Japanese Bathhouse 01 Onsen
No trip to Japan is complete without a relaxing dip in an onsen. What is an onsen? Onsen are natural hot springs, fueled by volcanic activity, as well as the resort atmosphere that has emerged around many such springs.
Japanese Bathhouse 01 Onsen
How to get to Kusatsu Onsen: From Tokyo, use your JR Pass to take the Joetsu Shinkansen northbound to Takasaki Station. Then, change to the JR Agatsuma line to Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station. From the station, you may take a JR bus to the onsen.
Located less than two hours from Tokyo, Hakone is a must-visit destination for anyone traveling through the neon city. During your stay, you can visit numerous souvenir shops. You can also stay in one of several ryokan or in a nearby resort hotel, as many of them include their own private onsen.
Imagine a city skyline caped in steam, white wisps rising between buildings. That is Beppu city in Oita prefecture, home to eight distinct onsen, each with public baths and ryokan. In addition to traditional onsen, bathers can enjoy sand baths, in which they are covered in naturally heated sands; steam baths; and mud baths.
Lush and verdant, Kurokawa is another town in Kyushu that has purposefully maintained a traditional atmosphere. Ryokan, bathhouses, and shops line the main streets. The springs in this area are said to be beneficial for nerve pain.
How to get to Kurokawa: The nearest train station is Aso Station, which is located about one hour away from the onsen by bus. Japan Rail Pass holders can board the Fukuoka-Kurokawa highway bus from Hita Station, which is connected to Hakata Station in Fukuoka by a limited express train.
Dogo, in Shikoku island, is the oldest onsen in Japan, boasting 3,000 years of history. It features a large, castle-like bathhouse and numerous ryokan. This bathhouse, the Honkan, inspired elements of the Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away.
How to get to Ibusuki: Ibusuki Station is connected from Kagoshima-Chuo Station by a limited express train. Travel time is 50 minutes. From Ibusuki Station you can take a direct bus to the onsen.
Kurokawa Onsen is like heaven for a person who loves hot spring like me. You stay in one of their beautiful inn onsens, hopefully they offer you free japanese clothes and walk around the town in it while doing onsen hopping and (yes there is) bar hopping. Would love to be back soon to this paradise.
Through watching humans soaking in the local hot springs, the monkeys soon starting to copy their behavior and became the only monkeys in the world known to enjoy bathing in onsens. A local man by the name of Sogo Hara led the movement to create the monkey park where they would be safe, and baths were created just for the monkeys, using the local hot spring source. Fencing was an option to keep the monkeys away from the neighboring villages but was rejected to not limit their freedom. So, the daily practice of feeding the monkeys raw barley and soybeans began to keep them in the park rather than heading into the villages where they were considered to be pests.
The ryokan has communal indoor and outdoor hot springs with male and female sections and their own exclusive hot spring where you can bathe in privacy. There is also a hinoki (Japanese cypress), and a granite hot spring for you to choose from. The Snow Monkey park is only a 30-minute walk from the Ryokan, and you should also visit the nearby Shibu Onsen, a centuries-old hot spring town with numerous onsens.
Situated in the town of Matsuyama in Ehime Prefecture, Dogo Onsen Honkan is a Japanese bathhouse with a modern Japanese-style exterior. The complex wooden structure of the building is completely the same as the bathhouse depicted in Spirited Away. There is a drawing of Dogo Onsen Honkan included in the sketches of the animation crew, so it is believed to be the prototype of the bathhouse in Spirited Away.
At Dogo Onsen Honkan, a drum called "Tokidaiko" is struck every morning at 6 am to indicate that the baths can be entered. Many locals or tourists that would like to enjoy a morning bath will go to the bathhouse after hearing the sound. The drum is also struck at noon and the evening to mark the time of day.
Located in Nagano Prefecture, Rekishi no Yado Kanaguya is the most famous historical hot spring hotel on Shibu Onsen Street. This Japanese bath house opened its doors back in 1758, and spent a fortune to build a four-story accommodation for guests called "Saigetsurou" in 1936. This wooden building is uniquely designed and truly spectacular, and the solemnity of its temple-like appearance is similar to the Spirited Away bathhouse, and is considered to have served as a main source of inspiration for the animated film.
Located in Okayama, Aburaya was established in 1688. The main building offers private hot spring baths where you can enjoy having the onsen all to yourself. The annex building houses an outside garden bath, an open-air bath, a private bath surrounded by lush green scenery, and communal baths for men and women. The half open-air male communal bath is made with stone, while the open-air communal bath for females is made with cypress wood.
