Photo: Yobito KAYANUMA · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Takanosu Onsen

Niigata · 鷹ノ巣温泉

Takanosu Onsen is a hot spring town in Niigata, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 54°C, hot. Officially the water is classed as chloride spring, sulfate spring and sulfur spring.

Getting there

From Tokyoabout 4 h

CarNot needed

JR PassCovers the train

Train to Echigo-Shimoseki Station (JR)
Local bus, about 15 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 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.

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.

Things to see nearby

Murakami CastleCastle · 19.4 km

Mount EburisashiMountain · 14.2 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