01A red gold spring that holds the ancient seaThe deep reddish-brown water envelops the skin and awakens circulation from deep within.
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Japan Onsen & Sauna Guide
Japan's Finest
Onsen & Sauna
Japan's Finest Onsen & Sauna
57
Chosen from 300+ visited over a lifetime
43Themed features
25Prefectures
Saga
Chiba
Hokkaido
Hokkaido
Kanagawa
Gifu
Wakayama
Nagano
Ishikawa
FOREWORD
There are far more facilities that were left out.
300 Visited · 57 Selected
Foreword
Beyond the facilities—to the culture behind them.
I have been going to bathhouses since I was in elementary school, and before long I found myself traveling all over Japan. It was only much later that I realized luxury is not what makes a place special. The temperature of the water, the quality of the water, the quiet, and the hands of the people who care for the baths. Only that accumulation creates unforgettable moments.
All 57 of the facilities featured here were contacted individually, and we obtained permission to publish them. The photos were also provided directly by the facilities. We did not receive any listing fees from them. The reason they are included is simply because they are good.
At the end of the magazine, from among these 57 facilities, we have also selected the very best sauna, cold plunge bath, and hot spring, and revealed the criteria used for each choice.
Editor-in-Chief Junpei Ohnishi
Contents
CONTENTS
57 facilities, each published with its owner's permission. At the back, we name the finest sauna, cold bath and onsen among them — and publish the criteria we judged by.
03Enjoy Onsen & Sauna More DeeplyBasics & etiquette
Hyogo
Kobe Sauna & Spa
Hokkaido
Noboribetsu Grand Hotel
Nagano
Shirakaba Resort Ikenotaira Hotel
CHAPTER 01
57 Finest Onsen & Sauna in Japan
CHAPTER 01
57 Finest Onsen & Sauna in Japan
CHAPTER 01
57 Finest Onsen & Sauna in Japan
CHAPTER 02
Closing Features
Having visited every facility in this issue, we chose the finest sauna, cold bath and onsen — and we show you the criteria behind each choice.
CHAPTER 03
Onsen & Sauna Etiquette Guide
Essential manners and tips so everyone can enjoy hot springs and saunas comfortably.
01. Checking the Tattoo RulesP.114
02. No Bathing After Drinking, and Stay HydratedP.115
03. Considerations for Bathing During MenstruationP.116
04. No use of smartphones or camerasP.117
05. Take off your shoes and slippers at the entranceP.118
06. Wash your body before entering the bathP.119
07. Be considerate of the person next to you (shower spray)P.120
08. Do not reserve a washing spot or leave a messP.121
09. Do not dip towels in the bath /
Tie up your hairP.122
10. Do not speak loudly or make a racket in the bath or saunaP.123
11. Do not swim, jump in, or run in the bathtubP.124
12. Cold plunge bath etiquette after the sauna (wash off sweat, no diving)P.125
13. Wipe your body before returning to the changing areaP.126
Japan's Finest
Onsen & Sauna
57 Selections
A journey to visit carefully selected famous hot springs and saunas for body and mind
JOURNEY THROUGH JAPAN
04
SAGA
Mifuneyama Rakuen Hotel
A premium resort in harmony with Mifuneyama's nature
Deep in a hotel where forest and art melt together in Takeo, Saga Prefecture. The heat of firewood, the scent of tea, and the cold spring water quietly fill the senses with the presence of Mifuneyama.
Saga Takeo City
4/57
01
Deep heat nurtured by wood fire
02
A cold plunge bath cooled with spring water
03
The aroma of hojicha and medicinal herbsA sauna sanctuary of fire, water, and fragrance embraced by Mount Mifuneyama
The reason it is spoken of as a sacred place in the Japanese sauna world is not just its luxury. The forest of Mifuneyama, the light of teamLab, and the stillness that lingers throughout the building begin to loosen the heart even before bathing. The saunas, each with a different character for men and women, are alive with a giant wood-burning stove, löyly infused with Ureshino-grown hojicha, medicinal herb steam from Takeo, and a white kyu gel sauna. What receives the heated body is water made by cooling the spring water of Takeo Onsen. Beneath the chill lies a mellow texture that softly glides over the skin.
