Mitsuishi Onsen

Mitsuishi Onsen is located in Shinhidaka in the Hidaka Subprefecture of southeastern Hokkaido, in the coastal zone between the towering Hidaka Mountains and the Pacific Ocean where the cold Oyashio Current creates a cool and foggy coastal climate that provides ideal conditions both for the famous thoroughbred horse breeding of the Hidaka coast and for the silica-rich geothermal springs that emerge from the volcanic geology beneath the mountain-backed coastal plain. The Hidaka Mountains, one of Hokkaido's most challenging mountain ranges with knife-edged ridges and remote alpine terrain, form a dramatic inland backdrop to this coastal community where the agricultural traditions of horse breeding and Pacific fishing coexist against scenery of distinctive severity. The onsen here provide smooth silica mineral bathing in a setting defined by the Hidaka coast's remarkable combination of elite horse culture, cold Pacific seafood, and the austere beauty of mountains meeting sea in one of Hokkaido's most characterful regional identities.