Animators used the building's original design from the Meiji era as a model for the Spirited Away bathhouse. Back then, there were a lot of guest rooms, but after it was renovated during the Heisei period, only the restaurant on the second floor and the open-air bath remained the same. Only one room on the third floor is currently available for guest accommodation.
In the film, Sen crosses a bridge with red railings before entering the bathhouse. The design of the bridge was inspired by Sekizenkan Honkan in Shima Onsen, Gunma Prefecture. The bridge in front of Sekizenkan has low red railings, and it feels like you will enter the mysterious world of Spirited Away if you hold your breath when crossing the bridge.
Within the museum's perimeters lie Kodakara Yu, a Japanese bathhouse called Kagiya, a uniquely designed bar; and a stationery store called Takei Sanshodo. All of these buildings were important sources of inspiration for the Spirited Away bathhouse.
Kodakara Yu looks like a solemn shrine from the outside, which is the unique style of Tokyo sento (communal bathhouses) built after the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923. There is a mural with paintings of Mt. Fuji, lakes, and the sea on the walls of the bathhouse. Those who want to experience the Japanese sento culture can come here for a bath.
With its metropolitan image, you might not think that Tokyo is full of great hot spring retreats. There's actually a lot of hot springs and Japanese bathhouses to enjoy in Japan's capital! Read our guide to 12 Lodgings with Hot Springs in the Tokyo Area!
The elegant wooden structure is clearly an influence on the design of the Spirited Away bathhouse. In particular, its tight, mazelike interior and narrow winding passages, that allow staff to appear and disappear like magic.
Beyond Kanaguya, the town of Shibu Onsen deserves full exploration itself. While Kanaguya is another Spirited Away bathhouse you can only explore with an overnight stay, guests of any ryokan in the town will get an onsen-hopping ticket, and can tour of all the soto-yu outside baths in the area. Onsen hopping is the classic way to enjoy a hot spring resort town like Shibu Onsen.
A note to make is that many of these onsen do not allow visitors with tattoos to enter, as they traditionally symbolize members of the yakuza (Japanese mafia). If you are looking to include a visit to an onsen in your Japan itinerary, whether it is for 1 day, 1 week, or 1 month, you should definitely check out GoWithGuide, as they have over 1,000 local tour guides that can take you to the best onsen that will fulfill all your needs and ensure that you are not restricted in any way.
The attraction is a natural hot springs that bubble up from 1400 meters underground. Along with onsen each for men and women, there are 14 types of onsen. Relaxing inside the facility while wearing a yukata is popular. Click here for more information.
In addition to an open-air bath and a huge public bath, the onsen facilities also include a variety of low-temperature saunas, a relaxation area and restaurants. This is an onsen with the sensation of a resort where you can spend a relaxing day. Click here for more information.
An onsen facility ideal for day trips with an eye-catching modern exterior. There are 8 large and small outdoor baths with Japanese cuisine evoking the four seasons, a gymnasium and other features to provide a healing space for adults. Click here for more information.
If you are looking to relax during your trip to Japan at a traditional onsen and eliminate the risk of being turned down by establishments due to tattoos or facing language and cultural barriers, you should definitely consider having a private tour guide or joining a private tour group from GoWithGuide. There are many rules and traditions in Japan that foreigners visiting may not know about, such as not tipping at establishments or for any services, not eating on public transportation, and others that can sometimes shock foreigners.
That being said, if you want to ensure you have the most memorable experience in Japan while avoiding miscommunication and getting lost, check out all the different activities you can do in Japan (including visiting an onsen), and send a message to any of the guides in the areas you want to visit for a customized itinerary and price quotation.
The ultimate hot spring experience is spending a night at an onsen ryokan, a Japanese style inn with hot spring baths. This is not only one of the most popular holiday activities among the Japanese, but is also highly recommended to any foreign visitor of Japan.Onsen ryokan are found in various sizes in hot spring resorts across Japan. A typical onsen ryokan visit starts with a bath before dinner. The beautifully arranged Japanese style dinner, featuring local specialties, is either served in your tatami room or in a dining hall. Many guests like to take another bath before sleeping and before breakfast in the next morning.You do not need to stay overnight at a ryokan in order to enjoy its baths. Many ryokan open their baths to the general public, typically during daytime only and against an admission fee of a few hundred yen. Besides ryokan, most hot spring resorts also have some public bath houses with hot spring water. 041b061a72