The Japan Hot Spring Comprehensive Ranking Top 100, voted by employees of major Japanese travel agencies, releases its results annually. The year 2024 marks the 38th edition of this ranking.
“The 38th Japan Top 100 Hot Springs” was selected by a judging committee composed of eight tourism organizations based on a total of 9,203 valid votes (1,178 valid postcard votes + 1,114 valid online votes, with each vote allowing up to five hot spring destinations to be entered).
Below, we introduce the specific rankings and detailed features of these hot springs. Whether traveling in Japan or living there, choosing a relaxing hot spring is a great way to unwind!
#1 Kusatsu Onsen / Gunma Prefecture
Located in Gunma Prefecture, Kusatsu Onsen has held the undisputed top spot for 22 consecutive years and boasts the highest volume of natural hot spring water in Japan. The water is highly acidic and has strong antibacterial properties. A unique service here called “Yumomi” is designed to lower the temperature of the spring water without diminishing its health benefits.
You can stroll through streets lined with souvenir shops and restaurants while wearing a yukata, soaking in the atmosphere of the hot spring town centered around Yubatake.
#2 Dogo Onsen / Ehime Prefecture
One of Japan’s three oldest hot springs, Dogo Onsen features alkaline simple spring water. It is also the setting depicted in Natsume Soseki’s novel *Botchan* and is a representative tourist attraction in Ehime Prefecture.
The area around Dogo Onsen is a charming town where you can not only enjoy the hot springs but also wander through quaint streets and buildings exuding a sense of history.
#3 Gero Onsen / Gifu Prefecture
Gero Onsen is renowned as one of Japan’s three most famous hot springs. The water is a simple alkaline spring, characterized by its smooth texture on the skin. You can enjoy the scent of sulfur here.
With a 1,000-year history, Gero Onsen is celebrated as one of Japan’s top three hot springs.
Because soaking in the spring leaves your skin feeling silky smooth, it is also known as “Beauty Water.” Footbaths are scattered throughout the hot spring town, making it easy to relax while strolling the streets.
#4 Beppu Hatto Onsen / Oita Prefecture
The hot springs within Beppu City are collectively known as “Beppu Hatto” (Beppu Eight Springs). Located near JR Beppu Station, it’s easily accessible and perfect for a hot spring day trip.
While many hotels offer day-trip hot spring experiences, there are also public baths frequented by locals, which are equally charming!
#5 Arima Onsen / Hyogo Prefecture
Close to Osaka and Kobe, Arima Onsen is a popular resort destination in the Keihanshin region. Recorded in *The Chronicles of Japan*, it is celebrated as one of Japan’s three oldest hot springs.
The hot springs here are characterized by iron-rich brown “Kinsen” (Golden Spring) and radon-rich “Ginsen” (Silver Spring).
Related reading: Arima Onsen, One of Japan’s Three Famous Springs: Recommended Nearby Walking Spots
#6 Noboribetsu Onsen / Hokkaido
The Noboribetsu Onsen area features nine different types of spring water and abundant sources. A stroll along the promenade leads you to the largest hot spring site, Jigokudani (Hell Valley).
A hot spring resort with numerous sources, misty Jigokudani (Hell Valley) is a highlight. The Hell Festival held in late August is a lively event featuring the King of Hell accompanied by red and blue demons parading through the hot spring town.
#7 Ibusuki Onsen / Kagoshima Prefecture
Ibusuki Onsen is one of the most representative tourist destinations in the prefecture, consisting of a group of hot springs including Ibusuki Onsen, Orihama Onsen, Yaroyu Onsen, and Nigatsuta Onsen. The water is a sodium chloride spring with excellent heat retention properties.
This famous hot spring resort is renowned for its natural sand baths, which use sand heated by underground hot spring water flowing toward the coast. The sand baths are also known for their detoxifying effects.
#8 Kurokawa Onsen / Kumamoto Prefecture
The Aso hot spring resort in Kumamoto Prefecture features 30 ryokan (traditional inns) surrounded by lush mountains.
This hot spring resort, known as “Kizu-no-Yu” (Wound-Healing Water), is said to be effective for treating cuts and wounds and is home to a collection of relaxed, old-fashioned Japanese inns.
#9 Kinosaki Onsen / Hyogo Prefecture
Kinosaki Onsen boasts over 1,400 years of history. It is said that visiting its seven hot springs seven times grants 49 blessings, freeing one from suffering in this lifetime and bestowing seven blessings.
One thing you absolutely must try is touring the seven open-air baths—why not explore this historic hot spring town while wearing a yukata?
#10 Hakone Onsen / Kanagawa Prefecture
The “Hakone Seventeen Springs” each have unique qualities, making it one of Japan’s premier hot spring destinations. A top-tier hot spring town, it offers abundant tourist resources like Lake Ashi.
Just an hour and a half from Tokyo, Hakone Yumoto Onsen is known as the gateway to Hakone and is the oldest hot spring resort in the Hakone area. Another appealing aspect is that it’s perfect for a day trip.
- Further reading: Hakone’s Seven Major Hot Springs and Recommended Ryokan: A Detailed Guide from Types to Qualities!
