Rotenburo, Izumoyumura Onsen, Unnan City, Shimane Pref.

History of Izumo Yumura Onsen (出雲湯村温泉) in Shimane Prefecture dates back to 8th century but it's a very quiet small onsen area now. There are two onsen inns, a public bath house, and a natural soaking pond called just "rotenburo" (open-air bath) on the riverside. This pond is my favorite.

It's easy to find. There are steps to walk down to the river shore just 20-30 meters from the public bath house. You'll see small bubbles come up from the bottom sand in the pond. Yes, it's ideal temperature at around 40°C.

River Hii (pronounce HEE) and Izumo Yumura Onsen. If you get to the Izumo Ymura Onsen, the rotenburo is easy to find.

There is no changing room and other facilities. Closing optional. I couldn't find a notice to ban swim suites bathing, but I heard local people doesn't welcome visitors' swim suite bathing. I recommend you to visit in the night or early morning.

Close up of the roenburo. Onsen is gushing from the bottom sand.

 ◆Rotenburo, Izumo Yumura Onsen (出雲湯村温泉露天風呂）

Type: Gender mixed. Closing optional

Available hour: Anytime, anyday

Admission fee: Free

Equipment: Nothing

Geocode:  35.21821,132.90807

Access: Take a bus from Kisuki Station of JR Kisuki Line to Izumo Yumura Onsen. The bus and railway services are both sporadic. From the bus stop, it's a few minutes walk.

My rating (A - E): A

Savusavu Hot Springs, Vanua Levu, Fiji

From my travel photo album of Fiji I visited in May. Fiji, especially Vanua Levu Island is geothermally very active and Savusavu is most well known for hot springs in the country.

There are mainly two spots hot springs are gushing at Savusavu. One is in a small park, just off the town center. Very hot spring, around 80°C is gushing.

It's too hot to soak. Actually hot springs here aren't for soaking but for cooking. Many people come to this park to cook, steam or boil vegetables, meats and fishes.

It's a pity the "Savusavu Hot Spring Hotel" I stayed didn't supply hot springs for bathing. They said it's too hot and cooling down cost was higher than water heating.

The another spot is seashore.  Hot springs are gushing everywhere along seashore. It's very hot also here and I saw a tourist burned his foot when he tried barefoot walking.

 

 There are some small hot spring ponds at seashore and people cook here, too. These guys boiling fish for their breakfast.

Shiriyaki Onsen, Nakanojo-machi, Gunma Pre.

Two soakers preparing step in the hot spring river. Four soakers including Onsen Soaker near upper right corner. Upper part of the river is frozen.

Located near the famous Kusatsu Onsen in Gunma Prefecture, the Shiriyaki Onsen(尻焼温泉), literally means "buttocks burning hot springs", is one of the rare onsens gushing from the bottom of the river and soakable entire width of the river year round in beautiful location. This in one of my most favorite onsens in Kanto Region.

A part of the Nagasasazawa-gawa or Nagasawazawa river, makes a large open-air bath, about 25 meters by 30 meters. If you watch carefully, you can see hot springs are gushing from the bottom. Temperature of the river water was 30-38°C last weekend. I found comfortable spot of around 38°C and soaked an hour and half. The air temperature was 3-4°C.



Clothing is optional. In the summer, many families visit and soak wearing swimsuits, bring tubes for swimming and other goods. Well, it looks like beach sides and I avoid to visit in mid summer.

In the winter, many male visitors soak in their birthday suites just hanging washing towels in front of their bodies. Ladies soak in swimsuits or in clothe for mixed baths, but there is no changing room and you have to change clothes in your car or public rest room nearby.

There is also an indoor bath at the riverside. Clothing prohibited in this bath. The water temperature here is warmer than in the river as hot springs directly piped in this bath.

There is only a few ryokans around without any kind of shops, you need to bring towels and other stuffs you may need.

