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)

Jizaikan, Tochiomata Onsen, Niigata Pref.

The Shita-no-yu is located just above the fountain head and the onsen water is fresh. I soaked myself two and half hours here.

There are three ryokans at Tochiomata Onsen(栃尾又温泉) in mountainous part of Niigata Pref. The Jizaikan(自在館) has longest history among them of more than 400 years. The Tochiomata Onsen itself was discovered about 1200 years ago.

The Jizaikan is recommendable for onsen beginners as the radium hot springs they supply aren't too hot at 35-40°C, and there are private baths you can share with your group or yourself. But at the same time, their bath sharing system is so complicated.


Guest room for solo traveler. While having supper at a dining room, they get Futon mat ready for sleep.

There are five baths altogether. The Uketsu-no-yu is private open-air-bath, available 40 minutes for each group. You need to book for its use at the front desk.

Two indoor baths, Usagi-no-yu & Tanuki-no-yu are also private baths during daytime, also 40 minute for each group, but turn to gender separated baths from 10PM through nights.


The private bath "Uketsu-no-yu" supplies newer hot springs. Available 5:00AM to 0:00AM for 40 minuites each time on booking basis.

Other two baths are communal baths. Guests of three ryokans of Tochiomata Onsen share these two baths, the Ue-no-yu (Upper bath), and the Shita-no-yu Lower bath). The Shita-no-yu is the best among the five, located just above fountainhead. It's open for ladies from 5:00AM to 3:00PM then for men from 3:30 PM to 11:PM. You can soak yourself in Ue-no-yu at other times. A few hours soaking is recommended. Onsen of Ue-no-yu and Shita-no-yu are drinkable.


Typical ryokan supper (left) and breakfast (right). Honestly I wasn't impressed.

They don't accept "soaking only" day visit. You have to stay overnight or choose "lunch and soak" course starting ¥2,725.

◆Jizaikan, Tochiomata Onsen (栃尾又温泉自在館）



Type: Four gender separated indoor baths (two of them turn private bath from late night till moring), one private open-air bath

Address: Kami-oritate, Uonuma-city, Niigata Pref.

Location: 37.185173, 139.086066

Business hour: check in 1:00PM check out 11:00AM

Room charge: Starts ¥11,280 per night per person (including supper and breakfast, all taxes) If you choose "lunch and soak" day visit plan, it costs ¥2,725 or ¥4,875 or ¥6,975 depending the lunch menu you choose. Advance booking necessary for both.


Tanuki-no-yu (left) and Usagi-no-yu (right). The Tanuki-no-yu is for mens and the Usagi-no-yu is for ladies from 10:30PM till 8:00AM. They are available as private bath from 8:20AM to 10:30PM.

Access: Free shuttle service from Urasa station of Joetsu Shinkansen line twice a day. Advance booking necessary. Regular route bus service is availavle from tte Koide Station of Joetsu Line. It takes about 30 minutes costing ¥400 one way.

Link: Official web site (in Japanese only)

My rating (A - E): B


Schejule chart for bath use (Hey! I'm not joking). From the top; Ue-no-yu, Shita-no-yu, Tanuki-no-yu, Usagi-no-yu, and Ukezu-no-yu. Orange shows ladies'bath, green is men's and light yellow is private bath. White shows unavailable time. All soakers are very punctual. (^^;

2009 Ryokan Rankings in five sectors

The Travel Economic News, the weekly newspaper focused in travel business released annual survey of "250 Best Ryokans" (without ranking) and each ranking in five sectors - cuisine, service, bath, establishment, and atmosphere. 250 ryokans are too many for me to make a list, and I made lists of top 10 rankings in each sector in 2009.

Subject of this survey isn't consumers, but professionals like travel agents and travel related organs, and they might have some business relationship with these ryokans and hotels. I feel the following rankings contain more big scale places compared to other ryokan rankings. Linked are Official websites in English.

