Japan's number 1 sulfur hot spring Manza Onsen in Gunma Prefecture

Nisshinkan is a huge inn

Very close to Mt. Shiraneyama on the border between Gunma and Nagano prefecture sits the Manza Onsen. This time we traveled from Shibu Onsen on the Nagano side to Manza Onsen. Although we visited in summer this time, because of the altitude of Manza Onsen at 1800m above sea level, it was a cooling summer resort experience.

Thus we arrive at the Nisshinkan . It was much larger than expected, so large that one could get lost inside.

Inside the inn there are 4 different bath houses, and going from the bath houses on one side to the other side takes almost 10 minutes. This spread out layout made it easy for us to access any of the baths no matter what part of the inn we stayed at.

Not many people know this but, the old name for the Nisshinkan used to be the “Manza Onsen Hotel”?

The outdoor bath with an amazing view "Gokuraku no Yu" (Bath of heaven)

This picture is the same as the ones I have seen many times in magazines and is what made me want to go in the first place. Here are some details about this outdoor bath.

It has been named the Bath of Heaven (Gokuraku no Yu). The name is perfect for this place! This creamy colored hot spring consists of a lot of sulfur. It almost has a bluish tinge to it, it seems.

The sulfur smell is almost a bit pungent with a hint of burnt smell to it. You can really feel the concentration of hydrogen sulfide in this water.

You really feel a sense of joy come over you as you bath while taking in this spectacular view.

The last time I visited was roughly 2 years ago and have been recently longing to go back here.

The big bath house "Choju no Yu" (Bath of Long Life)

This is the main bath here at Nisshinkan , Choju no Yu (Bath of Long Life) When you first enter the room you are immediately hit with the strong scent of sulfur! This is pretty awesome if you ask me! The all wooden construction of this bath lends to the atmosphere, stoking you up before you even hit the water. Also interesting is they have many types of water here, Niga-yu, Ubaniga-yu, Sasa-yu, Uba-yu, Mayu, Taki-yu the last two are made from pure clear hot water from a spring. The Niga-yu is really special, which I bathed in with my wife, who had a bit of a stomach ache but when she sat in this water for a bit it cleared up. When I read the sign in the inn I was surprised. The former Prime Minister Fukuda, also loved this Niga-yu. (Although, as I am always super healthy so I didn’t feel the effects as much…)

The outdoor bath of Choju no Yu

There are two small bath tubs outside of the Choju no Yu bath. I went early in the morning and for a long time was able to enjoy the cool breeze and bathe alone.

Manza Onsen is one of Japan's famous onsen!

This time we only stayed one night but the next time we visit not only will we go to Nisshinkan but there are many other awesome bath houses in the Manza area, which we would like to stay at too.