Sarugakyō Onsen

Sarugakyo Onsen rises in the dramatic gorge country of Minakami, Gunma Prefecture, where the name—Monkey Gorge—describes a landscape so vertical and densely forested that Japanese macaques (nihonzaru) were once its primary inhabitants, sharing the thermal spring warmth with the first human bathers who ventured into the canyon. The siliceous and simple waters offer a combination of silica-rich skin-softening properties and gentle alkaline warmth, ideal for the long soaks that restore hikers and skiers who explore the surrounding Tanigawa-dake and Joshinetsu highland terrain across all four seasons. Set within one of Gunma's most scenic gorge landscapes, Sarugakyo is an onsen where dramatic natural surroundings amplify the restorative power of the mineral waters.