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Monbetsu Onsen

Hokkaido · 門別温泉

Monbetsu Onsen is a hot spring town in Hokkaido, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 32.2°C, cool enough that the baths here are usually reheated. It measures pH 8.8 — mildly alkaline, the slippery kind. Officially the water is classed as chloride spring. Its sources put out around 480 litres a minute.

Getting there

From Sapporoabout 2 h

CarTaxi from the station

JR PassNot a JR line

Train to Tomikawa Station
By car or taxi, about 5 min

Fly into New Chitose. Times are rough estimates worked out from station locations, not a timetable — check the exact route on Google Maps.

Chloride spring

The water here

Chloride spring 塩化物泉

Salty water. The salt leaves a thin film on the skin, so you stay warm well after leaving the bath.

With tattoos

Many public baths still turn away visible tattoos, and the rule is set by each bath, not by the town. The reliable way round it is to bathe privately: a room with its own open-air bath, or an inn with a private bath you can book for yourselves.

Rooms with an open-air bath — Hokkaido Inns with a private bath — Hokkaido