Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [65]
Hidden Onsen
Lamp no Yado (Noto-hantō, Central Honshū;) The Noto-hantō peninsula is about as far as one can go in Central Honshū, and the seaside is about as far as one can go on Noto-hantō. A country road takes you to a narrow 1km path, from where you have to climb down a zigzagging hillside path on foot. No wonder this property has been a refuge for centuries of Japanese seeking to cure what ails them. Even if one night here now costs what people would have once spent over weeks, it’s a worthy splurge for a dark-wood and tatami room on a cove, with its own rotemburo and Sea of Japan views through craggy rocks.
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TATTOO WARNING
Be warned that if you have any tattoos, you may not be allowed to enter Japanese onsen or sentō (public baths). The reason for this is that yakuza (Japanese mafia) almost always sport tattoos. Banning people with tattoos is an indirect way of banning gangsters. Unfortunately, to avoid the appearance of unfairness (and because Japan is a country where rules are rigorously adhered to), the no-tattoo rule also applies to foreigners. If your tattoo is small enough to cover with some adhesive bandages, then cover it up and you’ll have no problem. Otherwise, ask the people at the front desk if you can go in despite your tattoos. The phrase to use is: ‘irezumi wa daijōbu desu ka’ (are tattoos okay?).
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Semitropical Onsen
Urami-ga-taki Onsen (Hachijō-jima, Izu-shotō; Click here) Even in a country of lovely onsen, this is a real standout: the perfect little rotemburo located next to a waterfall in lush semitropical jungle. It’s what they’re shooting for at all those resorts on Bali, only this is the real thing. Sitting in the bath as the late-afternoon sunlight pierces the ferns here is a magical experience. Did we mention that it’s free?
Onsen/Beach Combination
Shirahama (Shirahama, Wakayama-ken, Kansai;) There’s something peculiarly pleasing about dashing back and forth between the nippy ocean and a natural hot-spring bath – the contrast in temperature and texture is something we never tire of. At Shirahama, a beach town in southern Kansai, there is a free onsen right on the beach. And, Sakino-yu Onsen here is just spectacular – it’s one of our favourite onsen in all Japan.
Onsen/Sand Bath Combination
Takegawara Onsen (Beppu, Kyūshū;) Sometimes simplest is best. This traditional Meiji era onsen first opened in 1859, and its smooth wooden floors transport you back to a Japan of neighbourhood pleasures – unpretentious, relaxing and accessible to all. There are separate (and very hot) baths for men and women. Takegawara also offers heated sand baths in which, wearing a cotton yukata, you are buried up to your neck with hot sand for 10 to 15 minutes, followed by a rinse and a soak in an adjacent onsen bath.
Mountain Onsen
Takama-ga-hara Onsen (Northern Japan Alps, Central Honshū;) Located high, high up in the Japan Alps, if you want to soak in this wonderful free riverside rotemburo, you’re going to have to hike for at least a full day. It’s located in a lofty natural sanctuary with stunning mountain scenery on all sides. To tell the truth, even if it took three days of walking to get here, it would be worth it. Some Japanese say that this is the highest rotemburo in Japan, and it’s definitely one of the best. You can spend the night nearby in a creaky old mountain hut. The onsen is in the middle of the northern Japan Alps, roughly halfway between Murodo, on the Tateyama-kurobe Alpen Route, and Kamikōchi.
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DO ‘YU’ SPEAK ONSEN?
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Do-It-Yourself Onsen
Kawa-yu Onsen (Kawa-yu, Wakayama-ken, Kansai;) If you like doing things your own way, you’ll love this natural oddity of an onsen in southern Kansai. Here, the onsen waters bubble up through the rocks of a riverbed. All you have to do is choose a likely spot, dig out a natural hot pot along the riverside, and wait for it to fill with hot water and – voila – your own private