Daisetsu Kōgen Onsen

Daisetsu Kōgen Onsen is a remote high-altitude hot spring in the Daisetsuzan National Park of central Hokkaido, situated in the volcanic highland zone above the tree line where the sulfurous geothermal activity of the Daisetsuzan volcanic system emerges at the surface in pools and vents that have been used for natural bathing by adventurous hikers and mountaineers traversing the alpine plateau of Japan's largest national park. The Daisetsuzan highland, meaning Great Snowy Mountains in Japanese, rises to over 2,000 meters above sea level and receives some of Japan's heaviest snowfall, creating an arctic-like alpine environment that is home to rare plant communities, Hokkaido brown bears, and the pristine volcanic landscape that makes this national park the largest protected wilderness in Japan. The sulfurous volcanic springs of Daisetsu Kōgen Onsen provide one of Japan's most dramatically situated bathing experiences, combining the intensity of volcanic mineral waters with the austere beauty of the high alpine environment of Hokkaido's volcanic roof.