Japan is famous for its onsen culture. Photo / 123RF
Not fussed on ski slopes? While friends and family carve up the powdery mountains, treat yourself to a trip to one of these famous onsen towns, writes Arundhati Hazra.
Sitting in a hot spring pool in the chilly winter air, your breath fogging up in misty swirls, admiring snowy peaks in the distance – spending winter in a Japanese onsen town hits different. Be it the outdoor baths (rotenburo), indoor baths (uchiburo) or simple foot baths (ashiyu), soaking in an onsen is not just a relaxing experience; the water from natural hot springs is rich in mineral salts that are believed to soothe certain ailments.
A few tips to enjoy your onsen experience. Rent or buy a traditional yukata (casual kimono) and geta (Japanese wooden sandals) to wear while visiting an onsen. Before entering the onsen, wash yourself thoroughly; do the same once you are out. Ensure that your towel doesn’t touch the water, and don’t dip your head underwater. Onsens are usually gender segregated and many don’t allow clothing to be worn in the bathing area. Many public onsens don’t allow tattooed guests, so do your research before visiting.
The town’s traditional ryokan is said to have inspired Hayao Miyazaki’s movie Spirited Away, and in winter, the town feels straight out of a Studio Ghibli movie. One of Japan’s busiest onsen towns, you can go to the two public baths (one of them was designed by noted architect Kuma Kengo), a free foot bath, or even one of the ryokans’ indoor baths.
After a dip in the pools, take an evening stroll down the river that cuts through the town centre to admire the century-old wooden ryokans, or head to the 500-year-old silver mines that were the town’s bread and butter during the Edo period. Try local specialty curry bread at Haikara-san street, boiled or deep-fried fresh tofu at Nogawa tofu shop, or sit down with a bowl of hot soba at any restaurant.
Hell Valley (Jigoku-Dani) near Noboribetsu is a melange of steaming geysers and bubbling springs, which supply the onsens of the town. There are nine types of mineral waters each said to support certain ailments from sulphur springs for chronic bronchitis, or mirabilite springs for hypertension.
After soaking up all the minerals, visit the Oyunuma or Kuttara caldera lakes for splendid views, or head to the ski fields of Sapporo, a short drive away. For food, try out local specialties like wasabi-zuke pickles and cod roe soaked in a kimchi sauce, or sample premium Hokkaido milk products at Noboribetsu Dairy Farm. The town also has a fascination with demon statues; see the welcome demons at the railway station and an Edo-era praying demon at the entrance to Hell Valley.
Some 1300 years ago, a Buddhist priest, Dochi Shonin, prayed for 1000 days to assist ill townspeople, after which water is said to have sprung out from the ground of Mandara-yu, one of seven onsens in Kinosaki. Onsen lovers have their pick of environs, from the cave-like setting of Ichino-yu to the seclusion of Kono-yu, to the family-friendly Jizo-yu. Most ryokans in the town offer onsen passes, and tattooed individuals are welcome at all. When not steaming up, visit the Onsenji temple built to honour Shonin, and try your hand at the town’s straw craft, mugiwara zaiku, at the Kinosaki Straw Craft Museum. In winter, fill up on the Matsuba crab, a local winter specialty, as well as Izushi style soba noodles.
If soaking in an onsen with a view of Mt Fuji is on your bucket list, some of Hakone’s ryokan onsens like Ryuguden and Hotel Green Plaza offer just that. Even if you don’t get there, Japan’s onsen theme park, as Hakone is sometimes called, has an onsen for every requirement: mountain view, lake view, indoor, outdoor, alkaline, acidic. Outside of onsens, key attractions include the Glass Forest, Japan’s first museum showcasing Venetian glass, and the Komagatake Ropeway that takes you up from the shores of Lake Ashi for views of Mt Fuji.
While there, sample black sulphur eggs (kuro-tamago) that are said to each add seven years to your life, fluffy steamed buns called onsen manju that are cooked using hot spring steam, or just a traditional kaiseki meal if you aren’t feeling adventurous.
Around 1300 years ago, a timeline that seems common across onsen origin stories, Shibu onsen was discovered by a monk, Gyoki. There are nine public bathhouses; buy a junyoku Japanese towel and get it stamped at each of them to serve as a souvenir of your visit. Humans aren’t the only ones who enjoy the hot baths, local macaque monkeys do too – get a glimpse of them at the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park a 10-minute drive from the town.
Take a short drive out of town to get your adrenaline pumping with skiing, snowboarding and hiking at Shiga Kogen, Japan’s largest ski resort, or head to Obuse, where the renowned woodblock painter Hokusai lived, to see his artwork at the Hokusai Museum and Ganshoin temple.
The Izu Peninsula is popular for its beaches and resorts, but in its hilly heart sits Shuzenji, often called Little Kyoto. The Shuzenji temple is a notable Zen Buddhist temple built by the monk Kobo Daishi, who, as legend goes, created the Tokko-no-yu hot spring when he struck a rock with his walking stick; the spring now feeds a free foot bath.
The town’s public bath, Hakoyu, is popular, and most ryokan have private onsens. After your onsen experience, take a walk through the lit up bamboo groves in the evening, or visit the bright red Kaede Bridge that opens up wonderful views of the seasonal landscape. The Izu Peninsula is known as the heartland of wasabi, try Shuzenji’s freshly made wasabi in places like Amago-jaya and Kameya Kansenro.
With eight onsens scattered around the town, Beppu is one of Japan’s best-known hot spring resorts. Alongside hot water baths are sand baths where bathers are buried in naturally heated sand, steam baths and mud baths; most onsens here are also tattoo-friendly. Families will enjoy the bustle of Harmonyland, a Sanrio character park just outside Beppu, after a relaxing onsen experience, and the Beppu Ropeway offers winter wonderland aerial views of Mt Tsurumi, an active volcano overlooking the town. Sample Jigokumushi cuisine, which uses hot spring steam to cook food and imbues it with minerals.
A night walking tour brings alive a different side of Beppu, with street musician performances and the Kannawa hot spring lit up on weekends, making for an otherworldly sight.