Kusatsu Onsen
A town built around a field of wooden channels that cool the hottest spring output in Japan, with a stirring performance beside it.
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Kusatsu produces more hot spring water by volume than any other resort in Japan, and it comes out of the ground too hot to enter - around fifty to ninety degrees depending on the source, and strongly acidic. The yubatake, the hot water field, is the solution in public view at the centre of town: water is run through seven long wooden channels in the open air so it cools by evaporation and deposits yellow sulphur sediment, which is collected and sold. Steam rises off it constantly and it is lit at night. The other method is yumomi, in which women stir the water with long wooden paddles and sing while doing it, once a practical cooling technique and now performed several times daily at the Netsunoyu hall. Public baths around the town are free or nearly so. The water is acidic enough to sting cuts and is not for long soaking.
What you actually see
- The yubatake - seven open wooden channels cooling the water in the town centre.
- Sulphur deposits - yellow sediment collected from the channels and sold.
- Yumomi - paddle-stirring and singing, once practical and now performed daily.
- Free public baths - small neighbourhood baths open around the town.
When to go
All year; winter for steam and snow around the yubatake. Two days.
Honest expectations
The water is strongly acidic - it stings cuts and eyes and is not for long immersion. The yumomi performance is a staged show. Winter access can be disrupted by snow. Volcanic activity on nearby Shirane has closed roads and areas at times.
Nearby
Mount Kusatsu-Shirane is west; Ikaho Onsen is south-east.
What to pack for Kusatsu Onsen
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
