Best places: Spa towns in Japan

Hot springs resort town featuring spa hotels, public foot baths & traditional wooden dolls.

Basic hot spring facility known for alkaline water, with river views plus indoor & outdoor baths.

Straightforward rooms in a laid-back hot spring hotel offering 2 restaurants & a tranquil garden.

Hot spring village with views of Mount Iwaki, also known for its spring cherry blossoms.

Bayside spa destination featuring hot-spring baths, restaurants & traditional Japanese inns.

Casual inn offering bathhouses with hot spring water, plus free breakfast & dinner.

Tranquil hot-spring baths with a less-common makeup of minerals & organic matter.

👍👍 This is the second hot spring when you go to Nagano! The hot spring in nature. It's cheaper! The open-air bath is cool because it is in nature even in the summer, but the hot water is warm and the best! There was shampoo and body soap in the hot spring. As the name suggests, it is a hot water taugh...

Backcountry skiing & onsen hot springs, plus summer hikes & cherry blossoms in spring.

Simple rooms in a relaxed hot spring hotel offering a spa & an unfussy restaurant.

👍 It's not a room meal, but I'm satisfied with the private feeling. There are 3 indoor baths that flow directly from the source. It's all reserved, so it's good to be small again. Note: Room sizes vary. Reasonably priced. You can enjoy hot water of Kannawa.

Simple rooms in a laid-back hotel featuring a garden, a relaxed restaurant & communal bathhouses.

Casual hot spring inn with a warm restaurant & a bar, plus gender-segregated, communal bathhouses.

Low-key rooms in a modest hot spring hotel with dining, plus indoor & outdoor baths.

Unfussy rooms, most with Lake Hamana views, in a simple hot spring inn with dining & a bathhouse.

🫤 It was far from word of mouth. Meals are commonplace without any ingenuity. Except for the room, it feels very cold and feels like outside, and you can hear the sounds of the surrounding rooms. It sways with slapstick. The smell of fish in the kitchen smells up to the room. There is no explanation...

Unassuming hot spring hotel with a karaoke bar, a sauna & 2 restaurants, plus a cafe & free Wi-Fi.

Informal hotel offering airy rooms & bay views, plus hot spring bathing, a restaurant & a bar.

Down-to-earth hot spring inn offering karaoke & dining, plus a bathhouse with geothermal water.