Tochigi

Tochigi has 66 onsen areas and 633 springs (Ministry of the Environment, FY2024), and over 4.29 million overnight stays a year put it among Japan's busiest onsen prefectures. At the foot of Mt Nasu and the Nikko mountains lie large resorts such as the Nasu and Shiobara onsen villages, Kinugawa and Nikko Yumoto, all within easy reach of Tokyo for a day or a night. More than 40 percent of its springs emerge at 42 °C or hotter.

Main onsen areas

The springs gather in the mountains of the northwest. The Nasu onsen village and Itamuro sit below Mt Nasu, and the Shiobara onsen village strings eleven springs along the Hoki River gorge. Nikko City holds Kinugawa and Kawaji, Yunishigawa with its legend of fleeing Heike warriors, the remote Okukinu springs, and lakeside Nikko Yumoto and Chuzenji. Out on the plains there is also Kitsuregawa.

Characteristic spring types

Chloride and simple springs are the most common in our records, followed by bicarbonate, sulfate and sulfur. Kinugawa and Kawaji are odourless alkaline simple springs, while Nikko Yumoto's sulfur water turns milky white on contact with air. Shika-no-yu in the Nasu onsen village is known for acidic sulfur water, and in the Shiobara valley the water type and colour change from one spring to the next.

Reachable by public transport

Kinugawa is reached via Kinugawa-Onsen or Kinugawa-Koen stations on the Tobu Kinugawa Line, with Tobu limited expresses such as the Spacia 'Kinu' running from the Tokyo side. For the Nasu onsen village, take a bus toward Nasu-Yumoto from Nasushiobara on the Tohoku Shinkansen or from JR Kuroiso (about 35 minutes from Kuroiso). Shiobara is about 40 minutes by JR Bus from Nasushiobara or Nishi-Nasuno. Nikko Yumoto is 80 to 90 minutes by Tobu bus from JR Nikko or Tobu-Nikko, passing Chuzenji on the way. Yunishigawa is about 25 minutes by bus from Yunishigawa-Onsen Station on the Yagan Railway Aizu-Kinugawa Line.

For solo travellers

Shika-no-yu in the Nasu onsen village is a public bathhouse a short walk from the bus stop, ideal for a solo day trip. Shiobara has plenty of footbaths, neighbourhood baths and inns that take day bathers, so it is easy to explore alone. Nikko Yumoto has the temple bath and a free footbath, and most of its inns accept day visitors.

Food & culture

There is plenty to eat on the way to and from the baths: Nikko's yuba (tofu skin), Utsunomiya gyoza and Shiobara's yakisoba served in soup. The Shrines and Temples of Nikko, led by Toshogu, are a World Heritage Site that pairs easily with a stay at Nikko Yumoto or Kinugawa. Yunishigawa keeps the legend of Heike warriors who fled after their defeat at Dan-no-ura and healed their wounds in a riverside spring, and its 'fugitive cuisine', with miso and other foods grilled over an open hearth, is the local speciality.