◆Cuisine

1. Hotel Syusuien, Ibusuki Onsen, Kagoshima Pref.
2. Akan Yukunosato Tsuruga, Akanko Onsen, Hokkaido
3. Ibusuki Hakusuikan, Ibusuki Onsen, Kagoshima Pref.
4. Kagaya, Wakura Onsen, Ishikawa Pref.
5. Yamatoya Honten, Dogo Onsen, Ehime Pref.
6. Yufuin Tamanoyu, Yufuin Onsen, Oita Pref.
7. Otani Sanso, Nagato-yumoto Onsen, Yamaguchi Pref.
8. Suimeikan, Gero Onsen, Gifu Pref.
9. Inatori Ginsuiso, Inatori Onsen, Shizuoka Pref.
10. Nishimuraya Honkan, Kinosaki Onsen, Hyogo Pref.

◆Service

1. Akan Yukunosato Tsuruga, Akanko Onsen, Hokkaido
2. Kagaya, Wakura Onsen, Ishikawa Pref.
3. Ibusuki Hakusuikan, Ibusuki Onsen, Kagoshima Pref.
4. Otani Sanso, Nagatoyumoto Onsen, Yamaguchi Pref.
5. Yamatoya Honten, Dogo Onsen, Ehime Pref.
6. Hotel Syusuien, Ibusuki Onsen, Kagoshima Pref.
7. Unzen Miyazaki Ryokan Unzen Onsen, Nagasaki Pref.
8. Inatori Ginsuiso, Inatori Onsen, Shizuoka Pref.
9. Nishimuraya Honkan, Kinosaki Onsen, Hyogo Pref.
10. Yufuin Tamanoyu, Yufuin Onsen, Oita Pref.

◆Bath

1. Ibusuki Hakusuikan, Ibusuki Onsen, Kagoshima Pref.
2. Akan Yukunosato Tsuruga, Akanko Onsen, Hokkaido
3. Kagaya, Wakura Onsen, Ishikawa Pref.
4. Daiichi Takimotokan, Noboribetsu Onsen, Hokkaido
5. Suimeikan, Gero Onsen Gifu Pref.
6. Otani Sanso, Nagato-yumoto Onsen, Yamaguchi Pref.
7. Yamamizuki, Kurokawa Onsen, Kumamoto Pref.
8. Yamatoya Honten, Dogo Onsen, Ehime Pref.
9. Tsurunoyu Onsen, Nyuto Onsenkyo, Akita Pref.
10. Yukyonohibiki Yusai, Kurokawa Onsen, Kumamoto Pref.
    

◆Establishment

1. Kagaya, Wakura Onsen, Ishikawa Pref.
2. Ibusuki Hakusuikan, Ibusuki Onsen, Kagoshima Pref.
3. Akan Yukunosato Tsuruga, Akanko Onsen, Hokkaido
4. Otani Sanso, Nagato-yumoto Onsen, Yamaguchi Pref.
5. Yamatoya Honten, Dogo Onsen, Ehime Pref.
6. Shiratamanoyu Kahou, Tsukioka Onsen, Niigata Pref.
7. Suimeikan, Gero Onsen, Gifu Pref.
8. Arima Ground Hotel, Arima Onsen, Hyogo Pref.
9. Dogokan, Dogo Onsen, Ehime Pref.
10. Yahataya, Bobata Onsen, Fukushima Pref.
    

◆Atmosphere

1. Ibusuki Hakusuikan, Ibusuki Onsen, Kagoshima Pref.
2. Akan Yukunosato Tsuruga, Akanko Onsen, Hokkaido
3. Yufuin Tamanoyu, Yufuin Onsen, Oita Pref.
4. Nishimuraya Honkan, Kinosaki Onsen, Hyogo Pref.
5. Yamatoya Honten, Dogo Onsen, Ehime Pref.
6. Otani Sanso, Nagato-yumoto Onsen, Yamaguchi Pref.
7. Yamamizuki, Kurokawa Onsen, Kumamoto Pref.
8. Myojinkan, Tobira Onsen, Nagano Pref.
9. Kagaya, Wakura Onsen, Ishikawa Pref.
10. Tsurunoyu Onsen, Nyuto Onsenkyo, Akita Pref.

