Kusatsu Onsen ranked best hot spring in Japan, 20th year at the top

Kusatsu Onsen in Gunma Prefecture has been voted as the best hot spring in Japan, topping a ranking of the 100 best hot springs in the country for the 20th consecutive year. 

In the 36th edition of the 100 Best Hot Springs in Japan, published on Monday, Kusatsu emerged top once again ahead of Gero Onsen in Gifu Prefecture and Dogo Onsen in Ehime Prefecture in the ranking based on votes submitted by travel agencies, including those operating online.

Located around 200 km northwest of Tokyo, Kusatsu Onsen is celebrated for its high volume of free-flowing hot spring waters which have a high acidity and are said to have antibacterial properties. The town is widely known for its centerpiece yubatake, or “hot-water field,” which cools and channels the hot spring waters and is a popular photo spot for visitors. 

In selecting Kusatsu, voters may have recognized efforts by town administrators to create new attractions in the region, in particular around the town's Ura-Kusatsu and Jizo sightseeing areas, according to Kanko Keizai Shimbun, creator and sponsor of the ranking. 

Kusatsu Onsen has long been recognized as one of the top three onsen in Japan. The town of around 6,000 residents received over 2.3 million visitors in FY2021 despite the restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic.  In the years prior to the outbreak of the virus, Kusatsu received around three million visitors annually. 

Maintaining its number two ranking in the latest edition of the 100 Best Hot Springs in Japan, Gero Onsen in Gifu Prefecture, central Japan, is another of the country’s long-celebrated hot spring towns, regularly featuring high on rankings. 

Gero Onsen was last year the recipient of the ranking’s Executive Committee Special Award in recognition of efforts by administrators and other local organizations to promote sustainable development, including through the Gero Future Creation Project which included a plan to decarbonize accommodation and the introduction of EV buses. 

Third-ranked Dogo Onsen in the city of Matsuyama in Ehime Prefecture, on the island of Shikoku, is home to one of the oldest hot spring facilities in Japan, the Dogo Onsen Honkan bathhouse.  

Renovation and repair work of Dogo Onsen’s main bathhouse began in January 2019 and remains ongoing ahead of completion to mark the 130th anniversary of the building’s original renovation.  

Despite the ongoing work, Dogo Onsen moved up from fourth to third on the 100 Best Hot Springs in Japan ranking (Beppu Hatto, Oita Prefecture, moving in the opposite direction) with voters recognizing efforts to revitalize the area through the holding of community revitalization project and art festival Dogo Onsenart 2022. 

The top 10 onsen in the ranking are as follows (listed along with prefecture of location):  

Voting for the 100 Best Hot Springs in Japan was conducted by distributing postcards to travel agencies that included JTB and Nippon Travel Agency, as well as online operators Jalan and Rakuten Travel, among others.  

The number of valid ballots received was 2,862, with voting carried out from July through October this year. A maximum of five hot spring resorts could be entered on a single postcard, making the total number of votes cast 12,778, according to Kanko Keizai Shimbun.  

The 100 Best Hot Springs in Japan ranking was started by Kanko Keizai Shimbun in 1987.  The ranking is aimed at showcasing hot spring resorts popular among travelers by polling travel professionals and encouraging resorts throughout Japan to compete for the top spots thus increasing regional vitality.