The 11 Best Onsen Towns in Japan (2026)

Updated October 2026 · 11 picks

The best onsen towns in Japan in 2026 are Hakone, Kusatsu, Kinosaki, Beppu and Kurokawa. Hakone is the easiest from Tokyo, Kusatsu is known for its central Yubatake hot-water field, Kinosaki has seven tattoo-friendly public baths, Beppu has the Hells and a historic bathhouse, and Kurokawa has a bath-hopping pass.

An onsen town is built around hot spring water: public bathhouses, ryokan with their own baths, and streets meant for walking in a yukata. The eleven towns below cover the main regions of Japan, from Hokkaido to Kyushu, and were chosen for their baths, the walk between them and how simple they are to visit.

Tattoos are the main question for visitors. There is no national rule. Policies are set by each bath, and some towns, such as Kinosaki, have made their public baths tattoo-friendly, while in others each ryokan decides. Where a town has no single policy, we say so. Many people choose to stay overnight; see our best ryokan in Japan guide, and for a quick trip from the capital see best day trips from Tokyo.

1. Hakone Onsen — Hakone, Kanagawa

The easiest onsen town from Tokyo, with ryokan, day-use baths and Lake Ashi views.

¥¥¥Best for Couples · Families · Solo · Groups

Hakone is a mountain resort area with a dozen hot spring districts, from Hakone-Yumoto at the base to Gora, Sengokuhara and Lake Ashi higher up. It has ryokan at every price level and many day-use baths, and it pairs hot springs with sightseeing at the Hakone Open-Air Museum, Owakudani and the lake.

Because it is so close to Tokyo, it is the best first onsen trip for visitors who are short on time.

Good to know: Odakyu's Romancecar from Shinjuku reaches Hakone-Yumoto in about 80 minutes. The Hakone Free Pass covers local trains, buses, the ropeway and Lake Ashi boats. Check each bath's tattoo policy before you go.

Hakone-Yumoto Station, Yumoto, Hakone, Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa 250-0311

Google Maps Website

2. Kusatsu Onsen — Kusatsu, Gunma

A mountain town built around the Yubatake, a steaming hot-water field.

¥¥Best for Couples · Families · Solo · Groups

Kusatsu's center is the Yubatake, an open channel of steaming spring water flowing past the town's shops. Netsunoyu, a two-story bathhouse beside it, holds a daily yumomi performance in which the water is cooled by stirring with long wooden paddles.

Sainokawara Open-Air Bath is a short walk from the Yubatake, and the town is known for strongly acidic water. Winter is popular for the snow, and the town is open year-round.

Good to know: Express buses run from Shinjuku in about four hours. By train, go to Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi and take a bus for about 30 minutes; the trip takes about 3 hours from Ueno. Sainokawara's hours change by season, so check before you go. Tattoo rules vary by bath.

Yubatake, Kusatsu, Agatsuma District, Gunma 377-1711

Google Maps Website

3. Kinosaki Onsen — Kinosaki, Toyooka, Hyogo

Seven public baths to stroll between in a yukata, with tattoos accepted.

¥¥¥Best for Couples · Families · Solo · Groups

Kinosaki is built around its seven public baths, called soto-yu, along a willow-lined canal. The standard routine is to check in at a ryokan, put on a yukata and walk between baths. Ryokan guests usually receive a pass that covers the public baths, valid until check-out day.

The town's official site states that tattoos are accepted in the seven public baths. The policy covers the public baths, so confirm with your ryokan about its own in-house bath.

Good to know: A one-day pass for all seven baths is sold to day visitors, at about ¥1,500 on the official page at last check; confirm the current price. Winter is the crab season. Allow at least one night, since the baths are the main attraction.

Yushima, Kinosaki-cho, Toyooka, Hyogo 669-6101

Google Maps Website

4. Beppu Onsen — Beppu, Oita

Kyushu's steaming city, with the Hells, a Meiji-era bathhouse and sand baths.

¥¥Best for Couples · Families · Solo · Groups

Beppu is a city built on hot springs, with steam rising from vents across town. The Hells (Jigoku) are boiling springs that you view, not bathe in, and a shared ticket covers seven of them. For bathing, Takegawara Onsen is a historic wooden bathhouse in the center that also has a sand bath.

Beppu's baths range from cheap neighborhood bathhouses to ryokan. Public bathhouses often refuse visible tattoos, so cover up or ask in advance.

