Day-visit Onsen Ranking 2013 by Tripadvisor

The Hoheikyo Onsen in Sapporo City, Hokkaido (photo: Sep 2012) was chosen the most popular day-visit onsen in the recent servey by Tripadvisor Japan. Top 20 onsens are following. Linked site in bold letters are English pages, others in Japanese only.

1. Hoheikyo Onsen, Sapporo City, Hokkaido


2. Dogo Onsen Honkan, Matsuyama City, Ehime Pref.


3. Healthy Land Rotenburo, Ibusuki City, Kagoshima Pref.


4. Shikanoyu, Nasu Machi, Tochigi Pref.


5. Yuaminoshima, Kuwana City, Mie Pref.


6. Yachigashira Onsen, Hakodate City, Hokkaido


7. Oberiberi Onsen Suikoen, Obihiro City, Hokkaido


8. Hottarakashi Onsen, Yamanashi City, Yamanashi Pref.


9. Sainokawara Rotenburo, Kusatsu Machi, Gunma Pref.


10. Spa World, Osaka City, Osaka


11. Takegawara Onsen, Beppu City, Oita Pref.


12. Spa Resort Hawaiians, Iwaki City, Fukushima Pref.


13. Saraku, Ibusuki City, Kagoshima Pref.


14. Dogo Onsen Tsubakinoyu, Matsuyama City, Ehime Pref.


15. Akazawa Higaeri Onsenkan, Ito City, Shizuoka Pref.


16. Shigira Onsen, Miyakojima City, Okinawa Pref.


17. Lamune Onsenkan, Takeda City, Oita Pref.


18. Ooedo Onsen Monogatari, Koto-ku, Tokyo


19. Spa LaQua, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo


20. Yamatonoyu, Narita City, Chiba Pref.

Snow Monkey ranked 5th among top 20 popular spots in Japan

Snow Monkeys in Jigokudani / spDuchamp

The Jigokudani Yaen Koen, famous snow monkey park is chosen for one of the top 20 popular sightseeing spots in Japan. No other onsen sites ranked in. 

The survey was recently conducted by TripAdvisor Japan based on their websites' page view, visit length, the number of review posted and etc. by their users outside of Japan.

Among those popular sites in Kyoto and Hiroshima, Jigokudani Yaen Koen in Nagano Pref. ranked in 5th. See the following list for top 10 ranking.

1. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and A-Bomb Dome (Hiroshima)
2. Hakone Open Air Museum (Kanagawa)
3. Fushimi Inari Taisha (Kyoto)
4. Itsukushima Jinzya and Miyajima (Hiroshima)
5. Jigokudani Yaen Koen (Nagano)
6. Kenrokuen (Ishikawa)
7. Niseko Mountain Resort Grand Hirafu (Hokkaido)
8. Kinkakuji (Kyoto)
9. Todaiji (Nara)
10.  Kiyomizudera (Kyoto)

Day-visit Onsen Ranking by Tripadvisor

Open-air bath for ladies at the third ranked Himawari-no-yu.

Tripadvisor Japan recently released "Satisfactory Day-visit Spa & Onsen Ranking 20 " based on users' comments for last two years. This ranking is released for first time as far as I know.

Following is the list of the top 20 ranking. Linked sites are written in Japanese unless otherwise noted.

 1. Healthyland Rotenburo site contains music file (Ibusuki, Kagoshima)
 2. Hottarakashi Onsen (Yamanashi, Yamanashi)
 3. Himawari-no-yu @Shima Spain-mura (Shima, Mie)
 4. Shika-no-yu (Nasu, Tochigi)
 5. Sunaraku English (Ibusuki, Kagoshima)
 6. Dogo Onsen Honkan English (Matsuyama, Ehime)
 7. Zippuku-no-yu (Ueda, Nagano)
 8. Hoheikyo Onsen English (Sapporo Hokkaido)
 9. Tenzan Tojikyo (Hakone, Kanagawa)
10. Takegawara Onsen (Beppu Oita)
11. Kin-no-yu @ Arima Onsen (Kobe, Hyogo)
12. Terme VILLA Chulayu (Cyatan Okinawa)
13. Anakanon-no-yu @ Obuse Onsen (Obuse, Nagano)
14. Tenku-no-yu, Budo-no-oka Onsen (Kousyu, Yamanashi)
15. Yuami-no-shima @ Nagashima Spaland English (Kuwana, Mie)
16. Spa RaQua English (Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo)
17. Ooedo Onsen Monogatari English (Koto-ku, Tokyo)
18. Spa World English (Osaka, Osaka)
19. Onsen Cafe (Myoko, Nigata)
20. Hakone Kowakien Yunessan English (Hakone, Kanagawa)

Photo from press release of Tripadvisor Japan.

Onsen Ranking 2011 by Biglobe

Yubatake or Onsen Pond of first ranked Kusatsu Onsen, Gunma Pref. It's not for soaking.

The Biglobe's recently released "Forth Onsen Awards", shows popular onsen ranking as well (As for most popular onsen ryokan/hotel ranking, see my previous post).

