Japan’s 14 Best Onsen Ryokan & Hotels for Staying Cool during Hot Summers

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Do you miss the cool breeze from the plateau when working in the hot city? Many of Japan's summer resorts are famous onsen resorts, and in the summer you can enjoy the pleasure of bathing in a hot onsen while feeling the pleasant breeze. In addition, onsen located in highlands are often closed in winter due to snow, making them easier to access in summer. One big advantage is that you don't have to choose where to go to onsen in the summer.

Just being in the refreshing highlands will boost your appetite♪The effect of onsen will restore your energy to your stomach and intestines, which were a little tired from the summer heat. Let's enjoy the delicious local gourmet food of onsen area and blow off the summer fatigue. This time, we will introduce 10 onsen resorts with superb views that you should definitely visit in the summer, along with recommended accommodations. Get away from your busy life and feel like you're in heaven in a cool highland onsen spring.

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Kurikoma Sanso is onsen located at the foot of Mt. Kurikoma, which straddles Akita, Miyagi, and Iwate. At an altitude of about 1,100m, it is cool in summer, and is a rare hot spring in Japan. Take in the spectacular view from the panoramic open-air bath overlooking the green summer mountains.

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It is also a nice point that you can see the superb view while staying in the room. Because it is located on a plateau at an altitude of 1100m, you can see mountains and rural scenery below. The rooms have large windows and are very open.

Kurikoma has been selected as one of Japan's 200 famous mountains, and is a mecca for mountain girls with nine trails. The inn is located at the entrance of the trailhead, so beginners to advanced hikers can easily take on the challenge of hiking. Spring to summer is the best season for beautiful alpine plants such as Hinazakura, Iwakagami, and Tateyama Gentian.

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"Aizu Yunokami onsen Hotel Oshima" is a cozy hot spring inn with a total of 7 rooms in Yunokami onsen, which is called Aizu's secret hot spring. This is a location surrounded by green mountains that is perfect for escaping the summer heat. The open-air bath where you can enjoy the view of the valley can be reserved for private use (free for 50 minutes, apply at check-in). The weakly alkaline simple hot spring has a smooth spring quality that clings to your skin, and you can expect it to beautify your skin.

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For dinner, enjoy country cuisine made with plenty of local seasonal ingredients. Satisfy your mind and body by savoring the unique tastes of Aizu, such as grilled Aizu pork on a ceramic plate, salt-grilled sweetfish, kokanee sashimi, and dishes using summer vegetables and mushrooms. You can also order Aizu's local cuisine "Sakura sashimi (horse meat)" and "Local sake drinker comparison set" where you can try small amounts of 3 types of sake.

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About a 2-minute walk from the inn, Yunokami onsen Station is a popular station with an unusual shape and a thatched roof. It is an image of onsen, a village of gassho-zukuri houses, and is a perfect spot for Instagram.

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Oku-Hotel Shikisai is a resort hotel located at an altitude of about 1,500 meters in Chuzenji Onsen, Oku-onsen, which has long been popular as a summer resort. The milky white water of the "sulfate/hydrogen carbonate spring (hydrogen sulfide spring)" is said to have the effect of removing old keratin from the surface of the skin and making the skin smooth. It is also called ``hot spring for beautiful skin'' and ``hot spring for coolness,'' because you can feel refreshed after bathing. You can soothe your skin damaged by the summer in the city by soaking in the hot water surrounded by beautiful art-like nature.

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Choose from a variety of Western-style and Japanese-style rooms. When you open the window, you can hear the chirping of birds and the rustling of trees along with the refreshing breeze of Oku-Nikko. If you choose a room with an open-air bath or a bath with a view, you can enjoy your bath time to your heart's content while gazing at the great outdoors.

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Dinner is a Kaiseki meal. Each dish is carefully made using seasonal, naturally rich local ingredients, such as Nikko's famous Yuba and Kirifuri Kogen Beef, and Koshihikari rice from Tochigi. It's a local dish. As you take a breather in onsen which are rich in medicinal properties, your mind and body will be infused with the local flavor.

