Editors' Selection — Kanagawa
Photo: Hakone Gora Karaku
You want to soak in a truly great onsen in Kanagawa. From open-air baths at mountain retreats to day-trip facilities in the middle of the city, the sheer number of options can make it hard to decide where to go in this region. Our editorial team, which researches onsen and saunas across Japan and keeps visiting them in person, has narrowed the field down to just 10 in Kanagawa Prefecture. Whichever of these inns and facilities you choose, you won't go wrong. All that's left is deciding where to go.
Kanagawa Hakone Town, Ashigarashimo District
Four private hot spring sources, reaching the rooftop bath and every guest room
A spacious large bath with an overwhelming sense of openness and the natural beauty of Hakone through the seasons all around you. It is filled generously with gentle alkaline simple spring water from the hotel's own source, leaving your skin smooth after bathing. The stone open-air bath set in the pavilion is fed by free-flowing spring water, allowing you to spend a blissful time relaxing in fine, famous waters.
A private bath where you can enjoy the famous waters without worrying about other guests. Each bath is generously filled with natural hot spring water flowing directly from the hotel's own source, so you can always enjoy a fresh and luxurious soak. In a calm Japanese-style space where you can relax at ease, you can enjoy an exceptional time of healing that frees both body and mind with your family or someone special.
A luxurious in-room open-air bath installed exclusively in Japanese-Western style rooms and other guest rooms. In your own private space, free from interruption, you can enjoy the natural hot spring water flowing directly from the hotel's own source as often and as much as you like while feeling Hakone's crisp air. You can lose track of time and soak in the famous waters to your heart's content, fully enjoying the ultimate private resort experience unique to a hot spring inn.
Editors' comment
The property has four of its own hot spring sources, and that water flows continuously—unheated and untreated—into the rooftop open-air bath, the in-room open-air baths, and the private baths alike. On the rooftop, with nothing overhead to block the view, sinking shoulder-deep into the alkaline simple onsen water opens your view fully to the mountains of Hakone. The water feels soft, leaving only a light trace on the skin. A Japanese garden with a waterfall is also on the grounds. A sauna is available too, but the real draw here is the number of hot spring sources and the way that water is delivered throughout the property.
Availability and rates are shown on each booking site.
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Kanagawa Hakone Town, Ashigarashimo District
Two hot spring sources, all yours in three free private open-air baths
An open-air hinoki bath in every guest room. You can sink into the tub, with its rising fragrance of wood, whenever you like and as many times as you want. Whether late at night or early in the morning, being able to bathe without worrying about anyone else is a luxury unique to the room. It is not a hot spring but heated water, yet the gentle touch of hinoki and the clear outdoor air deepen the feeling of travel even while you remain in your room.
A private open-air bath available free of charge and with no reservation required. Check the lamp at the entrance, open the door, and it becomes a bathhouse just for you and your companions. In the quiet, with only the rustle of the trees and the sound of the wind reaching you, the time spent slowly soaking in water drawn from Ōwakudani is truly exceptional. You can talk without worrying about anyone watching, or simply gaze up at the sky in silence. There is also the pleasure of visiting three baths with different atmospheres.
A spacious open-air bath beyond the large bathhouse. Surrounded by trees all around, the sky peeks through the gaps in the branches as you sink into the tub. By day, you can bathe beneath clear air and dappled sunlight; by night, you can enjoy a dreamlike scene illuminated by lights, true to its name, and experience two different moods in a single day. Soaking to your shoulders in the continuously flowing water while letting the mountain breeze brush your cheeks is deeply comforting.
A large bathhouse located beyond the covered corridor that runs through the garden. The indoor baths each have their own character, and the large tubs are filled with continuously flowing water drawn from Gora Onsen. The chlorides in the water make it supple and pleasant against the skin, and the longer you soak, the more deeply the warmth seeps into your core. In this quiet bathhouse filled with steam and the scent of wood, the noise from outside slowly fades away.
Editors' comment
A gate stands right in front of Gora Station, and passing through it leads to gardens and a covered walkway. Beyond that, the large bath called Gyokkei no Yu is filled with onsen water drawn from Gora Onsen, which overflows continuously. The chloride-rich water feels gentle against the skin, and the longer you soak, the more the heat settles into your core. Further in is the large open-air bath Kagaribi, surrounded by trees—light filtering through leaves by day, and trees rising against the glow of lanterns by night, giving you two different faces of the same bath in one stay. There are also three reservation-free, complimentary private open-air baths, filled with water drawn from Owakudani, which you can have entirely to yourself once the door is closed.
Availability and rates are shown on each booking site.