I can't label each prefecture because "The combined length of all the labels must be at most 200 characters".

Snow Monkeys, Jigokudani Yaen-koen, Nagano Pref.

I visited the Jigokudani Yaen-koen（地獄谷野猿公苑, the Jigokudani wild monkeys park） in Nagano Prefecture to see the world famous snow monkeys on the other day. You can see onsen bathing monkeys in the winter. About 200 wild monkeys are said to live around the area (They are wild monkeys but I saw a park worker feeding them). Usually you can see their onsen bathing from Dec. through Mar. But it depends on the temperature and I can't assure you.


They just ignore visitors and relax in the bath, so visitors can watch them closely.


My husband asked me "Hey, how did you take this self-portrait?"


Temperature of the bath around here was 38.8°C.


Probably boss of the school. When this monkey stepped in the bath, other monkeys gave space and walked away.

◆Jigokudani Yaen-koen (地獄谷野猿公苑）

Type: An open-air bath exclusively for monkeys.

Address: 6845 Yamanouchi-machi Shimotakai-gun, Nagano Pref.

Location: 36.732745,138.462775

Business hour: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM in the winter (Nov. to Mar.)

Holiday: None

Admission fee: ¥500 for adult, ¥250 for child

Access: From Yudanaka Station of Nagano Dentestu Line(for the access from Nagano to Yudanaka Station, see related post), take a bus to Kanbashi Onsen （上林温泉）taking 15 minutes and costing ¥250. For bus timetable see below. You have to walk about 30 minutes from the Kanbayashi Onsen to the park (Ask the bus driver which way to walk). There is no direct transportation to the park. Even if you take a taxi, you have to get off at the entrance point of the walk pass and walk for 25 minutes. The taxi ride costs about ¥1800 one way.

Bus timetable (as of Dec. 2009):
From Yudanaka Station:(* not operated on weekends & holidays)
7:10*
8:10
9:31
10:56*
11:56
13:16
14:41
15:41
19:40*

From Kanbayashi Onsen: (* not operated on weekends & holidays)
7:25*
8:25
9:46
11:11*
12:11
13:31
14:56
15:56
19:55*

If you stay overnight at the Yudanaka Onsen or Shibu Onsen or other neibouring onsens on weekend or holiday season, you have a chance to ride the "Snow Monkey Holiday Mini Bus". It cost ¥800 one way,  return ticket is ¥1700 including the admission fee of the park. This bus takes you to the closer to the park, and just 10 minutes walk will take you to the park. Advance booking is necessary, but you can book and buy the ticket just the day before (not earlier). Ask about the bus service to the ryokan you'll stay. If you are a day visitor, you can ride the bus if seat is availble on the day.

Tips:
You need appropriate shoes to walk snowy or slippy or muddy foot path for 30 minutes one way. Although I saw many visitors in sneakers and leather shoes, I think it's difficult to walk in these shoes after fresh snow falls.


The walk pass to the park as of late Dec. 2009. It was a warm day for the winter and the snow was melting partly.

Links:
Official website of the Jigokudani Yaen-koen in English
Live Webcam of the Snow Monkeys

Related Post:
Kaede no Yu, Yudanaka Onsen, Nagano Pref.

Recommendable Onsen Ranking - JTB survey

A view near Hakone Yumoto Station. It's difficult to choose a typical Hakone picture as there are various types of onsen there. (photo: May 2007, courtesy of my husband)

The most recommendable onsen in Japan is Hakone Onsen, in Kanagawa Pref, Kanto Region - a recent online survey by the JTB, a leading Japanese travel company reveals.


You can't miss the Yubatake (hot spring filed) when you visit second ranked Kusatsu Onsen. (photo: Dec.2003)

The survey was conducted in early Aug, collected 1254 polls. Asked about "most recommendable onsen to others", 103 respondents picked Hakone. It's popular mainly because of easy access from Tokyo. Actually, it's within a day trip distance from Tokyo, and there are various types of onsen like public baths for local residents, an onsen amusement park, and so many ryokans and hotels scattered in wide area.