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"Hakone Lake Ashinoko Hanawori" is onsen surrounded by the mountains of Hakone, located in the Lake Ashi area at an altitude of 723m. The low water temperature of Lake Ashinoko is carried by the wind, so you can stay cool even in summer. The spring quality is a "sulfate/bicarbonate spring" and is said to be effective against coldness, making it perfect for women who find it difficult to cool off in the summer. Let's refresh yourself in a spacious bath with an outstanding sense of openness.

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The open-air basin terrace is the pride of the inn. If you sit on the circular sofa, you'll feel like you're floating on Lake Ashi. There is also a spot in the facility where you can enjoy a footbath while looking out at Lake Ashi.

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Some of the guest rooms have an open-air bath on the mountain-side terrace, so you can take a bath as if you were bathing in the forest. The guest rooms have wooden floors, so you can take off your shoes and relax, and the beds are original to the inn. You will sleep soundly at night.

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Dinner is at the dining room "Tokishikari" overlooking Lake Ashinoko. Japanese, French, and pastry chefs gather to carefully select seasonal ingredients and enjoy a dinner buffet that expresses the sense of the seasons according to the twenty-four solar terms. If you take the colorful dishes served in small bowls one by one in a small basket, you can create your own special feast.

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Kumanoyu Onsen Kumanoyu Hotel is located in Shiga onsen in northern Nagano. The jade-colored hot water, which is said to be rare even in Japan, is a ``sulfur-containing calcium/sodium-bicarbonate/sulfate onsen.'' You can enjoy the slightly alkaline onsen, which contain all the qualities of hot springs considered to be beautiful hot springs, flowing directly from the source.

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Choose from a Japanese-style room, a Japanese-Western style room, or a Western-style room according to the number of people and your preferences. The hotel is located at an altitude of about 1,700m, surrounded by Joshinetsu Kogen National Park, and if you open the windows of your room, the refreshing breeze of nature will gently wrap your body after the onsen spring.

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For dinner, enjoy Shinshu's tastes and seasonal dishes using seasonal ingredients. Satisfy your body and soul by savoring the mountain delicacies of Nagano, such as seasonal vegetable tempura and sukiyaki made with local brand beef "Shinshu Beef". There is also a plan that allows you to upgrade your cooking, a hearty "meat meat plan", and a plan that includes a sake tasting set that allows you to taste and compare three types of local sake, so please choose according to your taste.

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“Unazuki onsen Enraku” is ryokan in Unazuki Onsen with a view of the Kurobe Gorge onsen A colorless and transparent weakly alkaline simple hot spring, it has long been popular among women as a “hot spring for beautiful skin”. The green of the mountains reflected in the transparent water seems to soak into your skin, and the sound of the clear stream makes your body and soul beautiful like a onsen.

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All of the pure Japanese-style rooms face the canyon, so the green of the mountain is particularly vivid. You can enjoy the luxury of looking at the greenery of the mountains while lying on the tatami mats. Rooms with open-air baths are also recommended for those who want to stay comfortably. meal are basically served in the comfort of your room, and if you are a group of four or more, you can choose a private meal room.

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Another attraction of the inn is that you can enjoy fresh seafood from Toyama Himi. All of them are cooked as "Kitokito *", and it seems that you will feel energized from the inside.

*Kitoki and... Meaning of "fresh" in the Toyama dialect

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The inn is conveniently located about a 5-minute walk from the popular Kurobe Valley Railway. You can enjoy the Kurobe Gorge to your heart's content by enjoying the exhilaration of running through the trees on a windowless trolley train and feeling the cool air of the highlands on an early morning stroll.

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“Kakurean Hidaji” is a onsen ryokan in the mountainous Okuhida onsen. The simple hot spring gushes out with an abundant amount of hot water, and the hot water overflows from the bathtub. Of course, it is free-flowing hot water from the source. Each guest room has an open-air bath, so you can enjoy the summer breeze at an altitude of about 1000m while gazing at the garden and mountains.

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There are 12 guest rooms in all. A 10-tatami mat Japanese-style room with a 4.5-tatami hori-kotatsu, an open-air bath and a cypress indoor bath. It is a hidden onsen that is known only to those in the know, and is perfect as a summer resort. If you spend a leisurely time enjoying the extraordinary, a cool breeze blows through from somewhere.

