Best Japanese Hot Spring, Renge Onsen (蓮華温泉)

Renge Onsen (蓮華温泉) has ascended to my list of the top ten Japanese hot springs. Outside hot springs are scattered around a steamy, pristine environment with jaw-dropping views of mountain peaks and forested valleys that stretch as far as you can see. The elevation of this Japanese onsen is 1,475 meters (4839 feet). Boiling water and steam naturally rise from the rocky ground. Four small baths separated from each other provide bathers with a feeling of being isolated from the world. The closest building to the Renge Onsen Lodge is a traditional family-run soba restaurant about half an hour's drive down the mountain.

One of the Best Hot Springs in Japan

My wife and I visited the outside baths, or rotenburo (露天風呂), in late October when the lodge was closed for the beginning of winter­. No one is supposed to enter the baths after the lodge is closed. Lost in the scenery of the surrounding mountains and fall foliage, we missed the small "Do Not Enter" sign that was posted in front of the lodge. I had previously read in a guide book that the natural springs are located on a hill above the lodge, so we just walked around the lodge and continued our hike. This added another kilometer or so to the eight kilometers that we had, in splendid solitude, already walked along sparkling rivers and a highland road covered with multicolored autumn leaves that crunched beneath our feet.

Beautiful Woman in Natural Japanese Onsen    

The photograph below shows the path leading from the hotel to the rocky area where hot fumes and boiling water rise to the earth's surface.  The four baths almost ring the heated earth.

The next photograph shows the first bath that we discovered. It would be comfortable for one person and very romantic for a couple, who might want to enjoy a kazokuburu, which is Japanese for family bath. It was pleasantly warm despite the cool weather. We hiked upwards to see more. The next bath was large enough for four to six people, but the water was cold, so we kept searching and discovered another bath higher up the mountain.

This bath, named Yakushiyu (薬師湯),  was heaven for my wife and I. We stripped right there and soaked in the hot and slightly sulfurous water. There are no changing rooms. Renge Onsen Lodges's website explains that Yakushiyu's water contains acid sulfate, which helps to heal the following ailments: arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), chronic dermatitis, cuts, and burns. The informative A-to-Z Photo Dictionary of Japanese Buddhism taught me that Yakushi (薬師) translates directly into English as "medicine teacher." Yakushi Nyorai is the name of the Japanese Buddha of medicine and healing.

While we were bathing in Yakushiyu, a cold wind blew over the snow-covered peaks above, but our bodies were heated by pure hot spring water. Due to the coming fall of night, though, we left without finding the fourth hot spring bath that I had read about. We had to walk the last several kilometers in the dark with just a miniature flashlight since we departed later than was wise. At one point, we heard the sound of a heavy animal walking in the brush towards us, but luckily it turned back upon hearing our bear bells and loud voices. Renge Onsen is in backwoods country, where spotting a bear is not uncommon.

The next day, my wife wanted to walk along that road again, and I was determined to find the fourth bath. We were once again the only large mammals on the secluded road until we came across a Japanese serow, an endangered Japanese ungulate, which looks like a cross between a large mountain goat and a fat deer. It stared at us for a moment before running and disappearing into thick autumnal vegetation.

We continued walking and were surprised when two Japanese men in a jeep drove by us in the direction of Renge Onsen. We were also startled by the sight of an almost completely consumed rabbit corpse on a curve in the road. Fresh blood and intestines still stuck to scattered bits of white fur, indicating a fresh kill. Apparently, our arrival had disturbed another animal's meal.

The Cool Second Bath

Finally, after a long but refreshing hike, we reached the lodge. The two men who had passed us in a jeep were sipping canned coffee in front of the lodge. They said they were doing maintenance work. I asked if we could go to the hot springs,. They replied that the springs were closed and we could not go to them. That was disappointing news. I decided that not saying that we had used the baths the day earlier was a wise decision. Instead, we chatted while listening to bird cries. The men were friendly, and we learned a lot from them about the area and the springs.

The lodge is closed from October 20 to sometime in March each year. Each year is different, depending upon the weather. The road to the hotel is closed for a much longer time because of tumultuous winter storms and deep snow conditions. Visitors in March and April must use snowshoes or mountain skis to get there. The difficult journey requires about five hours of walking through deep snow. Helicopters deliver food and other supplies to the lodge.