EDITOR'S NOTE
A sacred place of totonou, designed with beauty down to the very marginsSauna, water, rest, sweets, and a bonfire. Each is a star in its own right, yet none gets in the way of the others. Every visit is a surprise in the quality of its stillness.
INFORMATION
LOCATION
Saga Takeo City 4100 Takeo, Takeo-cho, Takeo City, Saga Prefecture
WEB SITE
www.mifuneyama.co.jp
TATTOO POLICY
No Tattoos
FACILITY TYPE
Hotel & Ryokan
16/57
JAPAN ONSEN COLLECTION
15
HYOGO
Arima Onsen Taiko no Yu
A miraculous hot spring where ancient seawater from 6,000,000 years ago gushes up from 60 km underground
Head to Arima in the mountain foothills of Kobe’s Kita Ward, Hyogo Prefecture. The reddish-brown gold spring, the clear silver spring, and the lava sauna resonate together, quietly drawing you toward the memory of ancient seas and Rokko’s heat, deep into the steam.
The star is the reddish-brown gold spring, said to originate from seawater from 6 million years ago. The salty presence that lingers heavily on the skin speaks to the power of the water. The clear silver spring is gentle, and the more you alternate between the two, the more Arima’s depth comes into view. In the ultimate lava sauna, you are enveloped in the heat of Sakurajima lava and germanium, and in the dimmed löyly only the crystal at the center appears to float. The finishing touch is silver spring rock water. The mellow coolness of the natural hot spring quietly dissolves the heat away.
EDITOR'S NOTE
The weight of the water slowly sinking into travel memories
Arima is a tourist destination, yet the raw character of the water itself remains strong. What makes Taiko no Yu interesting is how it carries that power all the way to the cold plunge bath after the sauna.
HIGHLIGHTS
02A lava sauna lit by crystalWithin the dimming heat, only the crystal at the center rises quietly into view.
03Rock water cooled from silver springIts mellow coolness eases away the flush and connects you to the mountain atmosphere.
INFORMATION
LOCATION
Hyogo Kobe City 292-2 Ikenoshiri, Arima-cho, Kita-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture
WEB SITE
www.taikounoyu.com
TATTOO POLICY
No Tattoos
FACILITY TYPE
Super sento
JOURNEY THROUGH JAPAN
Japan holds special onsen and saunas that set the soul free.
JOURNEY THROUGH JAPAN
33
NAGANO
Ringo no Yuya Obu~
A celebrated spot with drinkable North Alps groundwater and the nation’s top electric baths
Obu, the Apple Bathhouse, is Matsumoto’s signature sento, where soft nano water drawn from the underground streams of the Northern Alps, rich sauna heat, and even the local flavors are all satisfied in a single day.
Nagano Matsumoto City
35/57
01
A drinkable nano-water pot bath
02
A wall of heat from rich löyly
03
One of the country’s finest collections of electric bathsTo a famous bathhouse in Matsumoto, wrapped in the waters of the Northern Alps
The entire facility uses nano water, carefully refined from the underground waters of the Northern Alps. After the sauna, when you sink into the binchotan cold plunge bath, the chill loses its sharp edges and gently melts away the heat as if stroking your skin. The men’s bath has the self-löyly sauna, Thank You SAUNA, and the richly aromatic red cedar sauna, Otokomae SAUNA. The women’s bath offers two saunas designed with beauty and hydration in mind. Warmth, heat, water, and food all connect in one seamless flow, making this a deeply welcoming spot that feels quintessentially Matsumoto.
EDITOR'S NOTE
A famous sento in Matsumoto that lingers in the memory with the sweetness of its waterI was amazed at how much a cold plunge bath could change the impression of a place. The spring water soaks into your body after the sauna, and even the sansaikyaki at the dining hall becomes part of the afterglow of the trip.
INFORMATION
LOCATION
Nagano Matsumoto City 3-9-44 Ishishiba, Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan
WEB SITE
www.orchard.co.jp/obu
TATTOO POLICY
No Tattoos
FACILITY TYPE
Super sento
45/57
JAPAN ONSEN COLLECTION
41
TOKYO
Spadium Japon
One of Kanto's largest spas where Tokyo's only "100 Famous Waters" spring and a natural hot spring shine
Clear spring water bubbling up in Higashikurume, Tokyo, and the colorless, transparent Musashino Onsen. Heat, bubbles, fragrance, and cool air overlap, making you forget the bustle of Tokyo.