If you want to cool off even further, we recommend Hirayu Otaki, which is about a 15-minute drive away. With a drop of 64m and a width of 6m, Hirayu Otaki is one of Hida's three most famous waterfalls and has been selected as one of the top 100 waterfalls in Japan. Surrounded by the greenery of the mountains in summer, the atmosphere of Otaki is exceptional.

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"Menard Aoyama Resort" is onsen located in the Aoyama Plateau at an altitude of about 600m, which is also called "Karuizawa of Kansai". The Kiryu onsen, which gushes out from within the premises, is a self-sourced alkaline simple hot spring. The thick hot water is popular as a beauty hot spring. You can take a bath from 5:00 in the morning, so enjoy onsen while enjoying the early morning plateau.

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The site of the inn is about 1,000,000 tsubo. Since it is a large resort with 4 accommodation facilities, you can choose the room as you like. We recommend “Wafukan Utatsukasa”. Since the private source is drawn into the room, you can always put it in the hot water for beautiful skin.

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Here you can receive Menard products and full-fledged esthetics as well as amenities in the guest room. Would you like to go home with your whole body sparkling with oil treatment along the flow of blood and lymph and treatment using mineral salt?

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"Blue Ridge Hotel" is a resort hotel located on the Kannabe Plateau, halfway up Mt. Kannabe, which has an altitude of 469m. The alkaline simple onsen with a pH value of 8.95 is a beauty hot spring that makes your skin smooth after bathing. Relax and stretch your arms and legs while enjoying nature in an open-air bath that makes you feel as if you are in the forest.

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The location makes you feel as if you are immersed in the forest. Depending on the guest room, you can see the magnificent view of Mt. Kannabe, or the scenery of the hotel's garden and forest, and the heat will disappear.

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There is a grassy hill called "healing garden" on the premises, and if you go up the lush green slope, you can enjoy the forest walking path, and in early summer you can also enjoy the hydrangea field. It would be nice to have a leisurely read in a hammock while watching people enjoy playing catchball, frisbee, etc. in the dog run space.

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“Fudoguchikan” is onsen located on Mt. Inunaki, which is said to be a sacred mountain. The hot spring is a simple sulfur cold mineral onsen, and is said to be effective in relieving fatigue and chronic gynecological diseases. From the open-air bath right next to the mountain stream Inunaki River, you can see a deep primeval forest. This area is a solemn place where ascetics gather from all over the country. It is also a popular onsen area as a power spot.

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There are only 11 guest rooms, but there are also rooms with open-air baths. A location full of the atmosphere of a secluded hot spring surrounded by deep forest. You can choose either a room facing the mountain stream or a room facing the mountain, so choose the one you like.

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meal are traditional Japanese kaiseki cuisine that mainly uses local ingredients. In the summer, we recommend the “Hamo Kaiseki” plan, which uses conger eels that are caught nearby. You can enjoy the umami of hamo in a variety of cooking methods, such as tempura, where you can enjoy the crunchy texture of the hamo, and ``simmered hamo,'' where the fleshy hamo is quickly dipped in hot water and tightened with ice water, and ``sukiyaki. Masu. In addition, there is also a hot pot plan using the local brand pork "Inunaki Pork".

"Shippo Ryuji" on Mt. Inunaki is a temple in the forest. Inside, there is a “Gyoja no Taki” waterfall, which is very popular as a place where you can feel the power. Why don't you walk in the deep forest and visit the waterfall? You will feel like you are surrounded by mountains.

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`` Hotel Iya Onsen Iya Onsen'' is onsen located in ``Iya Valley'', which is said to be an unexplored region in Tokushima. It has a rich amount of alkaline simple sulfur hot onsen that gushes out of its own water, and the smooth texture of the hot water is highly rated by girls for its beautifying effects and spectacular views. The hot springs that flow directly from the source while looking out at the beautiful valley are truly exhilarating.

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Opened in 2021, "Kumo no Ue Terrace" overlooks the mountains of Iya Valley. You can enjoy magnificent scenery in each season, such as being surrounded by dazzling green in the season of fresh green, and autumn leaves that look like they are on fire. It makes me want to take a deep breath.

