9 Onsen in Kanagawa worth your time

A secluded hot spring inn featuring highly alkaline water discovered after the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake.

What it is

• A hot spring source discovered following the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake.
• The name comes from a helmet-shaped rock that collapsed during the earthquake.
• Sansuiro is the only operating inn at this specific hot spring location.
• The facility features natural alkaline spring water with a high pH value of 10.1.

What to see

• Natural spring water flowing at a temperature of twenty-three degrees Celsius.
• A traditional inn setting located within the Nanasawa Onsen district.
• A parking lot available for visitors with space for twenty vehicles.

When to go

• Day-use bathing is open to visitors from 11:00 until 17:00.
• The facility is closed every week on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Getting there

• Buses from Hon-Atsugi Station reach the hot spring area in forty-five minutes.

Read more about Kabutoyu Onsen

A historic hot spring town in a volcanic caldera, famously mentioned in ancient poetry and favored by Japan's greatest literary figures.

What it is

• A hot spring resort located within the eroded caldera of the Yugawara Volcano.
• The only hot spring area mentioned in the ancient Manyoshu poetry collection.
• A literary retreat where authors Natsume Soseki and Akutagawa Ryunosuke stayed and wrote.
• A collection of five day-trip bathing facilities and numerous inns along the Chitose River.

What to see

• A monument dedicated to the Manyoshu poem located inside Manyo Park.
• The Doppo no Yu large footbath facility situated within the park grounds.
• Natural hot spring waters ranging from 30 to 88 degrees Celsius.
• Traditional architecture and scenery following the path of the Chitose River valley.

Getting there

• Take the JR Tokaido Main Line to Yugawara Station.
• Buses run from Yugawara Station directly to the central hot spring district.

Official site

yugawara-resort.com

Read more about Yugawara Onsen

A day-use hot spring facility in Kamakura featuring rare dark brown moor water and views of the coastline.

What it is

• A day-use bathing facility opened in 2005 along the Kamakura coast.
• The site features a sodium bicarbonate cold mineral spring discovered in 2000.
• The water is classified as a moor spring and has a distinct dark brown color.
• The facility is restricted to adults and children aged thirteen and older.

What to see

• Indoor and open-air baths that switch between men and women weekly.
• A sauna facility available for use during standard operating hours.
• The dark brown mineral-rich water characteristic of this specific spring.

When to go

• The facility is open daily from 9:00 to 21:00.

Getting there

• The facility is a five-minute walk from Inamuragasaki Station.
• A parking lot with space for thirty-eight vehicles is available on-site.

Read more about Inamuragasaki Onsen

A quiet hot spring inn in Atsugi featuring highly alkaline waters and a historic designation as a scenic site.

What it is

• A hot spring facility in the Nanasawa area founded during the early Showa period.
• The site consists of a single inn called Gyokusuiro near Koutakuji Temple.
• It was officially selected as a scenic site of Kanagawa in 1935.
• The facility offers both overnight stays and day-use bathing for visitors.

What to see

• Spring water pumped from one hundred meters underground with a pH of 10.3.
• Natural hot spring water maintained at a temperature of twenty-four degrees Celsius.
• The surrounding scenic landscape of the Nanasawa Onsen area in Atsugi City.

When to go

• Free parking is available daily from 8:00 AM until sunset.

Getting there

• Take a bus from Hon-Atsugi Station for a journey of about forty minutes.

Read more about Koutakuji Onsen

A historic hot spring region within a national park featuring seventeen distinct spa areas and volcanic landscapes.

What it is

• A collective term for hot springs located within the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.
• Reportedly discovered in 738 by a monk named Shakujodo-bo.
• Used by Toyotomi Hideyoshi during the Siege of Odawara in the sixteenth century.
• Expanded from seven original springs to seventeen recognized spa areas over time.

What to see

• Hakone Yumoto which serves as the largest hot spring town in the region.
• The historic Fujiya Hotel located in the Miyanoshita Onsen district.
• Ashinoyu Onsen which sits at the highest elevation of the original seven springs.
• Owaku-dani where volcanic steam and groundwater produce artificial hot spring water.
• The Hakone Tozan Railway which has climbed these mountains since 1919.

Read more about Hakone Onsen

A high-alkaline hot spring north of Lake Tanzawa where legendary samurai once healed their battle wounds.

What it is

• A hot spring area located along the Nakagawa River in Yamakita Town.
• Known as a hidden bath used by the famous warlord Takeda Shingen.
• Features alkaline simple spring water with a high pH level of approximately 10.
• Historical site where soldiers reportedly healed wounds after battling Hojo Ujiyasu.

What to see

• The town-operated day-trip bath facility called Buna no Yu.
• Local traditional accommodations including Shingenkan and Gyosantei Yamabuki.
• Natural scenery surrounding the hot spring north of Lake Tanzawa.

Getting there

• Take a bus from Shin-Matsuda Station for a sixty minute journey.
• Take a bus from Yaga Station for a thirty minute journey.

Read more about Nakagawa Onsen

A deep-drilled salt spring inside a hotel near the Miura Coast, ideal for treating fatigue and skin conditions.

What it is

• A hot spring facility located inside the Maholova Minds Miura hotel.
• Founded in June 1992 after drilling 1,500 meters deep into the earth.
• The water is a neutral, hypertonic sodium chloride strong salt spring.
• The spring water reaches a natural temperature of 36.2 degrees Celsius.

What to see

• Natural hot spring waters used to treat skin diseases and physical fatigue.
• The surrounding coastal scenery of the Miura Coast area.

Getting there

• A seven-minute walk from Miura-kaigan Station to the hotel site.
• A free shuttle bus operates between the station and the hotel.
• A fifteen-minute drive from the Sahara Interchange for those traveling by car.

Read more about Miura Mahoroba Onsen

A historic hot spring district in Yokohama featuring unique black mineral water and modern day-trip bathing facilities.

What it is

• A hot spring area in Yokohama known for black sodium-bicarbonate cold mineral springs.
• The first hot spring inn opened in 1916 after radium was discovered in the water.
• The district peaked in 1960 with eighty different hot spring inns operating.
• Modern day-trip facilities now provide access to the local mineral waters.

What to see

• The Yukemuri-no-sho day-trip facility which is currently operating for visitors.
• The site of the former Tokyo-en facility where a new station now stands.
• Black mineral spring water with a natural source temperature of eighteen degrees Celsius.

Read more about Tsunashima Onsen

A historic high-altitude sulfur hot spring resort in Hakone once ranked among the best in the Edo period.

What it is

• One of the seven historic hot spring resorts located in the Hakone area
• Founded by Dainan Hanzaemon during the Tenna era at an elevation of 870 meters
• Designated as a National Recreation Hot Spring Resort by the government in 2015
• Known for sulfur and sulfate mineral waters used for neuralgia and skin diseases

What to see

• The Ajigaike pond which was dug by German soldiers during World War II
• The Tokoan building which served as a salon for literary figures like Motoori Norinaga
• The Ajigaike Benzaiten shrine which was rebuilt in the year 1744

Official site

hakone-ashinoyu.com

Read more about Ashinoyu Onsen