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Kanagawa Yokohama City
In a Yokohama residential area, a source-fed open-air bath amid bamboo
This sodium bicarbonate and chloride hot spring rises from deep underground and is known as Bijin no Yu, a hot spring that leaves the skin smooth. In the open-air baths surrounded by bamboo groves, you can savor the free-flowing natural hot spring water along with scenic views, while the indoor baths feature a variety of attraction baths and one of the largest high-concentration carbonated springs in the area. It helps release both body and mind from tension, allowing you to sink into blissful relaxation.
Editors' comment
In Aoba Ward, Yokohama, a sodium bicarbonate-chloride spring wells up from deep underground. The open-air bath is surrounded by a bamboo grove, into which the onsen water flows straight from the source. Water containing bicarbonate is said to smooth the surface of the skin, and it has long been known as Bijin no Yu, the beauty bath. Few places within a city offer both a source-fed flow and a bamboo grove view at the same time. The indoor bath features a variety of themed baths and a highly concentrated carbonated bath said to be among the largest in the region. A sauna is also available, along with rock-bed sauna and a restaurant, making it a place where you can spend an entire day.
Kanagawa Minamiashigara City
A cool open-air bath in a broadleaf forest, with silky-smooth alkaline water
An open-air bath where you can enjoy forest bathing and hot spring bathing at the same time, surrounded by broadleaf woodland and immersed in nature. The mildly warm temperature is easy on the body, allowing for long soaks. With the murmur of the river and birdsong as your background music, you can slowly surrender yourself to the silky "beauty bath" and feel the tension in both body and mind melt away deeply.
Editors' comment
A highly alkaline simple sulfur spring, drawn from deep underground, has a smooth, silky texture that gently sloughs away dead skin. The forest open-air bath is surrounded by broadleaf trees, and the water temperature is set slightly lower, putting less strain on the body so you can soak for longer stretches. In the background you'll hear a stream and birdsong. The indoor bath lets natural light pour in through large windows, making it ideal for warming a body chilled outdoors. A sauna is also available, but the onsen here exists for lingering long in the forest.
Kanagawa Yokosuka City
Facing Tokyo Bay, a salty strong chloride spring flowing straight from the source
A large bath in an excellent location overlooking Tokyo Bay, where you can enjoy chlorinated sodium strong brine spring water that rises from deep underground. The water is so rich in minerals that it tastes salty, retains heat very well, and is highly effective at keeping you warm after bathing. In the open-air area, there are baths where you can enjoy water flowing directly from the source and baths that offer a view as if you are one with the sea. The indoor baths also include a high-concentration carbonated spring that promotes blood circulation, allowing you to enjoy spectacular views and a diverse bathing experience all at once.
Editors' comment
In the open-air bathing area facing Tokyo Bay, tubs fed continuously from the source sit alongside baths that seem to merge visually with the sea. What wells up here is a strong chloride spring from deep underground—salty enough to taste on the tongue, and known by the nickname Netsu no Yu, or hot spring, for its exceptional heat retention. That's why, even in the open-air bath swept by sea breezes, the body doesn't cool easily, and the warmth lingers long after bathing. The indoor bath also includes a highly concentrated carbonated bath that promotes blood circulation, letting you take in both an ocean view and a potent hot spring at once. A sauna is also available.
Kanagawa Yokohama City
Amber-colored dark spring water from Tsunashima, overflowing a stone bath
A black-brown sodium bicarbonate cold mineral spring that rises in Tsunashima, an area once called Tokyo’s back garden. The open-air area features a free-flowing rock bath and tsubo baths surrounded by seasonal plantings and the soothing sound of a waterfall. The indoor baths include a silky, soft source-water tub, as well as Japan’s first carbonated amber bath, which infuses black hot spring water with carbon dioxide. You can enjoy the combined benefits of beautiful skin and improved circulation at the same time, and after bathing your skin will feel smooth and hydrated. It is a place where you can forget the noise of everyday life and deeply refresh both body and mind.
Editors' comment
What pours into the outdoor stone bath is an amber, coffee-colored onsen water. It's a cold sodium bicarbonate spring welling up in Tsunashima, flowing straight from the source and continuously overflowing the bath. The water has a smooth, almost syrupy texture, and as you soak, the tension seems to melt away from deep within your body. Seasonal greenery surrounds the area, and the sound of a waterfall carries through the air. The indoor bath also offers a carbonated version of the same dark water, called Tansan Kohaku-yu, letting you experience a single hot spring source in two different forms. A sauna is also available.
If you found yourself wanting to go
JAPAN'S FINEST ONSEN & SAUNA
Japan's Finest Onsen & Sauna
64 SELECTIONS
Every list of Japan's baths looks the same, and none of them tells you which one to build a trip around. Inside are the places the editor bathed in himself, and others chosen through our own reporting — kept not for their star ratings, but because he would go back.