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The guest rooms are designed in a modern Japanese style and are very comfortable. This is a room with an open-air footbath, and you can enjoy this dynamic view from your bed. There are also rooms where you can enjoy onsen, such as rooms with open-air baths and rooms with observation baths. The nature of Iyakei is skillfully incorporated into the room, and just staying there will make you feel warm.

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To get to the open-air bath, take a special cable car from the hotel, go down about 170m, and go to the immediate vicinity of the mountain stream. It's a 5-minute cable car trip, but it's full of excitement!

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Daisen, the highest peak in the Chugoku region, is a resort hotel located at an altitude of about 400m where you can enjoy the cool breeze blowing down from the mountain. onsen here is a "sodium, calcium, chloride-bicarbonate spring," and is said to be effective for muscle pain, joint pain, sensitivity to cold, and recovery from fatigue. The open-air bath where you can feel the air of nature is perfect for getting away from the city life for a while and rejuvenating your tired body from office work and air conditioning.

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The guest rooms range from suites where families can spend a relaxing time to standard Japanese-style rooms, so you can choose according to the number of people and your preferences. There are two types of views from the room: the mountain side, which overlooks Mt. Daisen filled with greenery, and the ocean side, which overlooks the city of Yonago.

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For dinner, you can choose from a Japanese kaiseki course meal, a French course meal, a Japanese-Western course meal that combines the best of Japanese and French cuisine, or a dinner buffet. The photo is Japanese kaiseki cuisine. Depending on the season, immerse yourself in the happiness of your stomach with dishes carefully made using local seasonal ingredients, such as "Boiled Nodoguro", "Daisen Tobanyaki", and "Daisen Town Pork and Soy Milk Nabe".

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Sanso Tensui is a onsen inn located near the famous Sakurataki waterfall in Oita. The spring quality is ``simple spring'' and is said to be effective in recovering from stiff shoulders and fatigue. There are 10 types of baths in total, and we recommend the women's open-air bath right next to Sakuradaki. You can enjoy a refreshing bath while looking at the waterfall. Please enjoy the breathtaking view of the hot springs flowing directly from the source with a slight scent of sulfur.

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It is a vast inn with a total site area of 10,000 tsubo, but there are only 19 guest rooms. Everything is made to be spacious, so let's relax your body after being healed in the bath. There are rooms with terraces and open-air baths, and rooms with a hearth. If you take a leisurely look at the mountain scenery from the porch after taking a bath, your body and mind will be relieved.

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On the premises, there is a walking path named "Goumahime Forest" named after "Itsumahime", which is said to have ruled this area in ancient times. There is also a foot bath in the middle of the walking path, and it is a healing spot filled with the scent of the forest. Let's relax and be healed by the sound of the forest without thinking about anything.

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Hotel Pico Lanai Ebino Kogen is located at the foot of Mt. Karakunidake, the highest peak of the Kirishima Mountains, in the hot spring onsen of Kyushu's highest altitude resort. The "bicarbonate spring", which spouts out at 470 liters per minute, is all free-flowing from the source. From the open-air bath located at an altitude of about 1200m, you can see the sky full of stars and have a natural planetarium all to yourself.

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In addition to orthodox Japanese-style rooms, Japanese-Western style rooms, and Western-style rooms, there are concept rooms with different themes such as "Neo-Native American", "Hawaii", and "Old folk house in the forest". It's fun to choose according to the tastes of the people staying with you. The Kirishima mountain range spreads beyond the window, and you can enjoy a relaxing stay surrounded by nature, such as a deer parent and child sometimes showing their faces.

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For dinner, enjoy a Kaiseki meal made with plenty of local seasonal ingredients at the restaurant ``Akamatsu,'' which overlooks Mt. Karakuri. Depending on your plan, you can enjoy Miyazaki 's Kuroge Wagyu beef grilled on a ceramic platter or sukiyaki, as well as local fish sashimi and small side dishes made with seasonal seafood. Beyond the large windows, you can see Mt. Karakuri in the setting sun and the natural scenery that changes with the seasons, enhancing the taste of the dishes.

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Summer onsen are full of fun, with cool highland air, relaxing hot water, and delicious local food. When you feel a little tired from the heat of summer, take a trip to a hot onsen resort to refresh yourself. Get rid of summer fatigue!