During most of the year, one can drive to the lodge or the nearby basic campground. Tent space on the grounds is rented for five hundred yen—bring your own tents, etc. Camping gear cannot be rented. A room and two meals at the lodge costs 9,000 yen per person per night. There is also an indoor hot spring that I intend to enter and report on later. The remoteness of Renge Onsen and the determination of the lodge owners and workers keep the area natural, which is a factor in why it is one of the best Japanese hot springs that I have visited in approximately twenty years of exploring the springs of Japan. Renge Onsen is in the mountains of Itoigawa, Niigata. Renge Onsen Lodge has a webpage, but it is only in Japanese. To read about some other remote mountain hot springs in Niigata, click here or here.

Mountains Neighboring Renge Onsen

                                                

Return to the Hot Springs for Swallows

Last winter, I arrived at the mountainous Japanese onsen village of Tsubame Onsen (燕温泉)just thirty minutes after members of the onsen association had closed the free outdoor hot springs. But this October, we made it there in time. The exquisite outdoor hot springs in the midst of nature are renowned among Japanese onsen connoisseurs. So before the baths closed this year, I made the trip up the steep curving mountain roads to experience what I had only read about.

We Finally Got Here - Happiness, or Shiawase (幸せ）

There are two outdoor baths：Kawaranoyu (川原の湯） is by the side of a stream in a small valley. Ferns and moss line the rock walls of the bath. You can see and hear the gurgling flowing stream in front while you are soothed in hot water. The other bath, Ougonnoyu (黄金の湯）, is at the edge of a knoll.  Nude mixed-sex bathing, or konyokuburo　（混浴風呂）, is normal. A pleasant ten-minute walk along mountain paths from the village is necessary to reach each spring. Darkness came much too quickly when the sun descended on the other side of the mountains, and I spent so much time in the former that it was too dark for photographing the latter. This place is fantastic. Tsubame is one of those rare hot spring areas that make you want to visit repeatedly.

The Path to the Kawaranoyu (川原の湯）

Every year, the threat of avalanches is the reason for the early-winter closure. The village, on the edge of a cliff at an elevation of 1,190 meters (3,904 feet) receives an annual average of 14 meters (approximately the height of a four-story building) of snow. 

The village's excellent hot springs, clean air, wide panoramic views of valleys and mountain peaks, and access to splendid hiking trails should make it a very popular location, but the village is dying. Young people  do not want to live in such locations and the heavy snowfall requires lots of work. Several hotels are now unoccupied and falling apart. Most of the residents are past sixty. Modern Japanese people seem more interested in traveling overseas and shopping in malls than experiencing nature in Japan. 

The local onsen association members work hard to keep the village clean and to maintain the free onsen and foot bath. I love the views, the quality of the bluish white sulfurous hot spring, and the serenity of Tsubame, so I hope that more people will visit and support the local economy. To see photographs of one very pleasant Japanese ryokan in Tsubame click here.

Tsubame Onsen in Early Fall

Tsubame Onsen in Early Winter

Secret Private Hot Spring

A hot spring fanatic brought me to his secret "private" hot spring. He and his friend had dug out a bath at the base of a cliff close to where he had discovered a small waterfall of hot sulfurous water in a national park in Northern Japan. He made me promise not to disclose the location and not to write his name. So for this post, I will call him Ultimate Onsen Addict (UOA-san). The bath is just for his pleasure and the enjoyment of his close friends. Another reason to keep it secret is that changing the landscape of a national park is probably illegal.

Private Mountain Onsen

  

UOA-san and I had met in a hot spring. After discussing our fanatical love for soaking in natural springs, he took me into his confidence and promised to show me his onsen. He brought me to a remote hiking trail that led through woods to high mountain peaks. The cascading swishes and splashes of numerous small waterfalls and a steeply descending river were the only sounds we heard besides the call of a circling hawk. The trail of slippery, loose, wet gravel curved around the edge of a precipitous cliff. At one point he stopped, he looked around to make sure that no one else was watching, and he moved a large rock sideways. Under the rock, was a concealed metal chain that he had previously bolted into firm rock. We used the chain to safely scramble down the almost-ninety-degree drop towards the river. On the way down, I spotted the small rock-edged bath between the river and the cliff. Then, he pointed out a small waterfall of hot water. 

