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)

Housenkaku, Fukiage Onsen @ Onikoube, Miyagi Pref.

Onikoube Onsen of Naruko Spa Area, Miyagi Pref. is known as a very active geothermal area, and Fukiage Onsen (吹上温泉) at Onikoube Onsen is famous for geysers and a hot spring waterfall.  I made a day visit to a ryokan named Hounkaku (峯雲閣) to soak in the natural hot spring waterfall. It's usually soakable late May through October, too cold to soak during winter and in early spring and late fall.

Hot spring waterfall was lukewarm in early Oct.

There is another large mixed bath just outside of indoor baths.

Another angle of the mixed bath same above.

Indoor bath is gender separated.

Outside of the Hounkaku.

This is highly recommended for mixed bath beginners. Ladies are allowed to wrap their bodies with bath towels and usually you can meet other ladies and probably you don't feel being isolated. Swimsuit bathing is prohibited.

◆Hounkaku, Fukiage Onsen (Onikoube Onsen), Naruko Spa Area
（鳴子温泉郷、鬼首温泉、吹上温泉、峯雲閣） 

Type: Gender  Separated indoor baths, one gender mixed open-air bath, and natural hot spring waterfall

Business hour for day visit: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

Holiday for day visit: Monday

Admission fee: ¥500

Address: 16 Fukiage, Onikoube, Naruko Onsen, Osaki City, Miyagi Pref.

Location: 38.80219, 140.67157

Access: Only a few bus services a day from the Naruko Onsen Railway Station, taking about 30 minutes. Get off at the "Kanketsusen mae（間欠泉前）" bus stop and walk about 5 minutes. 

My rating (A - E):  A

Taki-no-yu, Naruko Onsen, Miyagi Pref.

Although it is rebuilt many times, the Taki-no yu has about 1000 year history. There is an Onsen Shrine nearby.

The "Taki-no-yu" is a traditional Japanese public bath without any located just a stone throw's away from the JR Naruko Onsen Station in Miyagi Prefefture, in Tohoku Region. It's one of my most favorite onsen public baths and attracting many other soaking addicts.

It looks an uninteresting single story house outside, but you'll see how the typical public bath looks like when you enter the gender separated changing room. It makes me wowed whenever I visit there.


Sharpened logs are used as pipes. The left bath is the bigger and hotter. You can try pelting water on your shoulders at the smaller right bath.

The acid hot spring (pH2.8) is slightly whitish, and tastes like a lemon It's not for drinking). It's strange that the hot spring gushing only a few meters away at neighbouring ryokan "Yusaya" is alkaline at pH8.9.  There are no soaps and shampoos. The acid water has some sterilization effects.



◆Taki-no-yu, Naruko Onsen (鳴子温泉　滝の湯）

Type: Gender separated indoor bath

Address: Yumoto, Naruko Onsen, Osaki-city, Miyagi Pref.

Location: 38.74195, 140.717831

Business hour: 7:30 AM to 22:00 PM

Holiday: None

Admission fee: ¥150

Equipment: Small lockers for valuables.

Access: 3 minutes walk from the Naruko Onsen (鳴子温泉) Station. To the Naruko Onsen, take the Tohoku Shinkansen (bullet train) to Furukawa（古川）, about 400km north from Tokyo, then change to Rikuu Tosen（陸羽東線）line to Naruko Onsen.

My rating (A - E): A

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.

Shimizuya Ryokan, Yunokami Onsen, Fukushima Pref.

Typical Japanese style ryokan room. Kotatsu in the center of the room is an electric heater. While having dinner at a dining room, ryokan people prepare Futon, the Japanese style sleeping mats in the room. (photo: Feb 2010)

Spent last weekend at Shimizuya Ryokan(清水屋旅館) of snow covered Yunokami Onsen(湯野上温泉) in Fukushima Prefecture with my husband. He doesn't like onsen at all, but he is a train spotter and agreed with me to stay here because this ryokan sits right beside railway of Aizu Tetsudo.


I couldn't recognize more than one hundred years of its history from its appearance.

This is the oldest ryokan in Yunokami Onsen. I chose here as I often feel longer run ryokans tend to supply better hot springs. They started business in Meiji era in 1890.

It's a pity that original buildings were covered up by renovation and nothing tells its long history, and stained carpet and others show they need another massive renovation. If you want to stay at an up market ryokan, you'd better choose another place.


Rotenburo of the Shimizuya isn't so open because of the roof. The temperature of the hot springs is different in each bus tub.

Their rotenburo, open-air bath is gender mixed and ladies only time is set from 4:00PM to 6:00PM. There are four bath tubs and a big Sakura (cherry blossom) tree at rotenburo area. The transparent hot springs are smooth without strong scent, good for my husband and satisfactory for me. Indoor baths are gender separated, and ladies' bath is bigger.


Indoor bath for men. Ladies' bath is twice as big.

