Onsen de relax - How about relaxing at Japanese Onsen ?
This is a blog by thmiyake about various Japanese hot springs I visited. Many of them are combination with short trips, daily climbing etc especially around Kanto area.
Onsen de relax - How about relaxing at Japanese Onsen ?
This is a blog by thmiyake about various Japanese hot springs I visited. Many of them are combination with short trips, daily climbing etc especially around Kanto area.
After hiking Mt. Nikko Shirane, I was looking for a good soak and had a few places in mind, including Oigami Onsen. Among the Shirane Onsen spots I’d spotted on my way to Marunuma Kogen, I decided to stop by the cozy-looking Karakurakan in the Kamino-yu area. While Yakushi-no-yu nearby was also on my radar, all the signs boasting about its “massive open-air bath” actually made me a bit hesitant, so I ended up skipping it this time.
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After my hike up Mt. Azumaya, I searched for an onsen as I always do and stumbled upon Senko Onsen. The unique name and its historical ties to the Sanada clan caught my interest, so I decided to head over. Just as I was getting close, the road suddenly narrowed, and I had to navigate a sharp curve. I found a building that felt more like a cozy traditional inn than a simple day-trip bathhouse. There were only about three parking spots, but luckily, one was free!
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After a refreshing snow hike to see the frozen waterfalls of Iori Falls, my body was pretty chilled, so I headed to Oku-Nikko Yumoto Onsen to warm up. I’d been wanting to visit Onsen-ji Temple for a while, but unfortunately, it was closed. I decided to check out the hot spring sources. Among the several covered sources, I spotted the name “Itaya” and got curious, so I decided to check it out.
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After finishing my hike to Mt. Kurofu to see the ‘gateau chocolat’ Mt. Asama, my main plan was a day trip to Takamine Onsen, a ‘lamp inn.’ But unfortunately, their day-use hot spring closed much earlier than scheduled that day. So, I started looking for another good onsen on my way home and stumbled upon Hishino Onsen.
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After enjoying some skiing at Engaru Rock Valley Ski Resort, I wandered around the Yubetsu and Lake Saroma area, but ended up completely chilled to the bone. Normally, on the way back to Higashikawa I would head to Maure Sanso at Maruseppu Onsen, but this time I remembered Setose Onsen, which I had looked up before and found intriguing, and saw that it seemed to offer day-use bathing—so I decided to give it a try.
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During my winter stay in Higashikawa, I brought Japanese snowshoes (wakan) to enjoy walking on the snow, so I thought I might be able to visit Hagoromo Falls as well and headed to Tenninkyo. However, unlike Asahidake, there were fewer tourists, and snow removal on the road stopped at Oyado Shikishimaso. Beyond that point, the road was completely closed, even to pedestrians. There is a bridge over the Chubetsu River beyond the closure, but the snow was so deep that even if walking had been allowed, it felt far too dangerous—I could easily imagine falling off. For a moment I considered heading back to Asahidake and my usual stop, Yukomansō, but since I had been already there many times, I decided to enjoy Tenninkyo Onsen instead.
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Ene-1 is held at Suzuka Circuit early on Sunday morning. One option was to leave Hamamatsu in the very early hours of the day to cheer on the participating teams, but since this was a good opportunity, I decided to arrive the day before. The plan was to hike Mt. Gozaisho, which I had long been curious about for its unusual rock formations, stay overnight at Yunoyama Onsen at the foot of the mountain, and then head to Suzuka. Unfortunately, the weekend weather was rainy and I had to give up on the hike, but I went ahead with my stay in Yunoyama Onsen as planned.
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After finishing a day hike up Mt. Kobushigatake, I looked around to see if there might be a good hot spring near the trailhead at Moukidaira. Unfortunately, there were no onsen nearby, and even heading down the prefectural road toward Kawakami or Nobeyama didn’t seem very promising. Just as I was starting to give up, I spotted Uminokuchi Onsen Gensen on Google Maps. It looked amazing—but some posts said it had already become a ruin. Still, on closer inspection, it seemed that a nearby inn called Izumikan was offering day-use bathing, so I decided to check it out.
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After finishing a double-header day hike of Mt. Adatara and Mt. Higashi-Azuma, I returned to Jododaira a little after 5 p.m. Before heading home, I wanted to soak in a hot spring. Checking the map, I noticed Tsuchiyu Onsen was nearby, and that there were day-use baths open until late, so I decided to head there.
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I was really looking forward to the hot springs at Kurogane-goya during my hike up Mt. Adatara, but unfortunately, they were closed for renovations. I had planned to head down to Dake Onsen at the foot of the mountain instead, but then I spotted Okudake-no-yu right there at the ski resort by the trailhead. I couldn’t resist the urge to freshen up, so I decided to drop in.
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