Onsen(温泉) — Japanese hot geothermal source. Japan lies at the interface of 4 tectonic plates — has27,000 geothermal sourcesand3000 spa towns. Bathing onsen is not just hygiene — it is a spiritual experience combining body, mind, and nature.
History in Brief
First mention of onsen:Nihon Shoki(720 AD). Dogo Onsen in Matsuyama (Shikoku) — the oldest documented onsen (at least 3000 years). In the days of Edo (1603-1868), onsens became therapeutic sites (Tōji— long-term treatment).
Onsen types by water composition
- Alkali (simple): neutral water, good for sensitive skin
- Sulphur (iōsen): characteristic smell of eggs, white and dark, for skin diseases
- Carbonate (tansansen): bubbles like mineral, improve circulation
- Chloride (encasen): “Peauty salt”, keeps warm in the skin
- Iron (tetsusen): redish, good for anemia
Onsen Label — Don’t Break!
- The whole group will get naked— WITHOUT any clothes. Towels don't wear to the water. Male/female segregation (rare consensual — coeducational)
- Leave your shoesAt the entrance to onsen, take slippers
- Take off your clothes.In the dressing room, put it in the basket. Safe wallet
- Wash first before entering ONSEN- You sit on a little stool, you wash your soap, you flush. Exactly!
- Come in slowly., temperature 38-45 °C
- Small towel (themoji)You can have — you put on your head or next to the tub, but not in the water
- Hair in coke— they cannot touch the water
- Don't swimDon't jump, keep it down. Onsen is meditation
- 15-20 min max- Then rest, come in again
- Don't rinse after a bath— minerals are supposed to get into the skin
Tattoos — Problem
Historically in Japan, tattoos were associated withyakuza(mafia). 80% of traditional onsens don't let guys with tattoos in. Solutions:
- Tattoo-friendly onsen: more and more — check the “tattoo friendly onsen Japan” list
- Plaster: small tattoos can be covered with a patch (skin cover)
- Kashikiri onsen: private bath in ryokana (2000-6000 JPY/60 min)
- Ryokan with room with private onsen: Premium solution (from 30,000 JPY)
Top 10 onsen destinations
1. Kusatsu Onsen ( Gunma Prefecture)
"Nihon Onsen 100 Sen" ranking #1 for 21 years.Yubatake— literally “a field of boiling water” — 4000 l boiling water/minute flows into the city center. pH 2 (acid) water cures skin diseases.
2. Hakone (Kanagawa Prefecture)
90 minutes from Tokyo. Ryokany overlooking Fuji, volcanic Ōwakudani. Complete description in a separate article.
3. Beppo (Kiusiu)
Most sources in the world (2900).Hells of Beppu— 8 colored “hells” (one rusty, one blue, one bloodred — not to bathe, but to watch). Bath:Takegawara Onsenfrom 1879,Suna-yu— hot sand bath (1500 JPY).
4. Kurokawa Onsen (Kiusiu)
Historic wooden town, 30 Ryokans.Nyūtō pass: 1500 JPY = 3 baths of selected ryocans in 6 months.
5. Noboribetsu (Hokkaido)
Volcanic valley "Jigokudani Hell". 11 different types of water in one town.Dai-ichi Takamotokan— legendary ryokan with 7 types of springs in the bathhouse.
6. Ginzan Onsen (Yagata)
Historic wooden Ryokans from the Taishō period (1912-26), gas extinguishers in the evening — Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" atmosphere.Notoya Ryokan— since 1885.
7. Yufuin (Kiusiu)
A stage town at the foot of Mount Yufu. Artistic cafes, premium Ryokany.Kannawa— a bath overlooking the mountains.
8. Nyūtō Onsen (Akita)
Away, among the woods.Tsuru-no-yu Onsenfrom 1638 — cloudy white water, wooden 400-year-old buildings, snow until May.
9. Dogo Onsen (Ehime, Shikoku)
Japan's oldest onsen (3000 years).Dogo Onsen Honkan— the 1894 building, inspired by "pirited Away". The Imperial bathroom — the only place where the imperial family bathed.
10. Arima Onsen (wheel Kobe)
One of 3 "Great Onsens". Two types of water:Kinsen(gold, iron) andGinsen(silver, carbonate). Comfortable commute from Kyoto and Osaka.
Price and booking
- Daily bath: 400-1500 JPY
- Overnight in the Ryokana: 15,000-80,000 JPY/person. (with caises and breakfast)
- Booking: Japanese, Rakuten Travel, JAPANiCAN.com
- Best Season: winter (snow + hot spring = catharsis)