There are hundreds of Onsen towns in Japan. Some have just a few Onsen bath houses and some form a city or town with hotels, shops, museums and restaurants. The list of Onsen towns has at least 1 of criterion listed below.
- Traditional Buildings
- Activities outside of Onsen
- Able to Onsen hop
- Nightlife
Noboribetsu Onsen (2)
The famous onsen is located in Hokkaido. There is a sizeable Onsen town located just 6km from Noboribetsu train station. Everyday there is 10,000 tons of Onsen water is discharged from nearby Jigokudani. The Onsen played an important role among the Ainu people, the indigenous people of Hokkaido. The Onsen town was developed in the early 1900s and it because famous thereafter. Outside of Onsen activities, hiking and shopping in Onsen town are the most popular activities.
There are direct bus services from Sapporo. For train travel, Noboribetsu train station has direct trains from Sapporo, New Chitose Airport (Connecting at Minami Chitose station), and Hakodate.
Ginzan Onsen (1)
This picturesque onsen town is nested at the foot of the Ou mountains in Yamagata prefecture. The onsen town is rather small but the architectures and the surrounding environment make up for it. It is a quiet town so it is a perfect getaway for purely enjoying the Onsen experience and the architecture.
To get there, take the Yamagata shinkansen to Oishida station. From the train station, it will be a 30 minutes bus ride to Ginzan Onsen.
Iizaka Onsen (2, 3 & 4)
Iizaka Onsen is located not far from downtown Fukushima. Because of the location, Iizaka Onsen is popular among city dwellers. The history of Iizaka Onsen is old and the Onsen town has many historic shrines and temples scattered around. It has a sizable downtown with many bars, restaurants, and cafes to
entertain visitors. It has 9 public Onsen bath houses where you can Onsen hop.
Iizaka Onsen is only 20 minutes away from Fukushima station. The best way is to take the Fukushima Kotsu rail to Iizaka Onsen.
Ikaho Onsen (1 & 2)
Discovered more than 1000 years ago, Ikaho onsen is known as the Onsen town with stairs. By the famous 365 stairs, there are restaurants, foot baths, Onsen hotels, shops, and toy archery ranges that you can visit while wearing a Yukata. On top of the stairs, there is the Ikaho shrine. From the shrine, you can walk up to the source of the Onsen.
To get to Ikaho Onsen, the easiest way is to take the Kusatsu bound direct bus (JR Bus Kanto) from Shinjuku or Tokyo station. It takes about 2.5 hours by bus.
Nozawa Onsen (1, 2 & 3)
Nozawa Onsen is known as the first ski resort in Japan but it is also famous for its onsen. Nozawa Onsen is known for having Sotoyu, a public hot spring bath house that anyone can use for a small fee. There are 13 Sotoyus in Nozawa Onsen that you can Onsen hop. Most Sotoyus don’t have attendance so they use an honor system to collect payment. Sotoyus in Nozawa Onsen usually costs around 200 to 300 yen. Outside of Onsen, you can enjoy outdoor activities you can enjoy.
To get there, taking the “Nozawa Onsen Liner” bus from JR Iiyama station is the most convenient way to get there.
Shibu Onsen (1, 2 & 3)
Shibu Onsen is famous for the nearby Jigokudani monkey park and the Onsen town with many traditional buildings. Shibu Onsen was found 1,300 years ago by a monk. The most famous building is the Kanaguya hotel. Shibu Onsen has 9 public hot spring bath houses that you can Onsen hop. When the temperature is warm, visitors and locals wear Yukata and explore the town. Shibu Onsen can be a base for Skiiing at Shiga Kogen.
To get there from Nagano station, take a Nagano railway train to Yudanaka. From Yudanaka, take a cab or bus to Onsen town.
Hakone (1, 2 & 3)
Hakone is popular among tourists from all over the world. It is popular because of its Onsen, lake, mountain, museums, and multiple modes of transportation to explore the area. Hakone has many Onsen town areas notably Hakone Yumoto, Miyanoshita, Kowakidani, and Gora. Hakone Yumoto is the largest
Onsen town with several public hot spring bathhouses. Gora and Kowakidani feel more like a resort town than an Onsen town. Miyanoshita feels in the middle between an Onsen town and a resort town. The popularity of Hakone is that you can pick the area based on your preference.
Hakone can be accessed directly by Odakyu train from Shinjuku. You can also approach Hakone from Odawara station by taking Odakyu to Hakone Yumoto.
Izu Peninshula area
Atami (2 & 4)
Atami is a beach resort located near Mt. Fuji, and it is close to Tokyo. Atami does not have traditional houses and Onsen instead, the city is full of 60s retro-style buildings so it gives you a different vibe than other Onsen towns. As an Onsen town, Atami’s history is old and there are plenty of Onsen options. Unlike other Onsen towns, the city has more nightlife options ranging from watching the fireworks from the beach to bars and restaurants. This is one of the reasons why Atami is popular, there are things to do besides Onsen.
Going to Atami is simple. You can take a direct local train or Shinkansen from Tokyo. From Osaka and Nagoya, the best way to reach is to take Shinkansen.
Shuzenji (1 & 2)
Shuzenji is a quiet town in the Izu peninsula. Atami and Hakone are not far from Shuzenji but most tourists would go to Hakone. Compare to Atami, the beach Onsen city, Shuzenji Onsen is quieter and has more traditional ryokan hotels. Compare to Hakone, Shuzenji is more traditional. With Bamboo forest, shrines, temples, classic ryokans and bridges over Shuzenji river, Shuzenji Onsen looks like a mini Kyoto.
To get there, the easiest way to get there is taking the Odoriko train from Tokyo station. If you are coming by Shinkansen, take it to Mishima then transfer to Izu-Hakone railway to Shuzenji.
Shuzenji is a quiet town in the Izu peninsula. Atami and Hakone are not far from Shuzenji but most tourists would go to Hakone. Compare to Atami, the beach Onsen city, Shuzenji Onsen is quieter and has more traditional ryokan hotels. Compare to Hakone, Shuzenji is more traditional. With Bamboo forests, shrines, temples, classic ryokans, and bridges over the Shuzenji river, Shuzenji Onsen looks like a mini Kyoto.
To get there, the easiest way to get there is by taking the Odoriko train from Tokyo station. If you are coming by Shinkansen, take it to Mishima then transfer to Izu-Hakone railway to Shuzenji.
Other Areas in Izu Penninsula
There are a group of Onsens scattered on the peninsula. If you are traveling from Tokyo or Atami, the easiest way is to take the Izukyu train towards Izu-Shimoda station. There are many small onsen towns along way such as Ito, Mt. Omuro area, Atagawa, Inatori, Kawazu and Shimoda. Once you step further inland, there are places like Amagi onsen, an onsen town by the Kawazu water falls and an famous onsen hotel, Fukudaya. Oh the west coast of the peninsula, there is Dogashima onsen where beautiful ocean caves are near by. Toi onsen is also located on the west coast. From Toi onsen, you can hop on the ferry across the Suruga bay to Shimizu in Shizuoka. There are also ferries and high speed boats connecting surrounding islands to Ito, Shimoda and Tokyo. While setting one of the onsen towns Shimoda and Ito as your base, you can take advantage of those boats and ferries.