Itoigawa Onsen Niigata

Itoigawa Onsen is a coastal and geological hot spring in Itoigawa city, Niigata Prefecture, a city of unique international significance as the location of the Itoigawa UNESCO Global Geopark — home to extraordinary outcrops of jade (nephrite), one of the oldest jade-producing localities in global prehistory, along the Japan Sea coast. The chloride-rich thermal waters provide deep warmth and skin-nourishing properties suited to the harsh Sea of Japan climate, while the geopark's visitor infrastructure and jade museum give context to the remarkable geological heritage of the Fossa Magna tectonic boundary that runs through the city. The dramatic scenery of the Oyashirazu sea cliffs — where the mountains plunge vertically into the Japan Sea — forms one of Japan's most spectacular coastal landscapes visible from the onsen's environs.