Photo: Kentaro Ohno from Tokyo, Japan · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Shima Onsen

Gunma · 四万温泉

Shima Onsen is a hot spring town in Gunma, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 43–82°C, hot enough that it has to be cooled before anyone can get in. It measures pH 7.7 — mildly alkaline, the slippery kind. Officially the water is classed as chloride spring and sulfate spring. Its sources put out around 3,500 litres a minute.

Getting there

From Tokyoabout 3 h

CarNot needed

JR PassCovers the train

Train to Nakanojō Station (JR)
Local bus, about 40 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 springSulfate 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.

Sulfate spring 硫酸塩泉

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

More photographs

From Wikimedia Commons. Tap a photo for the photographer and licence.

Things to see nearby

Naeba Ski ResortSki area · 11.7 km

Iwabitsu CastleCastle · 14.4 km

Agatsuma GorgeGorge · 14.6 km

Mount ShirasunaMountain · 9.3 km

Norn Minakami Ski ResortSki area · 15.4 km

Places from Wikidata, photographs from Wikimedia Commons. Distances are in a straight line from the town.

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 — Nakanojo Town Inns with a private bath — Nakanojo Town