Kakegawa Onsen

Kakegawa Onsen lies in a city renowned across Japan for Kakegawa Castle, one of the country's few remaining castle reconstructions built entirely in traditional wood using pre-modern carpentry techniques, making it a remarkable exception among Japan's many concrete castle replicas. The surrounding region is one of the most productive green tea growing areas in Shizuoka Prefecture, with tea plantations covering the hillsides in vivid gradients of green that shift with the seasons and with the altitude of the harvest. Guests at the onsen soak in mineral-rich spring waters while surrounded by a city whose twin identities — castle culture and tea culture — reflect Shizuoka's proud place in Japan's history and agricultural heritage.