If you're nature oriented, you'll like the Shiriyaki Onsen.


You can see the hot spring pool over the roof of the indoor bath.

◆Shiriyaki Onsen (尻焼温泉）

Type: Gender Mixed open-air bath.

Address: Kuni, Nakanojo-machi, Agatsuma-gun, Gunma Pref.

Location: 36.648460, 138.64791

Access: Almost all soakers visit with their own vehicles. If you want to visit with public transportation, take bus from Naganohara Kusatsuguchi Station of Agatsuma Line to Hanasiki Onsen (花敷温泉). There are only tree or four service a day for each way. You can walk to Shiriyaki Onsen from the Hanashiki in 15-20 minutes.

Available hour: Round the clock round the year. Sometimes the water level is too high to soak especially after heavy rain and snow melting season.

Admission fee: Free

Equipment: indoor bath

My rating (A-E): A


The red letters tell "Swim Suites Prohibited".

Wulai Hot Springs, Taipei County, Taiwan

A soaker and feet bathers. The hot springs water itself is almost transparent, looks gray after mixing with bottom sand. (photo: Mar. 2010)

Wulai（烏來） is a small town of Atayal or Tayal tribe in Taipei County, North Taiwan. It's famous for onsen as well. I made my fourth visit here with a friend of mine, and soaked ourselves in the naturally gushing hot springs on the banks of the Nanshih River the other day.

We found the place to soak at the left side of the bridge over the Nanshih River. You have to make your own soaking pond here, moving rocks to mix river water and the hot springs to make adequate temperature for soaking. Fortunately, a kind man gave his soaking space for us, so we didn't have to work hard to get a pond.


You can find readymade soaking ponds at the right side of the bridge.(photo: Mar. 2010)

The hot springs gushing from the bottom sand and very hot, more than 60°C in the sand at my visit. We had to keep stirring water around us to mix river water and hot springs. Swim suites are necessary. There are no changing rooms around there, but a nearby grocery store made us change clothe in their toilet with small money.


Primitive changing rooms are ready at the right side of the bridge.(photo: Mar. 2010)

If you go right side of the bridge, you'll find more organized (?) place for soaking with some concrete made ponds. There are four private changing rooms, and the ponds for washing and for soaking are separated.The river flows slower around here, and many people swim in the river for cooling down after soaking in the hot springs.


There are many hotels with hot springs on the both side of the river. (photo: Feb. 2009)

Of course there are hotels and resorts you can make a day visit. Don't forget to try bamboo tube rice（竹筒飯）, one of the aboriginal dishes.

Access is easy. There are frequent direct bus to Wulai from 青島西路 (Qingdao West Rd? location 25.044587,121.51858) , south side of the Taipei Railway Station, taking about one and half hours and the fare is $70 one way. Although many guidebooks recommend to go to Xindian（新店） with MTR (subway) first, then to take the bus to Wulai($40) from just behind of the tourist information center at the Xindian station to avoid traffic jam in central Taipei, this bus gets desperately crowded especially on weekends, and the road is winding. If you go with small kids and aged people, I recommend you to take the bus from central Taipei. Get off the bus at the last stop at Wulai in either case and just walk around. You will find the bridge I mentioned.


Souvenir shop looks very much like one in Japan. (photo: Feb. 2009)

Nabeyama-no-yu, Beppu City, Oita Pref.

[Update] Road to the the Nabeyama-no-yu closed down after a 28-year-old lady was attacked and killed near the Nabeyama-no-yu on Aug.31, 2010. The murder suspect was arrested in August 2011. (updated Sep. 12, 2011)

A wild mud bath. You can see the Beppu Bay if the sky is clear. (photo: Jan. 2008)

For those looking for onsens in wild settings, I strongly recommend this Nabeyama-no-yu(鍋山の湯), near Myoban Onsen(明礬温泉) in Beppu City, Oita Prefecture.