1. Kusatsu Onsen (Gunma Pref)
2. Yufuin Onsen (Oita Pref)
3. Arima Onsen (Hyogo Pref)
4. Noboribetsu Onsen (Hokkaido)
5. Gero Onsen (Gifu Pref)
6. Hakone-yumoto Onsen (Kanagawa Pref)
7. Kinosaki Onsen (Hyogo Pref)
8. Kurokawa Onsen (Kumamoto Pref)
9. Dogo Onsen (Ehime Pref)
10. Ikaho Onsen (Gunma Pref)
11. Beppu Onsen (Oita Pref)
12. Atami Onsen (Shizuoka Pref)
13. Gora Onsen (Kanagawa Pref)
14. Nozawa Onsen (Nagano Pref)
15. Wakura Onsen (Ishikawa Pref) no English site
16. Ibusuki Onsen (Kagoshima Pref)
17. Shirahama Onsen (Wakayama Pref)
17. Beppu Onsen-kyo (Wider Beppu area, Oita Pref)
19. Nyuto Onsen-kyo (Akita Pref)
20. Jozankei Onsen (Hokkaido)

You can see top 100 ranking on Biglobe Onsen site (in Japanese only)

Onsen Ryokan Ranking 2011 by Biglobe

Biglobe, one of the biggest portal site in Japan released "The Fourth Onsen Award" recently. 10,931 internet users voted this survey between Oct 5 and Nov 16. Ten most popular onsen ryokans/hotels among Japanese are:

1. Kagaya (Wakura Onsen, Ishikawa Pref)
2. Daiichi Takimotokan (Noboribetsu Onsen, Hokkaido)
3. Suimeikan (Gero Onsen, Gifu Pref)
4. Suginoi Hotel (Kankaiji Onsen, Oita Pref)
5. Hotel Urashima (Nanki Katsuura Onsen, Wakayama Pref) Chinese site
6. Arima Grand Hotel (Arima Onsen, Hyogo Pref)
7. Hyoe Koyokaku (Arima Onsen, Hyogo Pref)
8. Akan Yukyunosato Tsuruga (Akanko Onsen, Hokkaido)
9. Ibusuki Hakusuikan (Ibusuki Onsen, Kagoshima Pref)
10. Hotel Ichii (Kusatsu Onsen, Gunma Pref)

I couldn't find websites in English for Hotel Urashima (5th) and Hotel Ichii (10th).

Link: Official Onsen Ryokan Ranking page (in Japanese only)

Useful Site : Selected Onsen Ryokan

Kinki Nippon Tourist, the second biggest travel agent in Japan launched new web site "Selected Onsen Ryokan" (日式温泉旅館) in four languages, five types targeting visitors from Asian countries in early September.

You can search suitable ryokans for you by checking "Ryokans for families", "Ryokans for couples" "Ryokan providing local foodstuff" Ryokan in Japan's best 10 hot spring resorts" and etc. Check it out!

English
http://selected-ryokan.com/

Korean
http://kr.selected-ryokan.com/

Simplified Chinese (Mainland China)
http://rishiluguan.cn/

Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong)
http://onsen-ryokan.hk/

Traditional Chinese (Taiwan)
http://onsen-ryokan.tw/

Tousen Yokujo, Ikebukuro, Tokyo, closing down

The left bath tub supplies ferruginous mineral spring.

The "Tousen Yokujo （桃仙浴場）" also known as "Tousen Onsen", a small sento located at Ikebukuro （池袋）, one of the busiest commercial areas in Tokyo is going out of business at the end of June 2010, ending 65 years of history. Building deterioration and decrease of mineral spring are blamed for the closure. The Tousen Yokujo is the only bath house supplying ferruginous mineral springs in Tokyo.


Washing space.

◆Tousen Yokujo  (桃仙浴場）

Type:  Sento (gender separated indoor bath)

Address:  3-7-3 Nishi-ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo

Location: 35.727479, 139.704466

Business hour: 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM

Holiday: Monday

Admission fee: ¥450

My rating (A - E): C



Closing notice and shoes lockers.

Kappa-no-yu, Oku-yagen Onsen, Aomori Pref. Closed Down

[update] Kappa-no-yu reopened in April 2011. It's no more gender mixed onsen. Available for men from 7AM to 9AM, 11:10AM to 1:00PM, and 3:10PM to 5:00PM. As for wemwn, from 9:10AM to 11:00AM and 1:10PM to 3:00PM. Available until 11:00AM only on every Wednesday.

The Kappa-no-yu, at Oku-yagen Onsen in Aomori Prefecture (see my post dated May 1, 2009) is unavilable now, closed down by the end of March according to a recent local newspaper's report.

Infringement of the public bath law was mentioned in the article. It was an open-air mixed bath without gender separated changing rooms. It said the officials were planning to build gender separated changing rooms, separated baths, and screens to block watchers to reopen the Kappa-no-yu in the future.

I guess increase of WANIs (as for WANI, see my post dated Jan. 23, 2010) in recent years is part of the reason. A friend of mine and I met five or six WANIs there in the summer of 2006, when we were to leave.

The Japanese traditional mixed baths are decreasing. The rotenburo (open-air bath) at Yunokami Onsen, Fukushima Pref. closed down about a year ago (see my post dated May 14, 2009), and swim suites bathing introduced at the Funsenchi, Gero Onsen in Gifu Pref. (see my post dated Jan. 17, 2009) recently.