Iizaka Onsen — photo: 皓月旗 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
The 3 best onsen in Fukushima
If you want one onsen in Fukushima Prefecture, the three to look at are Iizaka, Bandai Atami and Dake. Of the 67 onsen in Fukushima in our data, they are the three best known, and our travel data marks all three as reachable without a car. All three hang off the Tohoku Shinkansen, which makes them the easiest part of Tohoku to reach from Tokyo: an old town at the end of a commuter line out of Fukushima city, a riverside resort a short train ride from Koriyama, and a mountain town on the slopes of Mount Adatara above Nihonmatsu.
Why these three, in one paragraph
We did not pick by taste. We took every onsen in our data in Fukushima Prefecture, kept the ones our travel data says you can reach by train and a local bus or a short walk, and ranked them by how often each place's Wikipedia article is read, as a measure of how established a place is. The three most-read in the whole prefecture all pass the no-car test, so the test did not change the order. The full method, with numbers, is at the end.
Fukushima in numbers
Fukushima is the southernmost prefecture of Tohoku and the third-largest in Japan by area. Of its 67 onsen in our data, 50 have a source temperature on record, and 31 of those reach 42 °C, hot enough to go into the bath without heating. The prefecture falls into three strips from east to west: the Pacific coast around Iwaki, the inland valley that the Shinkansen runs up through Kōriyama and Fukushima, and the mountains of Aizu in the west. All three picks are in the middle strip, which is why they are easy to reach.
The Tohoku Shinkansen stops at 郡山 (Kōriyama) and 福島 (Fukushima). From Tokyo our travel data puts both picks near those stations at about 2 hours, and the JR Pass covers the Shinkansen. The last leg is where they differ, so read the "Getting there" lines below.
1. Iizaka: the old town at the end of the line
Why it made it. Iizaka Onsen is the most-read onsen in Fukushima, at 1,550 in our count, about half again as many as the next one.
The town. Iizaka is a real onsen town, in the northern edge of Fukushima city, along the Surikami River. It is an old one, with narrow streets and a few small public bathhouses run for locals that visitors can use for a small fee; 鯖湖湯 (Sabako-yu), a rebuilt wooden bathhouse, is the best known. Jōsen-ji temple is 0.3 km from the centre, Nishine Shrine 0.5 km and Iō-ji temple 1.7 km. Anabara, 1.8 km upstream, is a quieter extension of the same valley.
The water. Our records list Iizaka as a simple spring, low in minerals. We have no temperature on record for Iizaka itself; Anabara next door is recorded at 60 °C and pH 8.4, weakly alkaline. The public bathhouses are known for being hot, so test the water before you get in and do not be shy about getting out.
Getting there. From Fukushima Station, take the 飯坂線 (Iizaka Line) of Fukushima Kōtsū to 飯坂温泉 (Iizaka-Onsen Station), the end of the line. Listings give about 20 minutes. The inns are a short walk from the station. The Iizaka Line is a private railway, so the JR Pass covers you only as far as Fukushima.
Good for: a walkable old town, public bathhouses, an easy night off the Shinkansen. Watch out for: it is a lived-in town on the edge of a city, not a polished resort street. Small public bathhouses like these usually expect you to bring your own towel and soap.
2. Bandai Atami: the riverside resort near Kōriyama
Why it made it. Bandai Atami Onsen is second at 1,012, and the only one of the three where the train you arrive on is JR all the way.
The town. Bandai Atami is Kōriyama's own onsen resort, in a valley on the road west toward Aizu and Lake Inawashiro. It is a resort of hotels and inns along the Gohyaku River, not an old street. The Japan Kimono Culture Museum is 0.6 km away and Chōshi Falls 11 km. Dake, the third pick, is 15.9 km north-east over the hills, but they are on different lines.
The water. Recorded at 53 °C and listed as simple and sulfur: hot from the ground, so it is cooled rather than heated. The sulfur listing means you may notice the smell; take off silver jewellery.
Getting there. From Kōriyama Station take the JR Ban'etsu West Line toward Aizu-Wakamatsu to 磐梯熱海 (Bandai-Atami Station). Listings give 13 to 20 minutes depending on the train. Some inns are a short walk from the station and others a few minutes by taxi, so check yours. Trains on this line are not frequent; look at the timetable before you leave Kōriyama.
Good for: a JR-Pass-only trip, a stop on the way to Aizu-Wakamatsu, hot water without a bus. Watch out for: it is a hotel resort, so there is less to walk round than in Iizaka.
