23 different types of accommodation
This is a precious place where you can witness hot springs in the bubbling source spring area. It takes 70 min. by bus from Nikko Station. Once you enter Oku-Nikko and leave the lake and forest, there is a calm and relaxing onsen town. With 23 types of accommodation, there are riverside hotels, Japanese-style inns, pensions, B&Bs and other various types of lodgings. A lot of facilities are also available where you can do a day trip and take a bath. A special feature of the onsen is the richness of the sulfur. The rich sulfur that is 4th in Japan gets into your pores and blood vessels so that circulation improves and is effective for 20 conditions including skin diseases and sensitivity to cold. First, try out the Yumoto Onsen area. From the Onsen Temple deep within the onsen town, it takes 3 minutes on foot on the wooden path at Yu-no-Daira Marsh. All around you, the steam rises along with the smell of sulfur and you begin to see several small shacks. In the shacks, the source spring is bubbling away and because of the danger, you cannot see inside. Around you are white hazy puddles. They are warm to the touch. Not only Yumoto Onsen, but Kotoku Onsen and Chuzenji Onsen are supplied with hot water from the source spring. There is also a free foot bath that has opened nearby the source spring area. It’s a long building and 40 people can use it at the same time. Since it has a roof, you can use it even on rainy days. Giving the foot bath a try is great. After a walk, it’s ideal to take away the fatigue. Don’t forget a towel. The facility is closed during winter (December-March).
A temple with an onsen
There is a branch temple to the World Heritage Site Mt. Nikko Rinno-ji Temple with an onsen called Mt. Nikko Onsen-ji. It was once called Yakushi-do and has the Buddha of Healing placed there with the benefit of “health promotion and life extension”. You cannot stay the night there, but you can take a bath. There are baths for both men and women which are big enough for up to 4 people.