The essence of Spadium Japon is remembered through water before heat. The same water source as the spring water chosen for Tokyo’s only selection in the “100 Famous Waters of the Heisei Era” gives the cold plunge bath its crisp, clear contours. In one carbonated bath, tiny bubbles tickle the skin, and even the cold air from falling ice becomes part of the performance. In the tower sauna filled with pine aroma, the hot blast from auto-löyly races up the tiered interior. The finish is the colorless, transparent Musashino Onsen. Its chloride and bicarbonate-rich water leaves the skin smooth again after sweating.
EDITOR'S NOTE
An afternoon that taught me Tokyo’s hidden strength through the chill of famous water
Even in a lively large-scale facility, the moment you step into the cold plunge bath, the air turns clear. The afterglow of famous water and the heat of aroma stayed in my body all the way home.
HIGHLIGHTS
01Tower sauna scented with blast heatThe hot air of pine aroma surges upward, drawing out sweat from the whole body at once.
02Heisei-era famous water in the cold plunge bathThe clear, gentle coldness created by Higashikurume’s water source, with no sting to the skin.
03Crystal-clear Musashino OnsenThe transparent water of chloride and bicarbonate spring leaves your skin smooth after bathing.
INFORMATION
LOCATION
Tokyo Higashikurume City 2-7-7 Kaminohara, Higashikurume, Tokyo
WEB SITE
spajapo.com
TATTOO POLICY
No Tattoos
FACILITY TYPE
Super sento
JOURNEY THROUGH JAPAN
Japan holds special onsen and saunas that set the soul free.
JOURNEY THROUGH JAPAN
44
HOKKAIDO
Marukoma Onsen Ryokan, the lakeside inn on Lake Shikotsu
A natural open-air bath with spring water bubbling up from beneath your feet and a scenic sauna with flowing Lake Shikotsu water
Nestled in a northern primeval forest, this hot spring inn was founded in 1915. On the shores of Lake Shikotsu, a natural bath that springs up from beneath your feet, a cold plunge of lake water, and a gentle löyly all breathe quietly.
Hokkaido Chitose City
52/57
01
Step into the natural open-air bath with spring water bubbling up from beneath your feet
02
A cold plunge bath fed directly with Lake Shikotsu water
03
Lakeside heat to enjoy in privateA long-established hidden hot spring, embraced by the waters of Lake Shikotsu and a spring that bubbles up from beneath your feet
The heart of Marukoma Onsen Ryokan is the natural open-air bath at the end of the covered corridor. As you sink into the spring water bubbling up from beneath the rocks, with Lake Shikotsu just beyond, you are embraced by a bathing pool that is nature itself and changes with the lake’s water level. In the large bath, the löyly in the Finnish-style sauna loosens your body with steam carrying the scent of wood, while the cold plunge bath fed directly with Lake Shikotsu water carries away the heat like a winged robe. There is also a private barrel sauna and an outdoor sauna, where you can have the quiet of the national park all to yourselves.
EDITOR'S NOTE
An inn where the lake itself becomes a vein of totonouAfter the sauna, I will never forget the crystal-clear feeling the moment I stepped into the cold plunge bath of Lake Shikotsu water. This is a place where the softness of the water reaches your skin before its coldness does. During the outdoor air bath, even the breeze off the lakeshore felt pure.
INFORMATION
LOCATION
Hokkaido Chitose City 〒066-0287 7 Horobinai, Chitose, Hokkaido
WEB SITE
www.marukoma.co.jp
TATTOO POLICY
No tattoo-specific restrictionGuests with tattoos are welcome to bathe. The official policy clearly states that tattoos are allowed under its universal-access policy.
FACILITY TYPE
Hotel & Ryokan
FEATURE 01
The Best Sauna
The Unforgettable Sauna
Saunas are everywhere in Japan. There are countless of them. What makes one unforgettable is not a place with the newest facilities, but a place where the right conditions come together in a way that can happen nowhere else. We chose these four criteria.