◆Shimizuya Ryokan, Yunokami Onsen
(湯野上温泉　清水屋旅館)

Type: Gender mixed open-air bath (Ladies only from 4:00PM till 6:00PM), gender separated indoor baths



Business hour: They accept day visit soaking from 10:00AM to 6:00PM. For overnight stay, advance booking is necessary, check in time is 3:00PM and check out time is 10:00AM.

Admission fee: ¥500 for day visit. Overnight stay starts from ¥8550 with dinner and breakfast per person. If you stay alone, extra charge necessary.

Equipment & Service: Complementary soaps and shampoos. For a overnight staying guest, a hand towel, a bath towel, a tooth brash and tooth paste, a Yukata (bathrobe and pajamas) are ready. I mean you don't have to bring anything special for overnight stay.


You can see the only one station building with miscanthus or straw thatched roof in Japan here at Yunokami Onsen.

Address: 762 Idaira Yunokami Simogo-machi, Minami Aizu-gun, Fukushima Pref.

Location: 37.296945,139.900085

Access:
If you have a Japan Rail Pass, go to Koriyama(郡山) with Tohoku Shinkansen from Ueno(上野) or Tokyo(東京) , then to Aizuwakamatsu(会津若松) with Banetsu-saisen line(磐越西線) and change trains to Aizu Tetsudo line(会津鉄道) at Aizuwakamatsu to Yunokamionsen(湯野上温泉). Japan Rail Pass doesn't cover Aizu Tetsudo, and you have to pay ¥820 extra one way.

If you don't have a Japan Rail Pass, taking Tobu line from Asakusa(浅草) through Shinfujiwara(新藤原) then to Yunokami Onsen is cheaper at ¥3760 one way without express fee.

Link: Map of Shimizuya in English (scale changeable)

My rating (A - E ): B for the onsen, C for the room


My husband satisfied with this scenery from the window of our room.

【Related post】Rotenburo at Yunokami Onsen, Fukushima Pref. Closed Down (May 14, 2009)

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".

Hotto Yuda, Kawashiri Onsen, Iwate Pref.

Green light shows you have at least 30 minutes for next train. (photo: Sep. 2005)

"Hotto Yuda" (ほっとゆだ) of Kawashiri Onsen (川尻温泉), Iwate Prefecture, Tohoku Region is one of the most unique onsens in Japan. There are working traffic lights inside of both bathrooms for men and women. Do you know public baths equipped with traffic lights in your countries? If you know the one, please leave a comment.

These traffic lights are not for car drivers, but for train passengers. Well, the Hotto Yuda is annexed to the train station of same name, "Hotto Yuda" of Kitakami Line. It's located in a rural area, and the train service is sporadic. If you miss a planned train, you might have to wait for a next train for hours, so these alarming lights are installed.


The onsen and the station share same building.

The lights are off most of the time, and the green lights come up when the next train comes in 30 to 45 minutes, then change to yellow (train comes in 15 to 30 minutes), and finally the red lights (15 minutes or less) turn on. You'll never miss the train, won't you?

Daikokuya, Kashi Onsen, Fukushima Pref.

Rotenburo for ladies of "Ebisu no yu". They say the best time to see beautifully colored leaves is around Oct. 20 every year. (photo: Oct.2009)

Kashi Onsen（甲子温泉） in Fukushima Prefecture, Tohoku Region has long history since first discovered in 1384. It was forgotten for long time, rediscovered in 1600 and the first ryokan was built in 1636.

There is still only one ryokan named Daikokuya（大黒屋） now. It had been under renovation for a while, and the newly rebuilt main building opened in late June this year. They used to close the ryokan from late Nov. to end of March, but it's going to open throughout the year from coming winter.


Newly built main building and annex buildings accommodate up to 60 persons.

There are two fountainheads, spouting 380 liters per minute together, both of them are transparent without strong scents, their touches are soft and smooth. One is 45.1°C and the other is 45.8°C at the fountainheads, around 40-41°C in the baths, perfect for long time soaking (at least for me).

Rotenburo at Yunokami Onsen, Fukushima Pref. Closed Down

I heard it's empty now. (Photo: Courtesy of Ishida-san, both shooted in Oct. 2008 by him)

Real bad news... The famous rotenburo of Yunokami Onsen in Aizu Area, Fukushima Pref. has been closing down since May 7th 2009, likely for good.

Officially the reason was explained that it's against the Japanese Public Bath Regulations as there was no changing room/space around the bath. But this gender mixed open-air bath had been available for about 30 years without changing room. Nobody is satisfied with the explanation.

Many say the real reason of closing down must be increasing visitors without common sense. Leaving garbage after eating and drinking around the bath, camping overnight although not permitted, making big noise, and so on are pointed out.

You can't see the reflection of the hot spring at lower right anymore.

【Rekated Post】 Shimizuya Ryokan, Yunokami Onsen, Fukushima Pref. (Feb. 15, 2010)

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

[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.

