The popular onsen area that regularly ranks highly in Japan
Noboribetsu Onsen which is located close to Hokkaido Prefecture’s Noboribetsu City, is a highly popular onsen town that has gathered many fans in the nation. An area that has had a long history ranging from the Edo Era, it has garnered overwhelming fame and popularity even within the prefecture since its first onsen inn was established in the Meiji Era. Along with the fact that it has great access from Hokkaido’s urban centers, it is an onsen area with fine quality waters where you can get a taste of the prefecture’s grand Mother Nature. The sulfur springs and the hydrogen sulfide springs with their distinctive smells are said to be effective for softening and beautifying skin. Also with the ability to help visitors recover from exhaustion, you can fully savor 9 different waters which represent the largest variety in the prefecture. At accommodations suffused with that feeling of a luxurious resort such as the Dai-Ichi Takimotokan with its grand bath of nearly 5000 square meters and the Hotel Mahoroba with Japan’s largest open-air bath and 31 other baths, you can experience with body and soul how wonderful the onsen of Japan are. It’s also great to sample the special seafood and meat of Hokkaido. But of course, it’s recommended to fully enjoy the waters that Noboribetsu Onsen is proud of through a tour of the 14 day-trip onsen. Throughout the year, the Demon’s Fire Trail and the Valley of Magic and Mystery which are lit up from Noboribetsu Onsen to Jigokudani (Hell Valley) reflect the rising steam and bathe the onsen town at night in a lovely light to create a wondrous mood.
An onsen town filled with events
The many events that are held at Noboribetsu Onsen must be seen as well. The Noboribetsu Hot Spring Festival held every February has the impressive sight of young men in loincloths casting hot water on each other in the Hot Spring Fight and the Demons’ Exorcism. It is a festival unique to Noboribetsu Onsen where the steam rises up in the cold air and prayers are made to the waters in thanks and for prosperity and good health. As well, there are plenty of other events including the New Year’s rice cake making on January 1st, the Demons’ Fireworks in Jigokudani, the Bon Odori and the Snow Festival.