Open the magazine, freeThis place's pages are free to read
Kanagawa Kawasaki City
Amber-colored onsen water, unheated, from 1,200 meters underground
This rare ultra-concentrated natural therapeutic spring was produced by deep drilling to 1,200 m, a first in Kawasaki Ward. The total mineral content reaches 25,800 mg, well over 25 times the typical hot spring baseline of 1,000 mg. Such a high concentration is classified as a hypertonic spring and tends to allow mineral components to penetrate the body more readily. Because the source is flowed without reheating and without chlorine, visitors can fully enjoy the freshness of the minerals and the original bathing sensation. The water is amber-colored, and its hue changes with lighting between day and night. After bathing, the body remains warm for a long time, clearly demonstrating high thermal retention.
So effervescent that it is often likened to Wilkinson carbonated springs, the amber well water envelops the whole body in countless bubbles, giving the sensation of being inside a carbonated drink. The temperature sits around 30°C in the neutral-temperature zone; it initially feels cool but gradually promotes circulation, producing a unique warming sensation from the inside out. The facility also runs popular Fresh Fruit Carbonation events in which large quantities of fresh fruit are added periodically, allowing guests to enjoy seasonal aromas and varied carbonated bathing experiences.
Editors' comment
The first onsen in Kawasaki Ward to be drilled down to a depth of 1,200 meters underground is a therapeutic spring whose total mineral content exceeds 25 times the standard for hot springs. It flows continuously without being heated or treated with chlorine. The bathing area is about the scale of a neighborhood sento, but the moment you sink into the water, a melting, clinging texture wraps around your skin. The color is amber, and how the light enters changes between day and night, altering the way it looks each time. Even a few minutes' soak warms you to the core, and the warmth lingers long after you get out. There's also an amber-colored, strongly carbonated bath at around 30°C, where countless bubbles envelop your whole body as you gradually warm from within. Two sauna rooms are also available.
If you found yourself wanting to go
JAPAN'S FINEST ONSEN & SAUNA
Japan's Finest Onsen & Sauna
64 SELECTIONS
Every list of Japan's baths looks the same, and none of them tells you which one to build a trip around. Inside are the places the editor bathed in himself, and others chosen through our own reporting — kept not for their star ratings, but because he would go back.
Open the magazine, freeThis place's pages are free to read
Kanagawa Hakone Town, Ashigarashimo District
An open-air bath facing Lake Ashinoko, and another facing a garden
A large public bath opened wide toward Lake Ashi and the forests of Hakone. As you let yourself sink into the water, the lake fills your entire field of vision, and all you hear is the sound of the wind. The other bath overlooks a garden that reflects the changing seasons, letting you warm up quietly while taking in fresh greenery or snowy scenery. The water drawn from Motohakone Onsen has a gentle feel on the skin, and as you soak while the clear air brushes your cheeks, the warmth slowly works its way deep into your body. Because the baths alternate between men and women, one of the pleasures here is being able to enjoy different views in the morning and evening.
Two half-open-air private baths available by reservation. Once the door is closed, the space becomes a bathhouse just for you, where you can soak without worrying about anyone else while still feeling the outside air. The water is the same Motohakone Onsen water used in the large public bath, and its gentle warmth slowly eases the tension from your shoulders. It is ideal for families with small children and for couples who want to spend time quietly away from others, with a private atmosphere that continues even after you leave the bath. *The private baths are available for an additional fee with advance reservation.
A private bath installed in guest rooms with open-air baths. Without having to worry about the time, you can slip into the water whenever the mood strikes, whether it is after waking up in the morning or late at night. The moment you breathe in Hakone’s crisp air while feeling the open sky is exceptional, and the fatigue of travel quietly melts away. Although it is not a hot spring, it offers the luxury of bringing the comfort of the room straight into the bath, making a stay for a special occasion or time as a couple even more memorable.
Editors' comment
The open-air bath in the large bathing area opens toward Lake Ashinoko. Sink into the water and your view fills with the lake surface and Hakone's forests. The other open-air bath faces a garden that changes with the seasons, letting you warm quietly while watching fresh greenery or a snow-covered landscape. Since these two baths are swapped between men and women, a single overnight stay lets you soak in two different views, one in the evening and one in the morning. The water, drawn from Motohakone Onsen, is a calcium-magnesium-sodium sulfate-bicarbonate spring said to feel gentle on the skin. The reservation-based private semi-open-air baths use the same onsen water.
Availability and rates are shown on each booking site.
