Ikaho Onsen Ishidan-dori

Ikaho Onsen Ishidan-dori in Shibukawa, Gunma Prefecture, is built along a famous stone staircase of 365 steps that descends through the heart of this historic spa town to the spring source below, a layout that has defined Ikaho's distinctive urban character since the Meiji era and that makes a descent or ascent of the staircase one of Japan's most atmospheric spa town promenades. The siliceous spring water of Ikaho's golden spring carries visible iron compounds that turn the water a characteristic rusty amber, providing mineral-rich baths celebrated for improving circulation and easing fatigue in a town that attracted Japan's early modernist literary figures, including the novelist Toson Shimazaki, who described Ikaho's mountain atmosphere and mineral waters in works central to Meiji-era Japanese literature. The combination of literary heritage, stepped townscape, and exceptionally characterful spring water makes Ikaho one of Gunma's most distinctive and memorable onsen experiences.