Aomori (青森), the northernmost prefecture of Honshu Island and Tohoku Region carries many good onsens. My choice for this post is Kappa-no-yu (かっぱの湯) at Oku-yagen Onsen (奥薬研温泉) in beautiful forest of Shimokita Peninsula.

Kappa no Yu on a rainy day in mid summer.(photo: Jul.2006)

It's quite simple. Just park your car, walk down stairs toward Ohata River and you'll see the big open-air bath with changing space, which is divided into two parts. A sign board on the wall says "Don't bring in anything but towels" in Japanese. It means swim suites bathing isn't allowed here.

If it's embarrassing for you, there is a commercially run Meoto Kappa-no-yu (夫婦かっぱの湯), gender separated open-air baths nearby. I' m afraid I don't know details of it as I haven't been there.

The Kappa is one of the legendary monster spirits of Japan. A Kappa is believed to have carried an injured monk here and cured his injury with this onsen in 9th century. That's why there is a small statue of Kappa by the rim of the bath. I saw someone had left offerings of coins and a glass of sake (Japanese rice wine) to the Kappa.

Hot spring water looks green on the photo, but it's transparent, rather hot at 42-43 degrees when I visited in mid summer. The best season to visit is late October. You'd be surrounded with colorful forest of red and yellow leaves.



◆Kappa-no-yu, Oku-yagen Onsen（奥薬研温泉かっぱの湯）

Type: Gender mixed open-air bath. Swim suites bathing and use of soap & shampoo not allowed.

Address: Oku-yagen, Ohata-machi, Mutsu-city, Aomori Pref. (青森県むつ市大畑町奥薬研)

Available hour: Anytime year round (no lighting facilities)

Holiday: None (but Wed. morning is unavailable for cleaning)

Admission fee: Free

Equipment: None except changing space with shelves. There is a camp site nearby.

Access: It's difficult to visit here by public transportation. From Shimokita railway station of Ohminato-line, take a bus to Ohata Bus Center (45 minutes), then take a taxi (15 minutes). If you are going to stay at a ryokan of Yagen Onsen, you can expect discount rate for taxi or your ryokan might offer free shuttle service between Ohata and Yagen Onsen. Oku-yagen Onsen is about 2km away from Yagen Onsen (Oku-yagen means deep yagen).

My rating (out of five): 4

External links:
Map of Kappa no Yu in English (scale changeable)
Slide show of Kappa no Yu with music (click the green "PLAY" bottun)
You can see more photos here (written in Japanese)

[Note] I have difficulty finding a detailed free on-line map of Japan in English. Google map is written in Japanese, and the map of Yahoo.com is useless, too. If you have any suggestions, please leave me a comment.

Term Limited Rotenburo, Oshio Onsen, Fukushima Pref.

Some say "miracle", others say "legend". I think both words aren't exaggerating at all to describe this Oshio kikan-gentei rotenburo（大塩期間限定露天風呂）, or the term limited open-air bath of Oshio Onsen, and I say it's a "mystery of nature".

This rotenburo dried up long ago and being empty most of the year. But on a spring day of several years ago, the hot spring suddenly revived, and after a few weeks it stopped and dried up again. Since then it's available for soaking every spring for 6 weeks at most. Nobody but mother earth knows when the hot spring starts spouting and how long it lasts.

I heard it tends to start spouting later after snowy winter. It was available from mid March to early May in 2007 after less snow than usual winter, and from April 17 through May in 2008. But the relationship between snow and the hot spring isn't clear so far.

I visited here late April in 2008. The hot spring was spouting vigorously from a hole at the bottom of the rotenburo. It wasn't so hot, 37-38 degrees Celsius, about 100 degrees Fahrenheit, perfect for long-time soaking. I spent more than an hour in early evening and the following morning each time.

You can enjoy view of blue-green Tadami River（只見川）, cherry blossoms, and a local train passing far away while soaking. Surprisingly, the hot spring water tastes a little bit sweet (I know it's not for drinking!)

A family run inn, Tatsumi-so（たつみ荘） owns this rotenburo. They allow day visitors' soaking for free so far. First you have to ask permission. No wonder staying (paying) guests have priority for soaking. It's a mixed bath, swim suites bathing is prohibited, and there is no changing room. I recommend you to stay overnight at the Tatsumi-so and soak early in the morning or in the night. Hundreds of people visit here on weekends and national holidays.

Spring is coming, just around the corner. Get ready! Come see and feel a gift from our mother earth and a mystery of nature.

overflowing spring pours into the river.

Travel Tips:
Oshio Onsen is in walking distance from Aizuyokota（会津横田） Railway Station of Tadami-line in Fukushima Pref, Tohoku Region. But visiting here by train isn't practical as Tadami-line train serves only several times a day. Also note four national holidays fall on end of April to early May, making so-called Golden Week, heavy travel season in Japan. In 2009, April 29, May 3-5 are national holidays, and May 6 is a substitute holiday as May 3 falls on Sunday.


Link to a bigger map