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Kanagawa Hakone Town, Ashigarashimo District
A mountain-facing onsen and a Sagami Bay-facing onsen, swapped daily
A grand scenic open-air bath with a borrowed landscape of mountains and Sagami Bay spread out before you. Nothing blocks the view, and when you sink into the water, the sky and mountain ridges seem to open endlessly around you. On clear days, the water reflects a refreshing blue, creating a sensation as though you are floating on the sea. The sodium chloride spring is soft and blends gently with the skin, and its warmth lingers long after you get out. It has an indoor bath and an open-air bath, and with the baths alternating for men and women, it shows a different face in the morning and in the evening.
A reservation-only private bath that can be used in complete privacy. The bath tub, made generously with hinoki cypress, is filled with the fragrance of wood, creating a deep sense of calm as if you were forest bathing while looking out over a bamboo garden. The other bath is a rock bath built from stacked Gora stones, where the chic black and gray stone surface conveys the spirit of the place, and greenery from the garden spreads beyond the large glass windows. Being able to soak without worrying about being seen, only with family or loved ones, is the greatest luxury of all. Drinks are also provided in the changing room, allowing you to quietly savor the lingering afterglow of the bath. * Private baths are available by reservation and for an additional fee.
A scenic open-air bath facing the peak known locally as "Daimonji-yama," with Myojogatake rising directly ahead. In the indoor bath, the mountainside seems to come straight into view, while in the open-air bath, the play of light and wind rises beyond the steam. From the fresh greens of spring to the blazing colors of autumn leaves and the quiet silver world of winter, the scenery changes completely with each season and surrounds the bath. As you surrender yourself to the mellow texture of the sodium chloride spring, the flow of time seems to gently unwind.
A private open-air hot spring bath on the balcony of every guest room. From the tub, you can look out over the townscape of Miyanoshita, the Hakone mountain range, and even distant Sagami Bay, creating a vivid bathing experience that makes you feel as if you are immersed in nature itself. The real charm of this inn is being able to sink into the water whenever the mood strikes, late at night or at dawn, without having to mind anyone else. After getting out, you can settle into a terrace chair with a drink in hand and enjoy the mountain breeze at leisure, savoring a travel experience free from the pressure of time.
Editors' comment
On the heights of Gora are two open-air baths with observation views and distinctly different characters. One, called Myojo, faces Mount Myojo directly, with the mountain slope pressing close from the indoor bath as well. The other, Soukai, has nothing blocking the view, opening out past the mountain ridges all the way to Sagami Bay. One onsen faces the mountains, the other faces the sea. Since the men's and women's baths are swapped, staying one night lets you experience both. The water is a sodium chloride spring, and the warmth lingers deep in the body long after you get out. Three private baths—cypress, stone, and microbubble, each with its own character—are reservation-based and paid. Every guest room also has its own open-air onsen bath, so you can soak whenever you like without watching the clock.
Availability and rates are shown on each booking site.
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Kanagawa Hakone Town, Ashigarashimo District
Miyanoshita onsen water, in the top-floor bath and all 120 guest rooms
The SPA bathhouse draws water from Miyanoshita Onsen, one of the famous hot springs counted among the Seven Hot Springs of Hakone. It features an indoor bath and a semi-open-air bath overlooking the grand ridgelines of the outer Hakone mountains, allowing guests to enjoy a hot spring bath while feeling the natural beauty of each season. The highly heat-retaining sodium chloride spring warms the body from deep within and brings a profound sense of relaxation.
Natural hot spring water from Miyanoshita drawn into the bathrooms of all guest rooms. In this private space, you can have the famous spring all to yourself without being disturbed by anyone. In the rooms of this historic classic hotel, you can savor the luxury of soaking in the hot spring as often as you like, whenever you like.
Editors' comment
From the bath on the top floor of the Forest Wing, the ridgeline of Hakone's outer rim stretches wide across the horizon. Both the indoor bath and the semi-open-air bath take in this view. What flows here is water from Miyanoshita Onsen, one of the Hakone Seven Hot Springs. The sodium chloride spring retains heat well, so the warmth lingers long after you leave the bath. The same onsen water is also piped into the bathrooms of all 120 guest rooms, letting you soak again and again without worrying about the time. What sets this place apart is that you can do so within a building registered as a Tangible Cultural Property, which opened in 1878. A sauna is also available.
Availability and rates are shown on each booking site.
This page contains affiliate links. Booking through them costs you nothing extra.
Chosen by our editors from facilities that have granted us publication permission. We do not rank them.
JAPAN'S FINEST ONSEN & SAUNA
Japan's Finest Onsen & Sauna
64 SELECTIONS
Most of what we surveyed never made it onto this site. This is a further cut from what did — places the editor bathed in himself, and places chosen through our own reporting.
