Top 10 Hot Spring Destinations in Japan

Hakone not close enough to Mount Fuji for you? Kawaguchi Lake sits at the northern base of Fuji-san: as close as you can get to the elusive peak without strapping on a pair of hiking boots! 

A select few sit around the picturesque water, with truly dramatic, uninterrupted views of Fuji’s perfect slope enjoyed from their open-air onsen pools. With Tokyo just a short distance away, and some truly luxurious accommodation options to choose from, Kawaguchiko is quite the addition to your tour.

Gunma prefecture in central Kanto is considered Japan’s best onsen area. Less than an hour by train from Tokyo, this region of forests, mountains, and picturesque villages is off the typical tourist trail and as such caters more towards domestic travelers. Those willing to give the area a try will be richly rewarded with arguably the highest quality bath houses in all of Japan. 

Gunma is made up of several idyllic villages, the most revered of which is Kusatsu Onsen. Staying in one luxury ryokan and ‘onsen-hopping’ through the village is the thing to do here, with Kusatsu’s water said to “cure every illness but lovesickness”. 

Kinosaki is a wonderfully preserved postcard-perfect onsen village that makes an enticing sidestep from the classic Japan golden route. Located on the north coast of Hyogo prefecture, the village is a direct 2.5 hour train from Kyoto or 3 hours from Osaka. 

As an alternative to more popular rural hot spring areas such as Hakone or Miyajima, Kinosaki offers photogenic canal-side scenes in the village and access to mountains and beaches in the near vicinity. Accommodation is excellent and the village’s compact size offers a selection of onsen, eateries, and shops all within walking distance.

Further north from Kurokawa, coastal Beppu is among Japan’s most popular hot spring towns. In contrast to tranquil Kurokawa, it is busy and a little brash, very popular with Japanese families, but the springs here are of excellent quality. 

As well as classic hot springs Beppu also offers mud baths, sand baths, steam baths, and the spectacular ‘Hells of Beppu’ – steaming geothermal pools which – given their extreme temperature – are definitely for viewing, rather than bathing!

At the opposite end of the Japanese archipelago, Noboribetsu is Hokkaido’s most well-known onsen town. With a setting at the base of Mount Hiyori, an endless supply of filtered water volcanic water powers its many bathhouses and ryokan – onsen on an industrial scale! 

The surrounds of Noboribetsu are remarkable, with plumes of steam and natural ‘Hells’ dotted all across the volcanic, lunar-like landscape. Situated three hours’ drive south of Sapporo, the town combines well with similarly striking Lake Toya and the Shikotsu-Toya National Park.