Photo: Soica2001 (talk) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Sankō Onsen

Hokkaido · 三香温泉

Sankō Onsen is a hot spring town in Hokkaido, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 52.2°C, hot. It measures pH 8.4 — mildly alkaline, the slippery kind. Officially the water is classed as simple spring and sulfur spring. Its sources put out around 160 litres a minute. 1 inns take visitors here.

Getting there

From Sapporoabout 5½ h

CarNot needed

JR PassCovers the train

Train to Mashū Station (JR)
Local bus

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

Simple springSulfur spring

The water here

Simple spring 単純温泉

Mild and low in dissolved minerals. Usually clear and gentle on the skin, which is why these baths are often recommended for first-timers.

Sulfur spring 硫黄泉

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

More photographs

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

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