Nozawa Onsen Hot Springs Guide

Nozawa Onsen – Hot spring mecca

Hot springs are the true life blood of Nozawa. No one knows exactly how long they have been around for, but one legend suggests they were discovered over 1000 years ago. Hot springs are what kick started tourism in Nozawa. Oyu, the grand old hot spring situated smack bang in the middle of Nozawa was once a feudal lord’s holiday retreat. It was subsequently opened to the public, and Nozawa began to grow as a hot spring destination long before foreigners where cutting through the trees on Yamabiko.

Nozawa’s Onsens in Pictures

Onsen Procedure

There are 13 public hot springs in Nozawa which anyone can bathe in for free – you don’t even need to be staying at a lodge in town to use them. The onsens are maintained by local volunteer groups called yu-no-nakama – “onsen friends”

To take an onsen, you will need:

• a washcloth
• soap/shampoo/conditioner (no ammenities are supplied)
• a towel

And here is how it’s done (proper bathing procedure):

• When you enter the onsen building, you will see a raised entranceway. Take off your shoes before you step up onto the wooden floor.
• Put your shoes on the bottom shelf, take off all your clothes (yes, all of them!) and stash them in one of the compartments.
• Enter the bath and find yourself a spot to wash. It’s recommended that you take a seat on the floor or crouch while you are washing, so as not to splash other bathers. Scoop out some water from the bath to rinse yourself, then soap up. Once you are done washing, it is very important that you rinse off all the suds before you jump in the tub.
• It should be noted that the water is probably going to be a lot hotter than you are used to bathing in at home. The hottest water is on the surface of the bath, so if you take your wash basin and mix the water before getting in it should be more bearable.
• There is a cold water tap in all of the onsens for cooling it down. 95% of the people who will be bathing would like the bath to be nice and hot, so try not to add too much cold water.
• You may notice some floating debris in the bathtub. These don’t look so good to the untrained eye, but are actually just mineral deposits called “yu no hana” (hot water flowers). Yu no hana are the sign of a really good onsen, and all the onsen in Nozawa are cleaned regularly.
• When you exit the bath, rinse and wring out your washcloth then dry yourself as much as possible before you step back into the changing rooms, in order not to splash water on the wooden floor.
• Oyu ni kansha! You may notice some Japanese people clap their hands together and bow before and after their onsen (especially outside the main onsen in town, Oyu). They are thanking the onsen gods and the village volunteers who maintain the onsens for all the visitors. Isn’t that nice?

Paid Onsens in Nozawa Onsen

The free onsens in Nozawa are rather basic, with facilities going no further than a bucket and bathtub. If you want to bathe in a bit more comfort, there are a few paid onsens in Nozawa. Probably the best is at the Nozawa Onsen Grand Hotel, where you can use the bath from midday to 6pm on weekdays for an entry fee of ¥800 (free for guests of the hotel). There are several different baths to try including a rotemburo (open air onsen) where you can sit in the tub on a balcony with views of the ski field. Nozawa Onsen Arena (adults ¥600, children ¥400) has a big bath, showers and changing rooms, and is popular with families as the bathes are slightly more tepid than the free onsens in the village. Nozawa Onsen Kenkokan (adults ¥1000, children ¥500) also has several different bathes including a rotenburo.