Known for its Olympic-worthy mountains, alpine forests, and highlands crossed by rivers and ponds, Joshin Etsu Kogen National Park is an outdoor playground near Tokyo. But the Japanese national park is also popular for another reason, especially in cooler weather: its numerous onsen, or hot springs.
Joshin Etsu Kogen is famously home to monkeys that like to sit in the thermal waters—but there are plenty of onsen for humans, too. Some of Japan’s most popular hot springs are here, including Kusatsu Onsen, which has long been considered one of the top three in the country (first said so by the 15th-century monk and writer Banri Shukyu).
Located 100 miles northwest of Tokyo, Joshin Etsu Kogen is easy to access via the Joetsu shinkansen bullet train, local trains, and buses. This is Japan’s second largest national park (at about 370,660 acres), and it’s part of three prefectures: Gunma, Niigata, and Nagano.
In summertime, many Tokyoites escape the muggy city to raft down the Yu River or cool off in the area’s high-elevation forests, especially in the resort town of Karuizawa. Hiking and cycling are popular in spring and fall. And winter, which offers 80 ski trails in the Shiga Kogen area, is also the best time to visit the onsen.
Whenever you visit, there’s nothing more gratifying than ending an active day with a rejuvenating soak in steaming waters while immersed in nature. Here’s what to know to explore Japan’s onsen-filled national park near Tokyo.
The Ikemeguri Trail “winds through cool subalpine forests and open highland terrain, passing the atmospheric Shijuhachi-ike area,” says Haruka Tanimoto from the tourism board.
Courtesy of Shiga Kogen Tourism Association
Where to ski, hike, and bike in Joshin Etsu Kogen
Joshin Etsu Kogen National Park is home to the biggest ski area on Japan’s main island of Honshu. Called the Shiga Kogen highlands, this area has over a dozen ski resorts.
The rest of the year, visitors use the park’s many hiking trails. Haruka Tanimoto of the Shiga Kogen Tourism Association recommends the moderate 9.6-kilometer (6-mile) Ikemeguri Pond-Hopping Trail. Along the way, Tanimoto says that “scattered ponds shimmer across the plateau,” until hikers reach Onuma-ike Pond. “Its deep blue waters shift in color with the seasons and time of day,” she adds. “And a small red Shinto Torii at the lakeshore creates a striking contrast against the serene alpine backdrop.”
Shiga Kogen is also popular with cyclists. One 110-kilometer (68-mile) cycling route goes from Iiyama Station all the way up to the highest paved road in Japan, at 7,125 feet, offering spectacular views. There’s also a 10-mile cycling course that also starts at Iiyama Station and ends at Nozawa Onsen. This village has more than two dozen naturally occurring springs, and it’s an ideal overnight stay after cycling.
Onsen is best enjoyed after a day of skiing, especially in the Shiga Kogen area.
Courtesy of Shiga Kogen Tourism Association
Best onsen villages and hot springs in Joshin Etsu Kogen
There are over a dozen major onsen hot spring areas in Joshin Etsu Kogen. Some of the famous ones include Kusatsu, Manza, and Shima. These towns have many options for Western-style hotels with beds or Japanese-style ryokan (inns) with tatami mats and futon mattresses. Many of the hotels and inns have onsen baths where men and women bathe separately. Some higher-end properties offer private, in-room onsen. My favorite are the rotenburo, which are outdoor baths, where you can take in fresh air, nature, and stars at night.
“In the snowy mountains, hot springs were social centers, where people bathed, washed clothes, and even cooked with naturally hot mineral water,” says writer Greg Goodmacher, who has visited over 600 onsen in Japan. “Manza Onsen, at about 6,000 feet above sea level, is an exceptionally high onsen. Shima Onsen is along a river. It is also famed for some baths and a lake with blue water.”
Kusatsu Onsen is often voted the most popular in Japan. It has 18 public baths plus 180 hotels and ryokans offering onsen for guests. Kusatsu is famous for the Yubatake, the size of a football field, in the center of town where 32,000 liters of thermal waters pour out each minute. Popular street food near the Yubatake include steamed manju buns, flat and wide udon noodles called himokawa, and eggs cooked in the onsen waters.
Some hot springs are for humans, and some are for monkeys.
Photo by Interfoto/Alamy
See snow monkeys bathing in hot springs or view copper pheasants
The Jigokudani Monkey Park is famous for the wild macaque monkeys (often called “snow monkeys”) that, like humans, enjoy soaking in hot springs in the winter months. Getting to these hot springs requires a roughly 30-minute hike through the mountains, so do wear proper footwear.
Birdwatchers may enjoy the Karuizawa National Wild Bird Sanctuary Forest, one of four national wild bird forests in Japan. There are about 80 species of birds here, including 4 that are endemic to Japan, like the copper pheasant.
Best onsen hotels in Joshin Etsu Kogen
Bettei Senjuan, part of the Relais & Châteaux collection, is located in Tanigawa Onsen, which is close to skiing at Mount Tanigawadake or rafting on the Tone River. The hotel has 18 modern rooms, each with a private onsen bath. The multi-dish kaiseki-style dinner features local ingredients, including ayu sweetfish and sansai mountain vegetables.
Established in 1877, Naraya is near the famous Yubatake in Kusatsu. This is a traditional ryokan with tatami straw mats and beds. In the shared onsen baths, staff will gently stir the water, a traditional ritual called yumomi, to slightly cool the temperature of the hot waters.
Each of the 24 suites at Fufu Karuizawa Wind in the Sunshine, a One Michelin Key property, has a private onsen bath. Located in Karuizawa at the southern part of the Joshin Etsu Kogen National Park, it takes a little over an hour on the shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to reach the hotel. The restaurant serves French Japanese cuisine, such as foie gras ravioli in a matsutake mushroom consommé and roasted Shinshu wagyu beef steak with shiso herb.
