Checking into a ryokan, you are shown to your room where a yukata awaits. Changing into this yukata and strolling through the onsen town is the essence of a Japanese hot spring trip.

The custom of walking in yukata is rare globally, a unique culture found only in Japan's hot spring areas. This custom makes onsen trips special.

Yukata: An Extraordinary Experience

For modern Japanese, opportunities to wear yukata are limited.

Summer festivals, fireworks displays, and onsen ryokan visits are about the only occasions. Yukata are not worn daily, so the moment you change into one at a ryokan, the extraordinary begins.

Yukata are traditional Japanese garments, simplified versions of kimono, developed as summer casual wear. At ryokan, yukata are provided as loungewear, the most comfortable attire after a bath.

Changing into a yukata changes your mindset. You relax and let yourself flow with the leisurely pace. Freed from daily stress, you switch to onsen travel mode. This psychological effect is a major role of yukata.

The Culture of Walking in Yukata in Onsen Towns

After changing into a yukata at a ryokan, you stroll through the onsen town. This is a uniquely Japanese custom.

In famous onsen towns, tourists in yukata abound. Kusatsu Onsen, Kinosaki Onsen, Ginzan Onsen—wherever you walk, people in yukata are everywhere. This sight creates the charm of onsen towns.

Walking outside in yukata is, in essence, an odd act. It’s like walking in loungewear. However, in onsen towns, this is normal. In fact, walking in regular clothes makes you stand out.

This culture is related to the “sotoyu” culture of onsen towns. Besides the ryokan’s private baths, there was a custom of visiting public baths called “sotoyu” in town. Going to sotoyu in yukata and then strolling through town gave birth to the yukata strolling culture.

The Sound of Geta on Cobblestones

Along with yukata, geta are provided.

Geta are traditional Japanese footwear, wooden sandals with straps. Walking in geta creates a distinctive “karakoro” sound.

Walking on the cobblestones of onsen towns in geta—karakoro, karakoro. This sound enhances the charm of onsen towns. Just the sound makes you feel, “Ah, I’m in an onsen town.”

Geta can be tricky to walk in if you’re not used to them. The straps can dig into your feet and cause pain. However, this inconvenience is part of the onsen travel experience. Because it’s inconvenient, you walk slowly, leisurely. This pace suits onsen towns.

The Night Breeze on a Warmed Body

After a bath, you change into a yukata and step outside.

Your body is warm from the bath, with improved circulation and warmth from the core. In this state, you feel the cool night air. It feels good. It feels amazing.

Even on summer nights, it feels cool on a warmed body. In winter, you might wear a coat, but you still feel warm. The heat retention effect of the onsen makes you less sensitive to the cold.

This contrast of “warmth from within” and “coolness from without” creates the comfort of yukata strolling. It’s a unique sensation only experienced at onsens.

The Illumination of Onsen Towns

Onsen towns at night are beautiful.

Cobblestones, wooden buildings, bridges, rivers—all illuminated with warm-colored lights. The retro townscape creates a magical atmosphere.

People in yukata walk through the illuminated town. This scene itself is like a painting. It’s a landscape that encapsulates Japanese aesthetics.

Onsen towns intentionally create this atmosphere. The placement of streetlights, the color of the lighting, the preservation of buildings—all calculated to create “charm.” It’s a strategic town planning to enhance its appeal as a tourist destination.

Retro Games: Shooting Galleries and Smart Balls

Onsen towns retain games from the Showa era.

Shooting galleries, smart balls, ring toss—shops offering these retro games are scattered throughout onsen towns. For young people, they’re fresh; for older folks, nostalgic.

Playing shooting games in yukata is a strangely fitting combination. You aim the gun, shoot at targets. Whether you hit or miss, it’s fun. The act itself is more enjoyable than the outcome.

Games in onsen towns are about enjoying the atmosphere, not competition. Play with laughter, not too seriously. This relaxed vibe suits onsen trips.

The Joy of Eating While Walking

Walking through onsen towns, you find shops offering food to eat while strolling.

Onsen manju, dango, ice cream, croquettes—many are easy to eat. You walk through town with these in hand. Eating while walking is one of the joys of onsen town strolls.

Ice cream after a bath is exceptional. The cold ice cream seeps into your warmed body. You could say you enter the onsen just for this combination.

Onsen manju are a staple of onsen towns. Soft dough with sweet filling. Biting into a hot one makes you feel happy. Eating this in yukata enhances the sense of the extraordinary, making the trip feel special.

Taking a Break at Foot Baths

As you walk through onsen towns, you find foot baths.

