Photo: Miyuki Meinaka · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Kōtoku Onsen

Tochigi · 光徳温泉

Kōtoku Onsen is a hot spring town in Tochigi, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 77.7°C, hot. It measures pH 6.4 — close to neutral. Officially the water is classed as chloride spring, bicarbonate spring, sulfate spring and sulfur spring. 1 inns take visitors here.

Getting there

From Tokyoabout 3 h

CarNot needed

JR PassMost of the way

Train to Nikkō Station (JR)
Change for Tōbu Nikkō Station — a private line, not covered by the JR Pass
Local bus, about 70 min

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

Chloride springBicarbonate springSulfate springSulfur 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.

Bicarbonate spring 炭酸水素塩泉

Smooth, slightly slippery water. Often nicknamed bihada-no-yu, the water for beautiful skin.

Sulfate spring 硫酸塩泉

Clear water with a faintly bitter taste. Known for holding heat.

Sulfur spring 硫黄泉

The classic rotten-egg smell and milky white water. It can tarnish silver jewellery, so take it off.

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 — Nikko City Inns with a private bath — Nikko City