Under the Hot Spring Waterfall, or Utaseyu (打たせ湯)

A friend of UOA-san had discovered the waterfall while hiking eleven years ago, and he realized that he could comfortably sit under the spray and receive a hot water massage. He showed the hot spring waterfall to UOA-san, and they later decided to dig out a bath. Eventually, they created three small different baths. They spend hours adjusting the baths, enjoying the serenity of bathing, and contemplating nature next to a river in the rugged Japanese mountains.

Wild Mountain Private Bath

Due to  heavy rains and rock slides during heavy typhoons, they have had to rebuild the baths several times. They clandestinely carry pipes, small shovels, and other tools up the mountain. Creating their secret bathing spot is a labor of love. UOA-san lives about an hour drive away from where he leaves his car before ascending the mountain trail to his private spring. He visits a couple of times a week. I realized that I had finally met a man who is even more of a hot spring addict than I am. It seems the Japanese do take their hot baths more seriously than anyone else on our planet.

Mixed-sex Bathing in a Japanese Konyokuburo

Many people have questions about public mixed-sex hot springs, what the Japanese call Konyokuburo (混浴風呂): What exactly does Konyokuburo mean? Is it embarrassing? Where does it happen? Why would men and women who are strangers bathe together? Is it sexual? Are people completely naked?

In the past, everyone was naked. The only suit allowed in most onsens was the birthday suit. People do use towels to cover their bodies when walking about the hot spring facilities, but these towels are just a tad larger than an American hand towel. A man usually holds it in front of his genitals when walking between baths or sitting outside of one. A woman might be able to cover up the area between the breasts and genitalia with her towel. Towels are not allowed in the water, so nakedness usually reigns. Covering one’s hair with a towel is acceptable if the towel does not enter the water.

However, Japanese culture is changing. Nowadays, numerous onsens catering to foreign visitors provide special robes for shy guests or allow bathers to wrap their bodies with large towels. Rules differ considerably. I believe that no one needs to be ashamed of one's body and nakedness renders us all equal. 

The two kanjis for konyokuburo (混浴) translate into the English words mix and bathtub. There are many places in Japan where men and women bathe together, but they are not all konyokuburo. Kazokuburos (家族風呂) and kashikiriburos (貸切風呂) are similar in that male and female bathers can enjoy being together. The important distinction is that konyokuburos are public. Anyone can enter at any time. You may end up bathing with complete strangers—some might be stranger than you would like. Most of the people are pleasant.  I just recently enjoyed two outdoor konyokuburus in Tsubame Onsen, Niigata, and everyone was friendly and gracious.

Kazokuburo means family bathtub, and kashikiriburo means a rented bathtub. Others cannot join you, your family, or your friends in Kazokuburo or kashikiriburo. These terms basically have the same meaning. You pay and then you have control of the baths for a set time. With konyokuburo, you have no control regarding who will join you.

 

Many expensive ryokans come with private onsen baths that are inside or outside the rooms. Some places, such as Takanosu in Niigata prefecture come with both. Accommodations like these make mix-sex bathing uncomplicated and relaxing. 

Mixed-sex bathing is a practice that goes back hundreds, probably thousands of years. However, the number of public mixed-sex facilities is decreasing. The social mores of Japanese are changing. People are becoming reluctant to socialize with strangers, and that, of course, includes bathing. In the past, most homes were not equipped with bathtubs. A village might have only one bathing facility. Baths were often communal, and they served various social functions.

When I bathe in a konyokuburo, I have a complicated mixture of feelings. I become very conscious of how others might perceive me, so I do my best to avoid looking at the breasts or vaginal areas of women. I do not want a woman to think that I am a pervert if I should look in her direction, so I concentrate on the sky, trees, or the water. If we should converse, I look directly into her eyes. This concentration and slight worry on my part does detract a bit from the relaxing experience of bathing.

On the other hand, though, I enjoy being with a group of people who believe that nudity is nothing to be ashamed of. A part of me experiences a sense of freedom and of shedding uptight social conventions when I am in a konyokuburu. It is also nice that male and female friends can be together, instead of being separated as they are in most hot springs.