#11 Yufuin Onsen / Oita Prefecture
Yufuin Onsen is a popular hot spring resort located at the foot of Mount Yufu. The area is filled with trendy shops and restaurants. In recent years, it has also become increasingly popular with overseas visitors, especially from Asia.
At the same time, strolling near the hot springs, you won’t tire of this town brimming with stylish shops and eateries.
#12 Ikaho Onsen / Gunma Prefecture
Ikaho Onsen is a renowned therapeutic hot spring resort, attracting many visitors seeking healing and health benefits. One theory suggests that the name “Ikaho” comes from the Ainu language “squid hop,” meaning boiling water.
You can travel from Tokyo for a same-day round trip or a 2-day, 1-night getaway.
#13 Wakura Onsen / Ishikawa Prefecture
Located on the Noto Peninsula, Wakura Onsen is a salt-rich “sea hot spring.” Known for its healing properties, it attracts over a million visitors annually. The local specialty “Shio-Otama” is also a highly popular treat.
#14 Atami Onsen / Shizuoka Prefecture
Atami Onsen is famous due to Ozaki Koyo’s unfinished masterpiece *The Golden Demon*. With over 1,500 years of history, it features chloride springs. Many of these chloride springs have mixed with seawater due to over-extraction.
#15 Okuhida Onsen Village / Gifu Prefecture
Nestled in the heart of the Northern Alps, Okuhida Onsen Village is said to be a secret hot spring discovered by Takeda Shingen. You can enjoy abundant hot spring water at Kami-no-Yu (closed in winter), considered the birthplace of Hirayu Onsen, as well as at footbaths near the bus terminal.
#16 Tamatsukuri Onsen / Shimane Prefecture
In the 2016 Hot Spring Prefecture Election, Tamatsukuri Onsen won the top prize—the Environment Minister’s Award. It also took first place in the skin moisturizing category, as it is said to have moisturizing and texture-improving effects essential for beautiful skin.
#17 Ginzan Onsen / Yamagata Prefecture
Located in Obanazawa City, Yamagata Prefecture, Ginzan Onsen is filled with retro hot springs that evoke the romantic atmosphere of the Taisho era. In addition to enjoying the spring water once used for therapeutic purposes, we recommend strolling through the atmospheric hot spring town for a time-traveling experience.
#18 Tsukioka Onsen / Niigata Prefecture
Tsukioka Onsen is one of Japan’s most sulfur-rich hot springs, with its emerald-green water leaving skin smooth and refreshed after bathing. It warms the body from the inside out, with heat lingering longer, earning it the nicknames “Beauty Bath” and “Longevity Bath.”
#19 Nyuto Onsen Village / Akita Prefecture
Nyuto Onsen is a hidden hot spring resort in Semboku City, Akita Prefecture. Nestled quietly at the foot of Towada-Hachimantai National Park, it consists of seven hot springs, each with unique qualities and medicinal benefits.
Nyuto Onsen is one of Japan’s top hot spring destinations, consistently ranking high on hot spring lists.
#20 Kinugawa Onsen / Tochigi Prefecture
The alkaline simple spring of Kinugawa is called “Kawaji for wounds, Takigawa (Kinugawa Onsen) for burns,” and is said to be effective for treating neuralgia, rheumatism, and fatigue.
Japan Hot Spring Rankings 21 to 50 (38th Edition)
| 21st | Zao Onsen (Yamagata Prefecture) | 22nd | Tokachigawa Onsen (Hokkaido) |
| 23rd | Awara Onsen (Fukui Prefecture) | 24th | Manza Onsen (Gunma Prefecture) |
| 25th | Yamashiro Onsen (Ishikawa Prefecture) | 26th | Ureshino Onsen (Saga Prefecture) |
| 27th | Hirugami Onsen (Nagano Prefecture) | 27th | Akiu Onsen (Miyagi Prefecture) |
| 28th | Kirishima Onsen (Kagoshima Prefecture) | 30th | Misasa Onsen (Tottori Prefecture) |
| 31st | Naruko Onsen (Miyagi Prefecture) | 32nd | Shima Onsen (Gunma Prefecture) |
| 32nd | Minakami 18 Baths (Gunma Prefecture) | 32nd | Shirahone Onsen (Nagano Prefecture) |
| 35th | Shirahone Onsen (Nagano Prefecture) | 36th | Yunokawa Onsen (Hokkaido) |
| 37th | Jozankei Onsen (Hokkaido) | 37th | Shirahama Onsen (Wakayama Prefecture) |
| 39th | Hiraizumi Onsen (Hokkaido) | 39th | Yamanaka Onsen (Ishikawa Prefecture) |
| 41st | Unazuki Onsen (Toyama Prefecture) | 42nd | Unzen Onsen (Nagasaki Prefecture) |
| 43rd | Kamisuwaka Onsen (Nagano Prefecture) | 43rd | Hida Takayama Onsen (Gifu Prefecture) |
| 45th | Sukayu Onsen (Aomori Prefecture) | 45th | Nozawa Onsen (Nagano Prefecture) |
| 45th | Shuzenji Onsen (Shizuoka Prefecture) | 49th | Nagato Yumoto (Yamaguchi Prefecture) |
| 49th | Hanamaki Onsen Village (Iwate Prefecture) | 49th | Fujisan Ishiwa Onsen (Yamanashi Prefecture) |
