There’s hardly a better pleasure in winter than soaking in a hot spring. Even more so if you can watch the snow – that’s a fantastic experience which you can have only in this season! Tochigi prefecture’s Kita Onsen ticks all the necessary conditions: a secluded hot spring; watching the snow from an open-air bath; inside Kanto region. You don’t usually find such good secluded hot springs. You can stay in an inn and explore the area to find plenty of baths. Each of them has its own features so this entire place is a hot spring paradise that you’ll never get tired of!
The only way to reach this hot spring is on foot
Kita Onsen is nestled between the mountains of Tochigi prefecture. As you can see from the photo, you can’t reach the inn by car. It’s accessible only by foot, about 400 meters down a slope from the nearest parking lot. During the green season you’ll easily reach the inn in 10 minutes while humming a tune down the slope.
But if you want to experience the true spirit of a secluded hot spring, I recommend going in the winter. The entire landscape changes completely after the snowfall. There are fences along the trail, but if you look down the valley you wouldn’t be thinking of humming a song. Put on winter boots because it can be slippery. However, you’ll quite enjoy the sound of the hardening snow under your feet and the expectation of someone waiting to welcome you at the inn.
Several old wooden houses stand in the middle of this quiet white world. Their history dates back to three past periods – Edo, Meiji and Showa. Just when you’re beginning to freeze you see the warm hot spring inn in front of you. It feels like you’ve finally reached the paradise.
Kita Onsen’s origin – “Tengu no yu”
The legend says that Kita Onsen was established 1200 years ago when the hot spring was discovered by a mythological tengu creature. Therefore a large 1-meter tall tengu mask and several smaller masks hanging on the walls welcome the guests upon arrival. Quite impressive!
Kita Onsen was featured in the popular movie “Thermae Romae” as the home of Aya Ueto’s character. The scene under the tengu masks was quite memorable and nowadays many movie fans visit this hot spring.
Kita Onsen is rich in hot spring water which gushes out from the earth and flows freely all the time. Check the mountain slope from the window next to the big tengu mask. You’ll see the hot spring source coming out with steam from the rocky surface.
“Tengu no yu” is a gender-mixed bath. There is a changing room at the end of the maze-like corridor. But it’s quite exposed to viewers from the corridor so it might be inconvenient for female guests.
Further inside are other baths such as “Utaseyu, and “Nuruyu”, which can be locked from inside and has its own small changing room. Female guests should choose that one when the inn isn’t busy.
“Me no yu” – a female-only bath with a fantastic panorama view
One of the three baths with freely flowing water at Kita Onsen is only open for women and unfortunately cannot be used by men. During the Edo period it was known as a bath for high-class ladies so this tradition continues today too.
“Me no yu” has a really great pool. What’s best about it is the impressive panorama view. The snowy landscape that you can observe while soaking in the hot water is splendid. And it’s great to have such a women-only bath when most of Kita Onsen’s visitors are men.
This bath is believed to relieve your eyes and soul from stress. It’s perfectly suitable for today’s working people who are quite stressed at work or in their private life. Therefore it’s recommended that you wet a small towel in the hot water and put it on your closed eyes. Then lean your head on the edge of the rectangular pool and relax completely. This might feel a little awkward in a public bath at first, but be sure to try it.
The highlight of Kita Onsen! Hot water pool for swimming!
One of Kita Onsen’s highlights is “Oyogiyu” – a swimming hot spring pool open all year round. I don’t know of anything similar to this one. It’s quite a wide one – 15x10 meters – and the quantities of freely flowing hot water never end.
There’s even a smaller children pool with a slide – not a water slide, but a unique hot spring slide. Kids totally love it! You’re not allowed to swim in most hot springs, but this one is exceptional. A great place to go to with your kids.
This pool is gender-mixed, but you can enter with a swimming suit or a towel so it’s safe even for women. Next to “Oyogiyu” is the gender-divided indoor bath “Ai no yu” where you can use the changing rooms. “Ai no yu” has a rather hot water, therefore first warm yourself up well, then go out to “Oyogiyu” and you won’t feel the cold at all.
A map of all the hot spring baths to discover
There are a total of 9 hot spring baths at Kita Onsen. You can explore them freely through the labyrinth of corridors, or you can use the map offered in the inn to find and test every pool one by one. The same map is uploaded in the inn’s website.
Kita Onsen is a truly marvelous hot spring
Its oldest buildings date back from the Edo period. The ceilings are low and the interior is quite old, but it feels cosy for some reason. Inside the dim rooms you will find many Buddhist statues, evergreen plants and some hidden spots with a mysterious atmosphere. Enjoy your time at this mystical hot spring paradise!
“Kita Onsen” Address: Tochigi prefecture, Nasu-gun, Nasu-cho, Yumoto 151 Telephone: 0287 76 2008 Day trip bath: 700 JPY (from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm) Room charge: 1 night with 2 meals: 7500 to 9500 JPY Note: Some of the rooms in the old buildings may be less expensive. Hot water quality: Thermal water (good for drinking)
History
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