As for sexual activity, I have never seen or heard about it happening at a konyokuburo. Probably, the chance that a stranger or strangers might suddenly enter would hinder the impulses of most people. Anyone who wants to have sex in a Japanese onsen would most likely do it in a private kashikiriburo or kazokuburo.

My first experience and one of my most recent experiences at konyokuburos were very different. The first time was with three couples who were all friends and a child of one of the couples. It was a very relaxing experience because of the trust and friendship we felt for each other. We were enjoying the evening in a bath located about twenty yards above the ocean on Sakurajima Island, Kagoshima. The blackness of the sea melded with the darkness of the sky. The edge of a vast arena of glimmering stars denoted the horizon.

In contrast, an experience at a konyokuburo in Yuya Onsen, Aichi Prefecture, was very different. In fact, it was strange. My brother-in-law and I went to Yukawa Onsen (unfortunately closed now) in the town of Yuya, Aichi Prefecture, because of the great view it offered from the side of a clean, meandering river. One woman and six men were in the bath when we entered. This woman did not seem concerned at all about being the only woman there, and her boyfriend/husband/partner(?) did not seem to mind either. As I mentioned earlier, women in mixed-sex bathing situations usually cover their breasts and vaginal areas with a tiny towel when outside of the water. This woman, however, did not bother using her towel. The bath was ringed by large rocks. She suddenly stood up and sat on one of the rocks without her towel, and she did not even close her legs. This was very unusual behavior. It was impossible for anyone in the bath to miss the view of her private area. Her display made me feel shy. She was directly in front of me, so I had to keep my head turned away in order to prevent any misunderstanding. I did not want her boyfriend to think that I was staring at her. Another man, though, focused his gaze only on her for the hour or so that I was in the bath. I doubt that he even noticed the river, the sky, or anyone else. His behavior and her public display were unexpected and in violation of unstated social mores.   

In conclusion, the naked reality of mixed-sex bathing is that the atmosphere of each onsen will vary from place to place and your experience will vary from time to time. Once you get used to it, you will wonder what all the fuss was about.

Do you want to learn more about Japanese vocabulary related to hot springs? If so, click  to read a Japanese to English glossary of Japanese onsen terminology.

Visual Japanese Onsen/Hot Spring Glossary

Japanese Onsen Glossary

Click on the Links to View Pages Related to the Terms.
(More links will be added later.)

• Ashiyu - 足湯: A shallow bath for soaking the feet and the lower legs. Many onsen towns have these along walking paths.

• Atsui - 熱い:This word means hot.

• Bandai - 番台: Many traditional community onsens or sentos have a booth where the employee who takes money and takes care of the premises sits. He or she can look into the changing areas. Many foreigners might feel uncomfortable being observed by the employee in the bandai.

• Bodiisoopu - ボディーソープ: This is the katakana spelling and pronunciation for body soap.

• Dansei - 男性: This word means man or male. Remembering the first kanji is important since it is often shown at the entrance to the bath for men.

• Datsuijo - 脱衣所: The datsuijo is the room where onsen guests undress and dress before and after bathing. Most datsuijo provide baskets and sometimes lockers, which might have locks or might not.

• Denkiburo 電気風呂: This type of bath usually makes foreigners feel very uncomfortable at first. An electrical current is sent through the water. It makes muscles contract. Some people love this, but it is not for me. It is said to be effective in healing muscle and nerve pain.

• Doroyu - 泥湯: A doroyu is a bath in which the bottom has a lot of mud or muddy sediments from the earth. Many people apply the mud to the body, let it dry, and then wash it off. Many of the mineral elements are good for the skin.

• Furo - 風呂: The word simply means bath or bathtub. When the Japanese speak with very polite language, they often say ofuro – お風呂

• Ganbanyoku -岩盤浴: A bathing experience in which heat rises from hot rocks upon which the onsen guests lie upon. Some have herbs in the rooms. 

• Genkan - 玄関: The genkan is the entrance to an onsen, hotel, or house. Shoes are removed in the genkan. Sometimes shoes are simply left on the floor. Fancy genkans have shelves or lockers for shoes.

