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Tucked away in a high-altitude alpine valley, Lushan boasts remarkably pure sodium bicarbonate water that is colorless and clear. The surrounding mountains are famous for producing premium high-mountain oolong tea and are beautiful when cherry blossoms bloom in spring. Visitors can cross a historic suspension bridge to access quiet riverside bathhouses.

The highly mineralized water is rich in sodium chloride and calcium bicarbonate which is pumped directly from local deep wells. The facility is a modern municipal bathhouse featuring separate indoor pools for men and women as well as private family bathing rooms. It is a great alternative for travelers who want a cleaner and more contemporary facility than the older Medrese bathhouse down the road. Bring your own bathing gear and towels as rentals are not provided.

Baolai sits at the southern entrance of the Southern Cross-Island Highway, featuring premium clear and odorless sodium bicarbonate water. The surrounding mountain landscapes are famous for massive plum orchards that carpet the valleys in white blossoms during mid-winter. The local resorts feature open-air viewing decks overlooking the expansive Lao-nong River.

Located just a short drive south of Baolai along the peaceful banks of the Bulao Creek, this spring translates literally to Never Old. The water is exceptionally smooth and completely clear, providing a skin softening effect similar to classic beauty springs. The setting is deeply rural and peaceful, surrounded by organic fruit farms and bamboo forests.

Asahidake Onsen is a small hot spring village at the foot of Mount Asahidake in Daisetsuzan National Park, Hokkaido. The mountain reaches 2,290 meters, making it the tallest peak on the island. The village itself sits at roughly 1,000 meters elevation and serves as the lower terminal for the Asahidake Ropeway, which carries visitors up to the volcanic plateau in under ten minutes. Few places in Japan combine open alpine wilderness with naturally flowing hot springs in the same way.

Set deep in the forests outside Oshamanbe in western Hokkaido, this isolated onsen resort draws visitors for one exceptional feature: a 25-meter calcite dome built up gradually by the mineral-laden waters flowing from the spring. The waters carry naturally occurring radon. The dome holds official status as a Hokkaido Natural Monument. Reaching the resort requires either a private vehicle or a transfer arranged in advance.

Waingaro Hot Springs is a long-running, family-oriented thermal water park located in a rural valley west of Ngaruawahia. The complex utilizes naturally heated mineral waters that are completely clear and odorless, channeled into large swimming pools and smaller hot hydrotherapy tubs. The site is highly popular for its recreational infrastructure, featuring massive water slides, bumper boats, a toddler play zone, and extensive picnic lawns. It offers a nostalgic, classic holiday park atmosphere with on-site cabin accommodations and caravan powered sites available. While the pools are constructed from concrete, the water flows continuously from deep subterranean aquifers. Changing rooms are basic but functional, though some areas show visible age.

On the volcanic shoreline of Lake Batur inside a massive caldera, Toya Bungkah's clear, odorless geothermal pools look directly across the calm blue lake toward the towering crater rim of Mount Abang. The water is warmed by the volcano itself, and several lakeside complexes offer infinity-edge pools with open caldera views. It is a popular recovery stop for hikers who have just finished the early-morning sunrise trek up Mount Batur.

Shiobara Onsen occupies a river gorge in northern Tochigi Prefecture, where 11 separate spring zones produce water in six distinct mineral types and seven different colors. The range of water chemistry combined with mountain river scenery drew visitors from across Japan during the Meiji era, earning Shiobara a reputation as one of the country's most notable hot spring retreats. More than 50 stone monuments stand throughout the valley marking the visits of notable writers.

Located within Beitou Park, this terraced outdoor bathing facility features multiple stone pools that drop down the hillside. The water is sourced directly from the nearby Thermal Valley and displays a distinctive jade-green tint caused by trace amounts of radium and green sulfur minerals. It offers an authentic, budget-friendly community soaking experience surrounded by lush greenery.

Tsubaki Onsen occupies a single large bathhouse on the Kii Peninsula in Wakayama Prefecture, surrounded by forest and roughly 2.5 hours from Osaka by train. The spring registers pH 9.9, placing it among the most alkaline waters in Japan. The facility is straightforward and well-maintained, attracting visitors from the Kumano region as well as day-trippers traveling in from the coast.

Akaishi Onsen occupies a remote ryokan tucked into the Fujikawa valley of Yamanashi Prefecture, inside Minami Alps National Park. The water is an iron spring, and its minerals stain the stone soaking basins a warm ochre color. Peaks in the surrounding range climb past 3,000 meters. Just inside the forest stands a Himuro Shrine, tended beside a sugi cedar believed to be 1,200 years old.

Yagen Onsen occupies a heavily forested river valley on the Shimokita Peninsula, which forms the northernmost tip of Honshu. Hot spring lodges are grouped into three distinct clusters along the Ohatake River: Shimo-Yagen and Naka-Yagen sit closer to the valley entrance, while Oku-Yagen lies further upstream in more isolated terrain. The area sees little tourist traffic and retains a genuinely untamed character.

Asamushi Onsen is a quiet coastal hot spring town on the shores of Mutsu Bay, roughly 20 minutes from Aomori city by train. The waters here are gentle, and the pace of the place matches them. The town faces the bay, giving visitors open water views, and Asamushi Aquarium sits nearby, considered one of the best marine facilities in Japan.

This beautifully landscaped park features a Japanese-style public bathhouse called Forest Bathing, constructed out of aromatic cypress wood. The neutral sodium bicarbonate water is crystal clear, odorless, and uniquely rich in mineral ions that soften the skin. Free public foot-soaking channels wind through the outdoor gardens under shady pavilions.

Fed by the active Tangkuban Perahu volcano, Ciater is one of West Java's most popular hot spring resorts, set among tea plantations on the northern slopes near Bandung. The sulfur-rich water flows through a sprawling network of public and private pools, with warm channels and tiered swimming zones that emit a light sulfurous aroma. It is the most famous and most developed hot spring destination in West Java.

Miyanoshita sits on a plateau in the Haya River valley within the Hakone caldera and ranks among the oldest and most storied springs in the region. It belongs to the group known as the Seven Hot Springs of Hakone and has drawn both Japanese and foreign travelers since the Edo period. The Fujiya Hotel opened its doors here in 1878 and was among the first Western-style resort hotels in Japan.

Kurokawa Onsen sits in a gorge along the Chikugo River valley in the forested hills of northern Kumamoto Prefecture. Each ryokan in the village maintains its own open-air rotenburo built into the surrounding woodland. Guests can purchase the nyuto tegata, a cedar bathing pass carved at the village, which grants entry to three outdoor baths at separate properties. The village has no neon signage and no modern storefronts. Innkeepers collectively agreed on these restrictions in the 1980s, a decision that reversed the town's fortunes.

Yunoyama Onsen sits along a river at the base of Mount Gozaisho within Suzuka Quasi-National Park in Mie Prefecture. The Gozaisho Ropeway runs 2,161 meters from the onsen village up to the rocky summit plateau, placing it among the longest ropeways in Japan. The combination of mountain air, a clear river gorge, and traditional ryokan inns draws visitors across all four seasons.

Sakunami Onsen is a modest hot spring destination tucked into a wooded river valley along the Hirosegawa River, roughly 25 kilometers northwest of Sendai. The Senzan Line connects the city directly to the area, making access straightforward. A handful of ryokan and communal baths line the valley floor, and the surroundings are predominantly forest and river, with a calm that defines the overall character of the place.