Free foot baths are set up throughout onsen towns. You can stop by during your stroll and warm your tired feet. This casualness is the charm of foot baths.

The sight of people in yukata enjoying foot baths is iconic in onsen towns. You take off your geta, roll up your yukata, and soak your feet. Next to you, others are enjoying the foot bath too. Conversations naturally start.

Foot baths are also places for communication. Locals, other tourists—various people gather and talk about onsens and travel. This interaction enriches travel memories.

Photographing in Yukata

Taking photos in yukata is also a staple of onsen trips.

With the scenery of onsen towns as a backdrop, you take commemorative photos in yukata. Post them on social media, and you’ll get plenty of “likes.” The extraordinary attire of yukata makes for photogenic shots.

Especially for women, yukata are special attire. Wearing kimono, which they don’t usually wear, and taking cute photos is a major motivation for onsen trips.

Onsen towns understand this demand. They set up photo spots and provide easy places for photography. They enhance yukata rental services to increase tourist satisfaction. It’s part of the onsen town’s tourism strategy.

The Joy of Sotoyu Tours

Onsen towns have multiple public baths called “sotoyu.”

Kinosaki Onsen has seven sotoyu, each with a different atmosphere. The “sotoyu tour” in yukata is a specialty of Kinosaki Onsen. By purchasing a “yumeguri tegata,” you can enter all the sotoyu.

You walk through town in yukata, enter a sotoyu, walk again, and enter the next sotoyu. This repetition creates a supreme onsen experience. You can enjoy various spring qualities and atmospheres.

Sotoyu tours also provide exercise. Walking around the onsen town gives you moderate exercise. The combination of bathing and exercise is good for health. It’s an ideal bathing method that maximizes the benefits of onsens.

The Night in Onsen Towns is Adult Time

The night in onsen towns shows a different face from the day.

Stores for tourists close, and places locals frequent open. Izakayas, snack bars, bars—these places enliven the night in onsen towns.

You enter an izakaya in yukata, drink local sake, and eat local dishes. This casualness is the charm of onsen town nights. No need to change clothes. You can enjoy adult time in yukata.

Onsen town nights are surprisingly lively until late. Drinking until midnight and returning to the ryokan in yukata. Walking the cobblestones with unsteady steps. This too becomes a memory of the onsen trip.

The Beauty of Onsen Towns in the Morning

In contrast to the night’s liveliness, onsen towns are quiet in the morning.

In the early morning, you stroll in yukata. Shops aren’t open yet. There are hardly any tourists. This tranquility is the charm of onsen towns in the morning.

After a morning bath, you breathe in the morning air in yukata. It’s refreshing. Your body is warmed by the onsen, and the air is cool and clear. This contrast stimulates the senses.

In the morning onsen town, you see the lives of locals. People preparing shops, walking dogs. Not the face of a tourist spot, but a daily face. Seeing this deepens your understanding of the onsen town.

The Sense of Unity Created by Yukata Strolling

Wearing yukata in onsen towns creates a mysterious sense of unity.

Everyone is wearing yukata. Tourists, other tourists, all dressed the same. This uniformity creates a sense of solidarity. Even among strangers, a feeling of “we’re experiencing the same thing” arises.

The common attire of yukata removes barriers. Age, gender, nationality—no matter the differences, wearing yukata makes everyone the same. This sense of equality creates the comfort of onsen towns.

Yukata Strolling as a Japanese Cultural Experience

Yukata strolling is not just sightseeing. It’s an experience of Japanese culture.

Wearing traditional clothing, walking in geta, bathing in onsens, eating Japanese food—all are part of traditional Japanese culture. Yukata strolling in onsen towns is a condensed Japanese cultural experience that allows you to experience all of these at once.

For foreign tourists, yukata strolling is an especially memorable experience. It’s something they can’t do in their own countries. Walking through Japanese onsen towns in yukata becomes the best memory of their trip to Japan.

Yukata Strolling as the Essence of Onsen Travel

Onsen travel is not just about bathing in hot springs.

Changing into yukata, walking through onsen towns, eating, drinking, playing, taking photos—all these experiences together make up onsen travel.

Yukata strolling connects these experiences. Because you’re wearing yukata, you want to walk through onsen towns. Because you walk, you make various discoveries. This cycle enriches onsen travel.

Yukata strolling in onsen towns is the crystallization of onsen culture that Japan should be proud of worldwide. It’s a unique tourist experience where onsens, towns, and people become one. Without experiencing this, one cannot speak of Japanese onsens.

Change into yukata. Wear geta. And walk through onsen towns. Therein lies the essence of Japanese onsen culture.