• Gensen kakenagashi – 源泉かけ流し: A hot spring with water straight from the earth. Nothing is added to the water, and the water continuously flows from its underground source. The water is not recirculated.   

• Geta - 下駄: Geta are traditionally made slippers whose material is wood. When people walk in geta, you can hear a loud sound. Guests in onsen towns often wear these when walking between onsens or to restaurants, etc.

• Getabako - 下駄箱: Bako means box, and getabako refers to the boxes, shelves, or lockers where onsen guests leave their shoes before entering. It is customary to walk barefoot or in slippers inside of onsen buildings. Wearing shoes would be considered very rude.

• Goemonburo - 五右衛門風呂: A goemonburo is a small circular bath that usually only one person can fit into. Hundreds of years ago, criminals were boiled alive in such baths. Goemon is reportedly the name of an infamous thief who suffered this punishment.

• Higaeri - 日帰り: Hi means day and gaeri means return. A higaeri is one-day trip without an overnight stay. Some ryokan, hotels, minshuku only allow overnight guests to use the baths, but others welcome higaeri guests for limited periods of time. For those on a limited budget, a higaeri trip allows one to experience the baths of a very expensive location for what is usually a reasonable price.

• Hinoki - 桧: Hinoki is a very aromatic wood that is used in the construction of many wooden baths and sake cups, too. Bathing in a newly constructed bath is akin to aromatherapy. The fragrance is very relaxing. The Japanese cypress tree is the source of hinoki.

• Hoteru - ホテル: This is the Japanese pronunciation of the English word hotel.

• Iousen - 硫黄泉: A hot spring which naturally contains much sulfur.

• Jigoku - 地獄 :This word literally means hell, but jigokus are often places with tremendous amounts of steam, boiling water, and sometimes toxic fumes. These become tourist sites. Usually the heat is too hot for bathing. In fact, a jigoku on Mt. Unzen in Kyushu was used to boil Christians who refused to convert.

• Josei - 女性: This word means woman, women, female or females. The first kanji is often written outside of baths that are reserved for women.   
• Kaburiyu - かぶり湯: Kaburi means top or head. Yu means hot water or hot bath. Basically, kaburiyu is poring ladles of thermally heated mineral water on the head. It is a tradtion of an onsen named Shika Onsen. This onsen that is over 1,000 years old is exceptional.

• Kakeyu - かけ湯: At the front of some entrances to baths, there is a container with warm water. This water is used to rinse the body before entering the bath and also after bathing. A few onsens might have rose petals or citrus fruits floating in the kakeyu.

• Karan - カラン: This word translates as faucet or spigot.

• Kashikiriburo - 貸切風呂: Couples, families, or friends who want to bathe together can rent a private bath for a limited time period. Other people cannot enter the bath. Kashikiriburos are becoming more and more popular.

• Kazokuburo –家族風呂: This is basically the same as kashikiriburo above, but there is more of a feeling of family members bathing together.

• Konyokuburo - 混浴風呂: These are baths where males and females bathe together. Unlike Kashikiriburo, anyone can enter, so you may end up bathing with strangers of the opposite sex. Konyokuburo have become scarce across Japan due to changes in social morality.

• Kyuukeijo - 休憩所: A room for resting or waiting for friends after bathing. Some kyuukeijo are also called kyukeishitsu.  Some have TVs, free tea, and vending machines. Many Japanese fall asleep in these rooms.

• Minshuku - 民宿: These Japanese inns are cheaper that ryokans and are usually much simpler.

• Mizuburo 水風呂: This a bath filled with cold water. It is usually, but not always, located close to saunas. Apparently heating up, cooling down, and heating up again has various health benefits.

• Mushiburo - 蒸し風呂: This is a traditional steam room. People lie on the ground and enjoy being heated by steam. Some mushiburo are herbal.

• Natoriumusen - ナトリウム泉: A type of onsen with sodium chloride in the water.

• Notenburo - 野天風呂: This is an outdoor bath that might be in the middle of a field. There might not be any buildings. The atmosphere is sometimes more natural, or less refined, than the atmosphere of a rotenburo.

• Nurui – ぬるい：When the water temperature is not hot enough, we say nurui.

• Okami-san - おかみさん :  The female owner or owner's wife of a ryokan. She acts as the face of the ryokan.

