Noboribetsu Onsen

Noboribetsu draws from Jigokudani, hell valley - a crater about 450 metres across left by an eruption some ten thousand years ago, with vents, hot pools and a bare grey floor, connected to the town by a boardwalk that runs into the middle of it. What makes the town unusual among Japanese spas is the variety: around nine different types of water are produced from the same small area, including sulphur, iron, alum, sodium chloride and acidic iron springs, so the baths at different inns are chemically distinct and one large bathhouse offers several in one room. Oyunuma, a lead-grey pond above the valley at around fifty degrees on the surface, feeds a stream downhill where a natural foot bath has been arranged in the forest. Demons are the town's mascot on the strength of the hell name, and statues of them stand along the street.

What you actually see

• Jigokudani - a 450-metre crater of vents and pools with a boardwalk into it.
• Nine kinds of water - chemically distinct springs from one small area.
• Oyunuma - a grey sulphur pond feeding a natural foot bath in the forest downstream.
• Demon statues - the town's mascot, standing along the main street.

When to go

All year; winter for the steam against snow. Two days.

Honest expectations

Hydrogen sulphide is strong in the valley and unsuitable for some. The town's main street is dated and heavily souvenir-oriented. Winter paths are icy. Bus connections from the station are timed to inns rather than to visitors.

Nearby

Lake Toya is west; Shiraoi and its Ainu museum are south-west.