Kamisuwa Onsen Nagano

Kamisuwa Onsen is one of Nagano Prefecture's most historically significant thermal resorts, located on the northern shore of Lake Suwa in Suwa city, with a bathing tradition intimately connected to the ancient Suwa Taisha — the oldest and most important Shinto shrine complex in the Kanto-Chubu region, encompassing four sacred precincts around and atop the mountains flanking the lake. The chloride-rich thermal waters are warming and skin-beneficial, with a long history of use for musculoskeletal conditions and general revitalization that has made Kamisuwa a celebrated destination in inland Japan. Lake Suwa's famous winter phenomenon of omiwatari — the cracking of the frozen lake surface into pressure ridges believed to be the footprints of Shinto deities — makes the onsen particularly magical in the cold months.