3. Dake: acidic water on Mount Adatara
Why it made it. Dake Onsen is third at 891, ahead of the next place, Higashiyama, at 676.
The town. Dake is a small mountain resort on the eastern slope of Mount Adatara, above the castle town of Nihonmatsu. Its main street climbs the hill, and it is the usual base for walking on Adatara. Adatara's ski area is 3.4 km away and Nihonmatsu Castle 6.4 km. Kurogane, a mountain hut spring 6.2 km up the slope, and Tsuchiyu, 8.3 km to the north, are its nearest neighbours.
The water. Recorded at 68 °C and listed as an acidic spring, the only acidic one of the three. The inns describe the water as piped down the mountain from a source higher on Adatara, which is why the town can sit on a road and still have hot water. Kurogane, up the same slope, is recorded at 66.7 °C and pH 2.6. Acidic water stings on cuts and shaving nicks, so keep it away from your eyes and rinse with plain water afterwards.
Getting there. From Kōriyama or Fukushima, take a JR Tōhoku Line local train to 二本松 (Nihonmatsu Station), then a Fukushima Kōtsū bus up to the town. Listings give 25 to 40 minutes for the bus, so check the current timetable. Our travel data puts Dake at about 3 hours from Tokyo. The JR Pass covers the train to Nihonmatsu but not the bus.
Good for: the most "mountain" of the three, acidic water, autumn colours and walking on Adatara. Watch out for: the bus is the only way up without a car, and it does not run late.
Which of the three?
- Only one night, coming up the Shinkansen: Iizaka, 20 minutes from Fukushima Station.
- Using only the JR Pass, or heading on to Aizu: Bandai Atami, on the Ban'etsu West Line.
- Mountains, walking, or strong water: Dake. Plan around the bus.
- Two in one trip: Iizaka and Dake are both on the Fukushima side; Bandai Atami fits a trip that goes on to Aizu-Wakamatsu.
The places that only just missed
Higashiyama (676) would have been fourth. It is the onsen of Aizu-Wakamatsu, about 15 minutes by bus from the station, with 23 inns on our record and a source at 45 to 58 °C flowing at about 1,500 litres a minute. If you are going to Aizu for the castle and the old town, sleep here.
Iwaki Yumoto (664) is on the Pacific side, 5 to 10 minutes on foot from Yumoto Station on the JR Jōban Line, with about 5,000 litres a minute on record and three water types: chloride, sulfate and sulfur. It is the one to pick if you are travelling up the coast from Mito.
Takayu (656) is a milky sulfur town with 10 inns, about 40 minutes by bus from Fukushima Station up the mountain road. It missed third place by a small margin and is the closest thing to Dake on the Fukushima side. Our guide to Tohoku has a little more on Takayu and on Nakanosawa, the strongly acidic spring in the Bandai area.
How we picked these three
- Starting pool: all 67 onsen in our data in Fukushima Prefecture, out of 1,538 in Japan.
- No car needed: we kept the places our travel data marks as reached by train and a local bus or a short walk. Thirteen Fukushima places appear on our onsen without a car list: Iizaka, Bandai Atami, Dake, Higashiyama, Iwaki Yumoto, Takayu, Bobata, Tsuchiyu, Ashinomaki, Nitchū, Nekodaki, Nakanosawa and Futamata.
- Known: we ranked them by how often each place's Wikipedia article is read. Iizaka 1,550, Bandai Atami 1,012, Dake 891, then Higashiyama 676, Iwaki Yumoto 664 and Takayu 656. The top three in the whole prefecture all passed the no-car test.
- Not used: views, inn quality, price, tattoo policy, food or private baths. We have no data that ranks those fairly, so we did not pretend to.
- About the water: 50 of the 67 have a temperature on record and 31 reach 42 °C. Dake (68 °C) and Bandai Atami (53 °C) are among them; Iizaka has no temperature on record. The water did not decide the ranking.
- Travel times are rough estimates from our data and from listings, not a timetable. Check the current route before you go.
For every onsen you can reach by public transport, see onsen you can reach without a car and onsen on the JR Pass. For the rest of the region, see onsen in Tohoku and the three best onsen towns near Sendai. Other prefecture picks: Aomori, Gunma, Chiba, Nara and Okayama. New to this? Start with how an onsen stay actually works and onsen etiquette. Tattooed? Read going to an onsen with tattoos before you book.