Takaragawa Onsen Osenkaku

Takaragawa Onsen Osenkaku is one of Japan's most celebrated and photographed rotenburo (outdoor hot spring bath) experiences, located deep in the Minakami mountains of Gunma Prefecture beside the Takaragawa River — a crystal-clear mountain stream whose rushing sound creates the soundscape for bathing in the resort's four large riverside outdoor pools fed by naturally warm bicarbonate spring water. The mixed bathing (konyoku) rotenburo of Takaragawa are among the most extensive outdoor hot spring pools in Japan, allowing bathers to immerse in mineral water while surrounded by river boulders, deciduous forest canopy (brilliantly coloured in autumn), and mountain peaks in a setting that has been photographed in virtually every Japanese travel publication. The Minakami region of northern Gunma is a year-round outdoor adventure destination offering white-water rafting on the Tone River, bungee jumping, canyoning, and world-class powder snow skiing at nearby resorts, making Takaragawa's hot spring bathing a perfect restorative conclusion to active mountain recreation. Takaragawa Onsen Osenkaku's combination of Japan's most famous riverside rotenburo, the spectacular sound and presence of the Takaragawa mountain stream, and the dramatic seasonal beauty of the Gunma highlands makes it perhaps Japan's single most romantically beautiful outdoor hot spring experience.