You can enjoy two types of Onsen here. One is usual hot spring bath, transparent with many small black mineral encrustations, and the other is mud bath. Located upper stage, the mud bath has spectacular view. If the sky is clear, you can see the Beppu Bay through Yukemuri, or streams of Onsen steam of Kannawa Onsen.


Transparent onsen bath. It was lukewarm at my visit. But it's very hot at the fountainhead.

Beware of slippy mud. I was so excited to find this mud bath and when I rushed to the bath, I slipped and hit my leg on a lock hardly, and I came back with a big purple and green bruise on my leg.

If you are willing to walk nearly an hour each way like me, it's accessible without a car. Take a bus numbered 5, 9, 24, 41, or 43 from the west exit of the Beppu Railway Station and get off at the Myoban Onsen(明礬温泉) stop. Bring a detailed map and check it before start walking.

If you visit with a car, don't leave valuables in your car. I heard some reports of theft.


A small mud bath. Rocks around the bath was so slippy.

◆Nabeyama-no-yu (鍋山の湯）

Type: Gender mixed open air bath. No signboard on clothing rules. Available anytime for free.

Equipment: Nothing. No toilets, no changing rooms.

Access: Possible to visit without a car, if you walk nearly an hour one way.

Location: 33.314884,131.44207

My personal rating (A-E): A＋

Landmannalaugar, Iceland

Landmannalaugar located southeast of Iceland is known for a highland trekking base rather than hot springs. I made a short slideshow from my travel photo album of last August. It's two minutes long without any sound. Of course some pictures of hot springs are included.

Mizunashi Kaihin Onsen, Hakodate City, Hokkaido

Onsen Soaker in lukewarm Mizunashi Kaihin Onsen. (photo: Sep. 2009 courtesy of Hijiribaba-san)

There are many onsens in wild settings in Hokkaido, the northernmost island of four major islands in Japan. The Mizunashi Kaihin Onsen（水無海浜温泉） in east of Hakodate City （函館市） is one of them.

The transparent sodium hot spring is spouting at the sea shore and mixed with sea water in the pool. You have to choose right time to soak just like the Jinata Onsen of Shikinejima in Tokyo, because high tide submerge it under sea.

I visited there a little bit too early after high tide, the temperature of the water was less than 30°C, perfect for swimming but too cold for bathing, felt like soaking myself in a tide pool.


An old couple in swim swuites approaches the onsen. There are some more bath-like pools around there.

There is no restriction on clothing, you can soak in your birthday suites or swim suites as you like. In the mid summer most of the visitors wear swim suites.

Klambragil, near Hveragerdi, Iceland

There are some very active geothermal fields around Hveragerdi (correctly Hveragerði), about 45km southeast of Reykjavik, Iceland. A friend of mine and I enjoyed hiking to the hot spring river of Klambragil north of Hveragerdi in early August.


The hot spring was too hot to soak, we had to look for a soakable spot. We found the river water joined hot spring, and downstream of the joining point was soakable at 42 - 43°C. We met many travellers mainly from Continental Europe in the afternoon.


The entrance of the hiking trail located north of Hveragerdi. There is a car park at the entrance. You can see hot spring steams from the entrance gate. Be ware of boiling hot springs, especially if you go with your children as there are no fences arounnd the gushing spots.

We found this "Danger" signboard (even with Japanese word "危険", German and Italian?, too) in the area no hot spring was gushing. I heard the hot spring gushing points changed dramatically after the magnitude 6.2 earthquake hit the area on May 29, 2008.




The hiking trail was well marked with red & yellow painted sticks.　It's rather easy walk without sharp ascend or descend. It took around an hour to the hot spring river.


We had to cross the river on the way. I took my shoes off for walking in the river. People in the picture came from Colombia.


There was hardly any path between the hiking trail and the hot spring river, we walked too far.