CRITERIA
The four measures we call "exceptional"
It is not just about being hot, or being new. Saunas that stay in the body’s memory for years share certain qualities.
- 01Location
The sea and the mountains are not something you can add later. Only a landscape that has existed there since ancient times can make a room truly one of a kind.
- 02Design and Architecture
Today’s sauna is both architecture and a work of art. There are spaces where simply sitting there moves the senses.
- 03Stillness
Because it is a room cut off from reality, has a quietness been designed in which you can hear nothing but your own breathing?
- 04Stove and Materials
A good stove creates good heat, and woods like keuro and red cedar create both insulation and fragrance.
04Stove and Materials03Stillness02Design and Architecture
TOYAMA
Yuya FUROBAKKA
A cave and a hut shaped by flame
Anagura Sauna is a place where, amid raw concrete walls and deep darkness, only the flame of the wood stove draws the outlines. The sound and scent of burning soften the heat. Yamagoya Sauna, by contrast, places the green of the park beyond its large windows, and each time water falls on the stacked stones, the air grows denser. The same firewood, yet a completely different expression. Darkness and light, two memories of wood fire.
The Best Sauna
FEATURE 02
The Finest Cold Bath
The Perfect Cold Bath
A cold bath is the water of its place, plain and simple. How it is drawn and how it flows changes the way your body sinks in. It is not decided by coldness alone. Chosen by four measures, this is water you will never forget.
CRITERIA
Measuring the Water, Four Standards
If it is only about being cold, anyone can make that. The cold baths that make you want to enter that water again had both a source and a way of being handled.
- 01Water Quality
Natural groundwater, spring water, or hot spring water. There is a texture to water drawn from the land itself that nothing else can match.
- 02Continuous Flow
Fresh water keeps pouring in, overflowing without pause. You can feel how fresh it is the moment you step in.
- 03Water Temperature
18 degrees or lower. And if there are cold baths with selectable temperatures, the experience itself changes.
- 04Size and Number
You can step in as soon as you leave the sauna, without waiting. Water you sink into while worrying about everyone else's turn does not stay in memory.
01Water Quality02Continuous Flow03Water Temperature04Size and Number
CHIBA
SATOYAMA TERRACE
Two currents of coolness, loosening into satoyama
The two cold plunge baths fed by the satoyama’s natural groundwater each have a different edge of chill. One is sharp, cutting off the heat; the other is soft, clinging to the skin. In one, fresh water pours in abundantly, and you can receive the falling stream over your head. Finish with outdoor air bathing, wrapped in the scent of the forest and open views, or step into the indoor air-bathing tent. Even in the spacious lounge, the afterglow of the cold never quite fades.
The Finest Cold Bath
FEATURE 03
The Supreme Natural Hot Spring
The Supreme Onsen
How little can we alter water that springs from underground before carrying it to the bath? Its color, scent, and texture are utterly different from place to place. We chose waters that have welled up since ancient times, using four measures.
CRITERIA
Measuring the Water, with Four Measures
The more water is carried, the more it thins and cools. That is why the day you encounter water as close as possible to its natural state is one you never forget.
- 01Free-flowing spring water
Without added water, heating, or circulation, the water that springs forth fills the bath as it is and overflows as it is.
- 02Water richness
Colorless water turns golden when it meets the air. Water that rich is unmistakable the moment you step in.
- 03Lasting warmth
Even after you leave the bath, the warmth stays deep in your core. We remember the water that lasted until the next morning's waking.
- 04Local character
Its color, scent, and texture are utterly different from place to place. That water can spring only from that land.
01Free-flowing spring water02Water richness03Lasting warmth04Local character
ISHIKAWA
Kinjo Onsen Motoyu
Two springs, a deep brown bath
Kinjō Onsen No. 2 spring fills the center of the large bath, while Kinjō Onsen No. 1 spring lies beneath the open air outside. The two natural hot springs continually overflow from their respective tubs. The indoor bath, in particular, is a deep brown whose richness is apparent at a glance. Once you sink in, it does not press with stimulation; instead, it gently loosens the whole body and seems to draw you toward sleep. Two vessels, taking in the water as it comes from the land.
The Supreme Natural Hot Spring
ONSENMAGAZINE
“The places worth the whole journey.”
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