Japan's Top 3 Hot Springs

Three Great Hot Springs of Japan

These three great hot springs of Japan were chosen for their excellent quality and health benefits. They are: Arima Onsen (Hyogo), Kusatsu Onsen (Gunma), and Gero Onsen (Gifu).

1. Arima Onsen (Hyogo Prefecture)

Arima Onsen is known for having world-class water quality and offers two completely different types of baths:

• Gold Spring: This water is brown, rich in iron and highly salty, giving it great moisturizing effects.
• Silver Spring: This is colorless, clear, and sparkling carbonic acid water that feels smooth and clean.

You can enjoy (and even drink!) these two unique types of spring water here. Arima Onsen is easily accessible from Kyoto.

2. Kusatsu Onsen (Gunma Prefecture)

Kusatsu boasts the largest natural flow of hot spring water in Japan.

The water is highly acidic (pH 2.1) and has strong germ-killing properties, leading to the famous saying: "It cures everything except for the heartache of love."

The whole town is filled with the steam and sulfuric smell of the hot springs, so you can truly enjoy the traditional onsen town atmosphere.

We also recommend watching a Yumomi Show (the hot water-mixing performance), strolling through the Yubatake (hot spring field), enjoying winter skiing, and trying different foods along the walking trails!

3. Gero Onsen (Gifu Prefecture)

Gero Onsen is famous for its smooth, slightly thick alkaline water (pH 9.2), which is especially popular with women and called the "Hot Spring of Beauty (Bijin no Yu)." The water wraps around your skin, making it silky and smooth.

Gero Onsen is easily accessible from both Takayama and Nagoya.

Manners at the Onsen

Question: Is it okay to put your towel in the bathwater?

The answer is NO! You should never put your towel in the hot bath.

It's bad manners because towels can make the shared bathwater dirty. Even if a towel looks clean, it still has soap and invisible things on it from when you washed your body.

When you get into the hot bath, you should either put your towel on top of your head or place it on the edge of the tub where it won't touch the water. Even if your towel is perfectly clean, other people don't know that, so we keep them out of the bath.

A fun thing you can do is soak your small towel in cold water and put it on your head while you are in the bath! This keeps your head cool and helps stop you from getting too hot or dizzy.

Besides the towel rule, the most basic and important rule is this: Before you get into the tub, always wash your body very well, and make sure to rinse off all the soap and shampoo!

Also, if you have long hair, you can tie it up with a hair band or wrap it up with a towel so th

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