{"id":3166,"date":"2021-11-21T23:59:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-21T14:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/?p=3166"},"modified":"2026-04-13T22:08:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T13:08:08","slug":"oku-nasu-kita-onsen-ryokan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/en\/2021\/11\/21\/oku-nasu-kita-onsen-ryokan\/","title":{"rendered":"Oku-Nasu – Kita Onsen Ryokan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

[Access]<\/strong> About 30 minutes by car from Nasu IC
[Website]<\/strong> Kita Onsen Official Website<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kita Onsen Ryokan, with its iconic giant red tengu mask overlooking the hot spring bath, has been on my list for a long time. I found out there\u2019s a route to descend straight to Kita Onsen from the Nasu Mountains, after trekking the three peaks: Chausu-dake, Asahi-dake, and Sanbon-yari. Given the manageable course time and snow-free conditions, I set off to enjoy the late autumn views and soak at Kita Onsen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The charming and quaint Kita Onsen Ryokan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This ryokan consists of three historic buildings from the Edo, Meiji, and Showa periods, exuding a nostalgic charm. It offers a range of baths, including the tengu bath I\u2019d set my sights on, while women can also enjoy the onsen which is said to be good for eyes. Then outside, there\u2019s a massive open-air pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Tengu bath and open-air bathing pool<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The tengu bath is an adventure to find, hidden within a maze-like hallway with a curtain marking the entry. It\u2019s located right off the corridor, making it practically visible from inside. This mixed-gender bath, with its iron-infused warm onsen water, is known as a fertility bath. The source water flows generously from the tub, with cold spring water for temperature adjustment. The large red tengu mask staring down gives it a mysterious vibe, enhanced by the charm plaques displayed. The onsen water here is gentle on the skin, unlike the usual acidic hot springs like Shiobara in the area. If I had time, I would have tried the open-air pool, though it might be reserved for overnight guests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nasu Ropeway to Chausu-dake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Driving up to the Nasu Ropeway station, I was greeted by a stunning morning view of a sea of clouds illuminated by the sunrise – a lucky sight. The ascent up Chausu-dake was cold and windy, but the sunlight behind me helped keep me warm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From Chausu-dake to Asahi-dake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After circling Chausu-dake\u2019s crater, I descended to Mine-no-chaya Hut, where the red-brown mountain against lush greenery was beautiful. As I made my way to Asahi-dake, I encountered a few chained areas. I was a bit worried about ice, but the weather held, and I enjoyed the dynamic scenery all the way to the peak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Asahi-dake to Sanbon-yari-dake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From Asahi-dake, the landscape softened to greener hills. The marshy area of Shimizu-daira was tricky with the frost melting into mud, but I finally reached Sanbon-yari-dake, the highest point in Nasu, rewarded with panoramic views and even some rare frost crystals!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Descent from Sanbon-yari-dake to Kita Onsen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The gentle Nakano-Okura Ridge trail back was a blessing for my tired legs. The lush beech forests along the way made for a peaceful descent. I finally reached Kita Onsen, where I relaxed in the hot water, enjoying the nearby Komadome Waterfall, which had an ethereal blue-white tint from the mineral-rich water. The area\u2019s mix of hot springs and seasonal beauty makes me want to come back again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kita Onsen Ryokan, famous for its striking red tengu mask overlooking the bath, has long been a hot spring I wanted to visit. Recently, I found a route that connects the Nasu mountains – Chausu-dake, Asahi-dake, and Sanbon-yari-dake – and leads down to Kita Onsen. Given the course timing, it seemed feasible to do as a day trip, and since there was little chance of snow, I decided to explore the late autumn scenery in Nasu and end the day relaxing at Kita Onsen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/?p=2372","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kanto","en-US"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_wp_geo_latitude":"37.1240272","_wp_geo_longitude":"139.9964294","_wp_geo_map_settings":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3166"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3167,"href":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3166\/revisions\/3167"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onsen.thmiyake.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}