• Onna - 女: This simple word and kanji means woman. It is often on the curtain outside of the women’s bath.

• Onsen - 温泉: This word has many meanings. It could refer to a specific bath, a hotel or ryokan with baths, or an area with many baths.

• Onsen Tamago - 温泉卵、or 温泉たまご: Eggs are cooked in the hot water or the steam. The flavor will vary depending upon the mineral elements.

• Onsenryouhou - 温泉療法: Medical care that uses the hot water and steam of onsens. See Toji 湯治 below.

• Otoko - 男: his simple word and kanji means man. It is often on the curtain outside of the men’s bath.

• Rinsu - リンス: A Japanese-English word that means hair rinse.

• Rotenburo - 露天風呂: A bath that is usually exposed to the outside elements.  Some have roofs, others do not. They usually have panoramic vistas or views of gardens.

• Ryokan - 旅館:These are more expensive Japanese-style inns than minshuku, and ryokans often have fancier baths. Although two meals are usually included per person in the price, some ryokans have various plans and prices. Many ryokan allow day visitors to use  the baths for limited periods of time at reasonable rates.

• Sakeburo - 酒風呂: A sakeburo is a very unusual onsen. Sake is mixed in with the mineral water.

• Samui - 寒い: This word refers to cold weather or air temperatures.

• Sekken - 石鹸、or せっけん: The translation is soap.

• Senmenki - 洗面器: Many hot springs have small buckets that are used for washing and rinsing the body. These are senmenki.

• Senshitsu - 泉質: Hot spring water quality. If I like an onsen, I might say, “Senshitsu ga takai.”

• Sento - 銭湯: A sento is a public bath house. The water is heated with a boiler, and the water lacks specific minerals that are necessary for the facility to be classified as an onsen.

• Shanpuu - シャンプー :This is the Japanese pronunciation of shampoo.

• Shiosauna 塩サウナ: This is a very unusual sauna. A large bucket of salt is in the middle. Guests vigorously rub the salt on their skin. Any cuts or scrapes will sting, but afterwards, one’s skin feels amazingly clean, soft, and smooth.

• Super Sento スーパー銭湯: Super sentos are becoming more popular in large cities. They are huge bath houses. They often have an extensive variety of baths, restaurants, massage rooms, and other amusement facilities.

• Sunayu - 砂湯: The literal translation is sand bath. Bathers are partially buried in sand. Hot steam flows through the sand and heats their bodies more slowly than immersion into a hot water bath does.  

• Surippa - スリッパ: The Japanese spelling and pronunciation for the English word slipper. Guests customarily wear slippers in ryokan and minshuku buildings, but in most modern hotels, guests are expected to wear slippers only in their rooms.

• Taoru - タオル: The Japanese spelling and pronunciation for the English word towel.

• Tearai - お手洗い: Literally, the word means washing hands, but the meaning is toilet, bathroom, washroom, WC, lavatory, or loo.

• Toire - トイレ: The Japanese spelling and pronunciation for the English word toilet.

• Toji – 湯治: Healing with hot spring water. A person might spend many days, possibly months, at a hot spring with the intention of healing. A person doing toji is usually under the direction of a medical expert. Bathing, resting, medicine, and nutrition are all considered to be important.

• Tsumetai - 冷たい: This word is used to discuss cold water temperatures.

• Uchiyu - 内湯: An indoor bath

• Utaseyu - 打たせ湯: Hot water pours in a strong stream from above. It falls onto the shoulders, neck, or other sore parts of the body. It is a hot water massage.

• Yu - 湯、ゆ: This basic word means hot water or bathwater.

• Yukata - 浴衣、ゆかた: A traditional robe which is usually made of light cotton. It usually is worn when going to the bath. Many hotels or ryokans provide these in the rooms for guests.

• Yumeguri - 湯めぐり: Some onsen resort areas provide special passes that allow guests to enter various hot springs. For example, for one thousand yen, a guest has the right to enter three participating springs within the town.

• Yunohana - 湯の花、ゆのはな: Thick mineral elements that are naturally in hot springs are called yunohana or flowers of the hot water.  The minerals often have medicinal benefits. Some people buy the collected minerals and put them in their baths at home. English speakers might call these bath salts.