Good to know: At Takegawara, arrive when it opens to avoid the queue for the sand bath, which has a separate price from the regular bath. The Hells are spread across the Kannawa and Kamegawa areas, so use buses or a taxi.

16-23 Motomachi, Beppu, Oita 874-0909

Google Maps Website

5. Kurokawa Onsen — Minamioguni, Kumamoto

A wooded valley village in Kumamoto with a pass that opens ryokan baths to visitors.

¥¥¥Best for Couples · Solo · Groups

Kurokawa is a small valley village near Aso where wooden ryokan line a stream. Its signature is the Nyuto Tegata, a wooden pass sold to visitors that lets you try three ryokan baths of your choice, valid for six months.

The village keeps a quiet, rural look and is better as an overnight stop than a quick visit.

Good to know: There is no town-wide tattoo rule, so each ryokan decides. Ask before you book. The tourist association is at the Bechinkan building in the village, and its phone number is 0967-48-8130.

6595-3 Manganji, Kurokawa Onsen, Minamioguni, Aso District, Kumamoto 869-2402

Google Maps Website

6. Ginzan Onsen — Obanazawa, Yamagata

A Taisho-era wooden ryokan street with gas lamps beside a river, best in winter snow.

¥¥¥Best for Couples · Solo · Groups

Ginzan Onsen is a narrow river valley lined with wooden ryokan, gas lamps and small bridges, in a style that dates from the Taisho era. It is especially photogenic under winter snow, and it is among the most visited onsen towns in the Tohoku region.

Day visitors can use the Shirogane-yu public bath without staying overnight, and a taxi tour for day visitors is listed on the official site.

Good to know: Take the Yamagata Shinkansen to Oishida, then a bus of about 35 to 40 minutes, which runs infrequently. In winter, day-visitor access in the evening is limited, with rules announced each autumn, so check the official site before you plan a day trip.

Ginzan Shinhata, Obanazawa, Yamagata 999-4333

Google Maps Website

7. Dogo Onsen — Matsuyama, Ehime

One of Japan's oldest onsen, with a landmark wooden bathhouse that reopened in 2024.

¥¥Best for Couples · Families · Solo · Groups

Dogo Onsen Honkan is the town's landmark bathhouse, and it fully reopened on July 11, 2024, after conservation work that began in January 2019. The bathhouse stayed open for bathing during the work. Kami-no-yu downstairs opens at 6:00 a.m.

Two other bathhouses, Tsubaki-no-Yu and Asuka-no-Yu, are close by, and a three-bathhouse ticket covers the Honkan's Kami-no-yu, Tsubaki-no-Yu and Asuka-no-Yu's first-floor bathing room.

Good to know: The three-bathhouse tour ticket costs 1,440 yen for adults and is valid for two days. Honkan's Kami-no-yu downstairs runs 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., with last tickets at 10:30 p.m.

5-6 Dogo Yunomachi, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-0842

Google Maps Website

8. Arima Onsen — Kita Ward, Kobe, Hyogo

Kobe's hill-town onsen with rust-brown gold water and clear silver water.

¥¥Best for Couples · Families · Solo · Groups

Arima is one of the oldest hot spring towns in Japan, in the hills above Kobe. It has two springs: Kinsen (gold water), which is iron-rich and turns reddish-brown in the air, and Ginsen (silver water), which is clear and contains carbonic acid and traces of radium.

Kin no Yu is the main public bathhouse, in the middle of the old town, and Gin no Yu is a short walk away. Both are described by guides as tattoo-friendly, but check on arrival.

Good to know: From Shin-Kobe, take the Seishin-Yamate subway line to Tanigami, then the Shintetsu Arima-Sanda line to Arima-guchi, and change for Arima Onsen. Prices for Kin no Yu and Gin no Yu change, so check before you visit.

833 Arima-cho, Kita-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 651-1401

Google Maps Website

9. Noboribetsu Onsen — Noboribetsu, Hokkaido

Hokkaido's volcanic Hell Valley and a hot spring town with many spring types.

¥¥¥Best for Couples · Families · Solo · Groups

Noboribetsu Onsen sits beside Jigokudani (Hell Valley), a steaming volcanic crater with free walking trails. The town's ryokan and hotels use several types of spring water from the valley.

The tourism association has offered a Jigokudani Backyard Tour into areas normally closed to the public, with guides in English and Japanese, listed at 5,000 yen per person. Check current dates.

