Travel Via Tobu Railway to Some of Japan's Finest Hot Spring Resorts

[Marian Goldberg]

Travel just two hours northwest of Tokyo to reach Takaragawa Onsen, one of the world's top 10 hot spring resorts, as well as the gorgeous and therapeutic natural mineral spas of Nikko and Kinugawa Onsen. Each is is surrounded by breathtaking natural scenery, with a plethora of opportunities for outdoor hot spring bathing, a popular and indulgent winter activity in Japan.

Takaragawa Onsen

Takaragawa Onsen, in Minakamimachi, Gunma Prefecture, is Japan's only entry on Reuters' list of the World's Top 10 Hot Spring Resorts. Takaragawa Onsen Osenkaku, a hot spring inn in the Takaragawa Onsen area, can be reached from Tokyo in about two hours using the Shinkansen and shuttle bus, which should be reserved in advance. Visitors can use the unisex outdoor bath, which accommodates up to 200 people or the ladies-only soaking tub.  (Female guests are provided with bathing wear, so that they can enjoy the mixed bathing without concern.)  From both bathing vantage points, the shimmering white, snow-covered mountains, encircled by a tributary of the Takaragawa River, can be taken in and admired. 

Nearby is Tanigawadake or Mount Tanigawa, one of Japan's 100 most famous mountains.  Another Tobu Group company, the Tanigawadake Ropeway (http://www.tobujapantrip.com/en/tourism/recommend/15.html), an aerial tramway, similar to a ski-lift, provides a thrilling journey and easy access to panoramic views. 

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n winter, skiers and snowboarders can take advantage of a long ski season – December to May at Tanigawadake's Tenjindaira Ski Resort.  Kan-etsu Transportation buses, also a Tobu Group company, link the areas of Jomo-Kogen station on the Joetsu Shinkansen Line, Minakami station on the JR Joetsu Line and the center of Minakami Onsen. The Minakami Area Pass, sold by Kan-etsu Transportation, is a convenient and cost-saving option for travel between stations and attractions in the Minakami Area.  

Nikko and Chuzenji Onsen

Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture is famous for its UNESCO World Heritage Sites and its abundant nature, especially in Nikko National Park. It is just less than a two-hour comfortable limited express train journey from Tokyo's Tobu Asakusa Station.  In addition to temples and shrines, Nikko's photogenic attractions include the Kanmangafuchi Abyss.

a valley famous for its 70 stone Buddhist statues. 

A popular Nikko area café – set in a traditional machiya (merchant) style house -- is Goyoteidori Nikko Coffee, just a seven-minute ride on the Tobu Bus bound for Lake Chuzenji from Nikko Station.

It's a nice rest-stop while traveling to the Chuzenji Kanaya Hotel. This Tobu Group member hotel, is a log-house style building.

Set within the forested national park, on the banks of Chuzenjiko, the hotel is renowned for its soraburo – outdoor spa, which allows guests to immerse themselves in the "romance of the four seasons" and succumb to the magic, beauty, and quietude of the star-lit night sky. 

Kinugawa Onsen

Just over 15 km kilometers north of Nikko – about 40 minutes on Tobu Railway (including a train switch at Shimoimaichi to transfer to the Kinugawa line) – is Kinugawa Onsen, one of the finest hot spring resorts in the Japan's Kanto Region in a location replete with history. The area is home to the 130-year-old Asaya Hotel. 

Here all guest rooms include a private hot spring bath – some even open-air, so guests can enjoy private bathing. A large outdoor bath, billed as being "in the sky," offers a superior quality bathing experience, with gorgeous views of the mountains by day and star-lit skies at night. Kinugawa is also home to Edo Wonderland, the Nikko Edomura theme park, which recreates life from Japan's samurai days.

Edo Wonderland is the endpoint for Taiju, a new, historic-style steam locomotive, that runs to Kinugawa from Tokyo, mainly on the weekends. 

About Tobu Railway Co. LTD

TOBU Railway Group is a major Japanese corporate conglomerate consisting of approximately 90 companies. Tobu Railway covers the longest operating distance in the Kanto area, leading to numerous tourist attractions, including: Asakusa and TOKYO SKYTREE TOWN in Tokyo; Nikko and Kinugawa Onsen, famous as world heritage sites and natural hot springs; the Tatebayashi and Ashikaga areas, known for their blooming flower fields; and historic Kawagoe, where the atmosphere of the Edo era lives on.