can still bathe today.

PlacesKyushu · Beppu and Yufuin

Beppu Hells (Kannawa)

A tour of "hells": springs of boiling water and mud, for viewing only. Five of them, including the blue Umi Jigoku, are walkable in Kannawa.

PlacesKyushu · Beppu and Yufuin

Takegawara Onsen

A public bathhouse dating back to the Meiji era, in a grand-roofed building from the 1930s. It also has a sand bath heated by the spring.

PlacesKyushu · Beppu and Yufuin

Myoban Onsen

A hillside hot-spring village where bath salts are made in thatched huts. Known for milky-white water and pudding steamed over the springs.

PlacesKyushu · Kagoshima

Ibusuki sand baths

You are buried in beach sand heated by hot springs. You lie down in a cotton robe and staff shovel the sand over you.

PlacesKanto

Kusatsu Onsen Yubatake

PlacesChubu & Hokuriku

Gero Onsen

PlacesHokkaido · Hakodate

Hakodate Tropical Botanical Garden (bathing monkeys)

In winter the monkeys soak in a hot spring. Walkable from Yunokawa Onsen.

PlacesChubu & Hokuriku · Kanazawa

Yuwaku Onsen

A small hot-spring village in the hills, with a public bath for day visitors. The painter Takehisa Yumeji stayed here.

PlacesShikoku · Matsuyama and Dogo Onsen

Dogo Onsen Annex Asuka-no-Yu

A newer bathhouse styled after the architecture of the Asuka period and decorated with Ehime's traditional crafts. It has an open-air bath.

PlacesKyushu · Beppu and Yufuin

Chinoike Jigoku and Tatsumaki Jigoku

A pond of hot red mud and a geyser that erupts at regular intervals. They are a little apart from Kannawa, about 5 minutes by bus.

PlacesKyushu · Beppu and Yufuin

Yufuin and Yunotsubo Street

A street of shops and cafes leading from Yufuin Station toward Lake Kinrin, with Mt. Yufu rising ahead.

PlacesKyushu · Kagoshima

Sakurajima (port and Yogan Nagisa Park)

A volcano that still sends up smoke. Near the port are a visitor center and a long foot bath looking out over the sea.

PlacesKanto · Hakone

Miyanoshita

A hot-spring village that has welcomed foreign guests since the 1870s. Walk its street of antique shops, a photo studio and an old hotel.

PlacesShikoku · Takamatsu

Busshozan Onsen

A day-use hot spring in an old temple town, also known for its clean modern design. A short walk from the station through old streets.

PlacesKyushu · Beppu and Yufuin

Shibaseki Onsen

A city-run hot spring in a small valley near Chinoike Jigoku, with a steam bath and an open-air bath.

PlacesShikoku · Matsuyama and Dogo Onsen

Matsuyama Castle

A castle on a hill in the middle of the city, with a keep surviving from the Edo period. It looks out over the city and the Inland Sea.

PlacesShikoku · Matsuyama and Dogo Onsen

Dogo Haikara-dori arcade and the Botchan Karakuri Clock

A covered shopping street running from the mechanical clock and foot bath by the station to the Honkan. Good for souvenirs and snacks.

PlacesShikoku · Matsuyama and Dogo Onsen

Ishiteji Temple

Temple 51 on the Shikoku pilgrimage. It has a National Treasure gate and a three-story pagoda, and you will see pilgrims in white.

PlacesShikoku · Matsuyama and Dogo Onsen

Bansuiso Villa and Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum

A French-style villa from the 1920s at the foot of the castle hill. In front of it stands a museum designed by Tadao Ando.

PlacesShikoku · Matsuyama and Dogo Onsen

Okaido and Gintengai arcades

Two covered shopping streets joined in an L shape in the center of Matsuyama, with restaurants serving local dishes such as tai-meshi.

PlacesShikoku · Matsuyama and Dogo Onsen

Isaniwa Shrine

A red shrine at the top of a long flight of stone steps, built in the rare Hachiman-zukuri style. About 5 minutes from Dogo Onsen Station.

PlacesShikoku · Matsuyama and Dogo Onsen

Dogo Park (Yuzuki Castle Ruins)

A park on the site of a medieval castle. The moats and earthworks remain and samurai houses have been rebuilt. Known for cherry blossoms.

PlacesShikoku · Matsuyama and Dogo Onsen

Shimonada Station

A tiny unstaffed station whose platform looks straight out to sea. Famous for sunsets. Trains are few, so check the return times.

PlacesShikoku · Matsuyama and Dogo Onsen

Matsuyama Castle Ninomaru Historical Garden

A garden on the site of the lord's residence. Flowing water and plantings trace the layout of the old rooms.

PlacesShikoku · Matsuyama and Dogo Onsen

Mitsuhama (Mitsu ferry crossing)

A harbor town with old merchant houses. A tiny ferry crosses the inlet, and the local okonomiyaki, Mitsuhama-yaki, is the thing to eat.

PlacesShikoku · Matsuyama and Dogo Onsen

Baishinji Station

A station whose platform runs right beside the beach. It appeared in the TV drama "Tokyo Love Story".

PlacesShikoku · Matsuyama and Dogo Onsen

Tobe pottery town (Tobe-yaki Traditional Industry Hall)

The home of Tobe ware, white porcelain painted in indigo. You can visit kiln shops and try painting a piece yourself.

PlacesShikoku · Matsuyama and Dogo Onsen

Uchiko old town

A town that grew rich on vegetable wax. A street of cream- and white-walled merchant houses and an old kabuki theater remain.