Good to know: From Sapporo, the Limited Express Hokuto takes about 75 minutes to Noboribetsu Station, then a local bus takes 10 to 15 minutes to the onsen. Direct buses also run from Sapporo. Winter trails and some roads close, so check conditions.

60 Noboribetsu Onsen-cho, Noboribetsu, Hokkaido 059-0551

Google Maps Website

10. Gero Onsen — Gero, Gifu

One of Japan's three famous hot springs, reached by direct limited express from Nagoya.

¥¥Best for Couples · Families · Solo · Groups

Gero is counted as one of Japan's three famous hot springs, known for a smooth, silky water. The public bath Shirasagi no Yu dates from the 1920s and has multiple indoor pools but no outdoor bath. It is a 10-minute walk from Gero Station.

It is a straightforward add-on to a Takayama or Nagoya trip.

Good to know: The Limited Express Hida runs directly from Nagoya to Gero Station in roughly 90 to 110 minutes, depending on the train. Shirasagi no Yu is a low-cost public bath with a weekly closing day (listed as Wednesday), so check ahead.

856-1 Yunoshima, Gero, Gifu 509-2207

Google Maps Website

11. Shibu Onsen — Yamanouchi, Nagano

Nine public baths on a stone-paved lane, and the closest onsen to the Snow Monkey Park.

¥¥¥Best for Couples · Families · Solo · Groups

Shibu Onsen has nine public baths in a compact old street, and the town is known for its Kyu-yu meguri (nine-bath tour). Overnight guests get a key from their ryokan to enter the baths, and the baths are supplied by natural spring water.

Jigokudani Monkey Park, where macaques bathe in a hot spring, is close by: about 10 minutes by car or a 30 to 40 minute walk.

Good to know: The baths are mainly for overnight guests. Day visitors can generally enter only one bath (Oyu, the ninth) for a small fee. The ryokan association's tourist information office is at 2112-1 Heion, Yamanouchi.

2112-1 Heion, Yamanouchi, Shimotakai District, Nagano

Google Maps

Frequently asked questions

What is the best onsen town in Japan?

It depends on what you want. Hakone is the easiest from Tokyo, Kinosaki is the best for walking between public baths in a yukata, and Kusatsu and Beppu are known for the volume and power of their hot springs. For a rural setting, Kurokawa and Ginzan are among the most scenic.

Can I visit an onsen if I have tattoos?

Often yes, but it depends on the facility. All seven public baths in Kinosaki Onsen are tattoo-friendly under the town's policy, though your ryokan's own bath may differ. Kurokawa has no town-wide rule, so each ryokan decides. Many public bathhouses in Japan still refuse visible tattoos, so check the facility's rules first or book a private bath.

What is the best onsen near Tokyo?

Hakone is the closest of the major onsen towns, about 80 minutes from Shinjuku on the Odakyu Romancecar. Kusatsu in Gunma is farther, around 3 hours by train and bus or about 4 hours by express bus from Shinjuku.

What is onsen etiquette?

Wash and rinse thoroughly at the wash stations before you enter the bath. Do not wear swimsuits, keep towels out of the water, tie up long hair and keep voices low. Most baths are separated by gender. Ask the staff about mixed baths and private family baths, which are usually booked by the hour.

Do I have to stay overnight to use an onsen?

No. Many towns have public bathhouses open to day visitors, and many ryokan offer day-use bathing. Shibu Onsen and Kinosaki are set up differently, with passes or keys aimed at overnight guests, so check the rules before you go.

How much does an onsen cost?

Public bathhouses are cheaper than hotel baths, often in the hundreds of yen. Day-use baths at ryokan cost more, and a night at a ryokan with dinner and breakfast costs considerably more than a plain hotel room. Prices change, so check each bathhouse's site before you visit.

1. Hakone Onsen — Hakone, Kanagawa

2. Kusatsu Onsen — Kusatsu, Gunma

3. Kinosaki Onsen — Kinosaki, Toyooka, Hyogo

4. Beppu Onsen — Beppu, Oita

5. Kurokawa Onsen — Minamioguni, Kumamoto

6. Ginzan Onsen — Obanazawa, Yamagata

7. Dogo Onsen — Matsuyama, Ehime

8. Arima Onsen — Kita Ward, Kobe, Hyogo

9. Noboribetsu Onsen — Noboribetsu, Hokkaido

10. Gero Onsen — Gero, Gifu

11. Shibu Onsen — Yamanouchi, Nagano

Frequently asked questions

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