Kaede no Yu, Yudanaka Onsen, Nagano Pref.

This is a very convenient onsen for those traveling by train. This Kaede no Yu（楓の湯） in Yudanaka Onsen（湯田中温泉）, Nagano Pref. sits next to the Yudanaka Station. Actually, it utilizes formar station building.

It's a typical Japanese day-visit onsen. There are gender separated indoor and open-air baths. The open-air baths are small and surrounded by walls with hardly any view except sky.

Yudanaka is the entrance point to Jigokudani, and the Kaede no Yu is usually desparately crowded in the winter especially on the weekends with tourists after vising Jigokudani to see famous snow monkeys.


The hot spring is water added, so it isn't that hot compared with small public baths in Yudanaka Onsen. Recommandable for first timers.

◆Kaede no Yu, Yudanaka Onsen （湯田中温泉　楓の湯）

Type: Gender separated. Indoor and open-air baths. Day visit only.

Address: Yudanaka Onsen, Ymanouchi-machi, Simotakai-gun, Nagano Pref.

Location: 36.741859,138.414862

Business hour: 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM (last entry 8:30 PM)

Holiday: First Tuesday every month (If national holiday falls on, following day)

Admission fee: ¥300

Equipment: Rockers, complementary soap and shampoo. A foot bath outside (see picture below) is free of charge.


Access: Fom Nagano Station, take Nagano Dentetsu to Yudanaka Station. Yudanaka is the terminal station, taking about 45 minutes from Nagano by express train. Nagano Dentetsu is a private company different from JR, they don't accept Japan Rail Pass, and the Nagano station is separated at the underground level.

Tips: If you make a day trip to Yudanaka, juts buy "Kaede no Yu coupon" at the station. At the Nagano Station, it costs ¥1500. You can make round trip between Nagano and Yudanaka and also enter the Kaede no Yu with this ticket. If you buy the train ticket each time, it costs ¥1,130 oneway adding ¥100 if you take an express train.

My rating (out of five): 3

A local train at Yudanaka Station.


An express train at Yudanaka Station. The leftside building is Kaede no Yu.

Shinyu, Nozawa Onsen, Nagano Pref.

Nozawa Onsen（野沢温泉） in northern Nagano Pref. is attracting skiers and snowboarders from abroad in recent years. If you come to Nozawa Onsen, don't forget to visit some public baths. There are 13 public baths, and all of them accept anybody for free.

My most favorite is Shinyu（真湯）. It's newest among 13 public baths, as it was rebuilt and opened December 2006. It's also one of the smallest. It's a tiny wooden hut, the entrance is very narrow. There is a changing space, not a room. I mean there is no wall between bathroom and changing space.

Small bath is filled with sulfur hot springs. The water was pale green with many black mineral encrustations in it when I visited in June 2008. Looked like crow's feathers in the bath. The contrast of black and pale green was so beautiful. But I heard it's mostly transparent without any color and mineral encrustations are sometimes white.

If the water is too hot for you, you can add water, don't put too much water. Local people love to soak themselves in very hot bath.


◆Shinyu, Nozawa Onsen （野沢温泉　真湯

Type: Gender separated public indoor bath.

Address: Nozawa Onsen-mura, Shimo-takai-gun, Nagano Pref.

Available hour: 5:00 AM to 11:00 PM (From 6:00 AM from November to March)

Holiday: None

Admission fee: Free

Equipment: Changing space with shelves, small rockers for valuables. You have to bring your own towel.

Access: Bus between Nagano Station and Nozawa Onsen serves three times a day in the summer, six times in the winter. As of Dec. 2009, departing east exsit of the Nagano Station at 9:10AM, 10:30AM, 11:15AM, 1:35PM, 3:00PM, 4:10PM everyday taking about an hour and 15 minutes.

Link: Accommodation List of Nozawa Onsen in English

My rating (out of five): 5

If you visit Nozawa Onsen, don't forget to drop in a restaurant named Atarashiya（新屋）near the bas stop and try Yakitori-don (Yakitori on a bowl of rice). It's soooo yammy!