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.
Hanashiki Onsen Sekiseikan Honkan is a cozy, quiet hot spring located right next to Shiriyaki Onsen. Its poetic name, which translates to “flower carpet,” comes from a legend that cherry blossom petals covered the water when Minamoto no Yoritomo first discovered it. It is also known as an inn with ties to the poet Wakayama Bokusui.
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I’ve always wanted to visit Shiriyaki Onsen if I had the chance. The name “Shiriyaki” is quite funny—they say it comes from people sitting on hot stones in the riverbed to cure hemorrhoids. After a 30-minute bus ride deep into the mountains from Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station, the gateway to Kusatsu Onsen, and a 15-minute walk, this is the scenery that unfolds.
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Kanashima is such a tiny station that the only sign you see after hopping off is for this onsen. Fuki-no-yu at Kanashima Onsen feels like a local hangout for the neighborhood grandmas and grandpas. The brownish, gentle water—a calcium-sodium chloride spring—has a distinct iron scent and taste.
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Visiting Tekkosen Honkan in the Shimosuwa Onsen resort. When I asked about day-use bathing, the landlady kindly checked the large bath for me. Since it was only half-full, she offered the smaller tub instead—and I was just happy to be able to soak.
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We always talked about visiting Scandinavia “when we get older.” But after things just lined up—my wife getting a two-week break, a friend being stationed in Sweden, and our long-time dream of seeing the fjords and buying Nordic design goods—we decided to just go for it.
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I visited Kaminoyu at Dokusawa Onsen, located a bit past Suwa Taisha Shrine in Nagano. It’s a secluded single inn tucked away beyond a residential area near the mountains, and the cherry blossoms along the way were stunning. Apparently, the name “Dokusawa” (Poison Stream) was given to hide a nearby gold mine! This mineral spring is also famous as one of the “hidden hot springs” used by the warlord Takeda Shingen.
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Located about a 30-minute walk from Kambayashi Onsen, Korakukan is a cozy mountain lodge-style inn nestled in the valley. Right next to it, the Jigokudani fountain roars as it blows out steam, creating fascinating snow formations that melt and refreeze in unique ways.
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I’m pretty sure I passed through Yudanaka Station on a ski trip to Shiga Kogen a few years ago, but my memory of it is a bit fuzzy. It might be because it was already pitch black and I just hopped in a taxi straight to the Kumanoyu ski area. Today, I took the bus to the nearby hot spring town, and taking a moment to look around the station properly, I realized it has a wonderful, old-fashioned atmosphere.
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Shibu Onsen’s Oyu is located right in the center of the town, directly beneath the Onsen Shrine. It features wooden interiors with two separate baths: one for high temperature and one for low. The water is a brownish color with a slightly grippy feel on the skin, and a distinct metallic iron taste.
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If you’re a fan of hot springs, you’ve probably seen the “Yokozuna” rankings. Interestingly, Yudanaka is actually ranked at the very top for the East! This community bath is just as grand as the surrounding ryokans, but it’s usually only open to locals and overnight guests.
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