Jinata Onsen, Shikinejima, Tokyo

(photo: Oct. 2008)

Believe it or not, this spectacular wild onsen sits in Tokyo. Well, probably the Tokyo Metropolitan Government covers wider area than you assume. You can find this Jinata Onsen(地鉈温泉) in the small island, Shikinejima (式根島, Shikine Island), one of the Izu Islands off the coast of Honshu, the main island. This is my most favorite onsen in Tokyo.

Approach to the onsen is as wonderful as onsen itself. The onsen located at the bottom of the V-shaped valley, you have to walk down several hundred steps from the clifftop. That's why it named "Jinata Onsen" as "JI" stands for land, "NATA" for a hatchet in Japanese. It looks like someone made this valley with a hatchet, doesn't it?



To soak yourself in the onsen, you have to visit right time. High tide submerge it under the sea, and maybe it's too hot at low tide especially in the summer. Even in October last year, the sodium hot springs were more than 55°C at some hot pots when I visit there. Be careful.

Swim suites required for bathing. A typhoon in 2002 washed away the changing room, and not yet rebuilt, so you have to change clothes in the toilet up on the cliff or anywhere else. There are many big rocks around.

Shikinejima is a real small island of 3.9km² with population of about 600. Although there is only one traffic light, there are some more onsens in the island. If you're a soak addict, it's worth visiting. You will see another Japan.



Type: Gender mixed, open-air bath, swim suites necessary

Available hour: Anytime throughout the year.

Admission fee: Free

Equipment: Clock, lighting facilities (if you visit after dark I recommend you to bring your own light), toilet (several hundreds steps up on the cliff)

Access: Overnight slow boat to Shikinejima leaves from the Takeshiba Pier near Hamamatsu-cho, in central Tokyo every night, taking 8-9 hours. Returning boat leaves Shikinejima in the morning and arrives at Takeshiba Pier in the night same day. If you take fast jetfoil, it takes about 3-4 hours one-way. Or you can fly into Nijima, the neighboring island and then take a small boat to Shikinejima. The Nobushi Port of the Shikinejima located north of the island, you have to walk about 30 minutes to the Jinata Onsen at the south. Usually your ryokan or minshuku (family run casual ryokan) will provide free shuttle service if you book in advance.

Location: 34.318615,139.212323

Minus points: Too many sea louses around the onsen. Few people speak English in the island. Many of the ryokans, minshukus, restaurants close down in off season and the boats often suspend services under bad weather.

Link: Official website of The Tokyo Islands Tourist Information Promotion Association

My rating (out of five): 5

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

Ba Ian Wild Hot Spring, near Taipei, Taiwan

Just came back from Taiwan. Soaked in various type of hot springs, for example, a wild open-air bath beside a river, a free public bath mainly for local residents, a private bath at a temple, and stylish spa pools.

The most memorable was the Ba Ian Hot Spring(八煙野渓温泉) just outside of Taipei city. The sulfur hot spring is very hot, more than 50 degrees Celsius, but you can make it adequate temperature by mixing river water.

To visit there, get on the Royal Bus(皇家客運汽車) serving between south side of Taipei railway station and Jinshan, and after about an hour and half ride, get off at Ba Ian Hotspring Resort(八煙温泉會館).

Takes not more than 30 minutes on foot to reach this wonderful open-air bath from the bus stop. Swim suites necessary. If you like hot springs in wild settings, this is the place to go. Everyday many people visit there, and the foot pass is well marked. You don't have to worry about get lost. Gets crowded on weekends even it rains.

Travel Tips:
The Royal bus(皇家客運汽車) to Jinshan(金山) leaves from Gong Yuang Rd(公園路), south of Taipei Railway Station. The bus departs about every hour on weekdays, and every half hour on weekends. It takes an hour and half to Ba Ian Hotspring Resort(八煙温泉會館), costing TWD 120 or 130. Walk down the slope beside the bus stop, then not turn right to the entrance of the resort, but go straight to follow unpaved foot pass.