Photo: 獰猛スイマー1000 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Renge Onsen

Niigata · 蓮華温泉

Renge Onsen is a hot spring town in Niigata, Japan. Officially the water is classed as sulfate spring, acidic spring and sulfur spring. 1 inns take visitors here with room for about 250 guests.

Getting there

From Tokyoabout 4 h

CarNot needed

JR PassCovers the train

Train to Hiraiwa Station (JR)
Local bus, about 60 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.

Sulfate springAcidic springSulfur spring

The water here

Sulfate spring 硫酸塩泉

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

Acidic spring 酸性泉

Strongly acidic, sometimes below pH 2. It stings on cuts and is not for long soaks.

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.

Things to see nearby

Hakuba Happoone Winter ResortSki area · 12.5 km

Mount ShiroumaMountain · 6.8 km

Hakuba Cortina Snow ResortSki area · 8.6 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.

Inns with a private bath — Niigata