Top choice in Central Honshū
Remote, rustic and supremely photogenic, this lodging is one of Japan's finest onsen ryokan, with a stunning 1896 wooden bathhouse. From Gokan Station (two stops before Minakami), take a bus to Sarugakyō (¥1100, 40 minutes), then change to an infrequent bus for Hōshi Onsen (¥600, 15 minutes). Otherwise take a taxi (¥3000).
Bathing for nonguests is also available (¥1000; 10.30am to 1.30pm Thursday to Tuesday).
20.11 MILES
Among gorgeously forested mountains and believed to be the home of the God of Water, Fire and Agriculture, this site has housed a shrine of some form for…
28.71 MILES
Japan's most famous ukiyo-e (woodblock print) artist, Hokusai, spent his final years in Obuse. There's an audiovisual presentation on his life in the…
26.63 MILES
Here's your chance to get up close and personal with Asama-yama – so close, you could almost touch it. Formed in 1783 by Asama's last violent eruption,…
20.34 MILES
Pleasant in winter when shrouded in snow but less appealing when seasonally bare, Jigokudani Monkey Park is wildly popular. Made famous by the 1992 film…
29.65 MILES
On the border of Gunma and Nagano Prefectures, about 4km east of Karuizawa on Rte 18, you'll find the Usui Pass, historically an important point on the…
29.01 MILES
Fans of the iron horse will love this rail graveyard–locomotive museum, with rolling stock, stations, carriages, simulators and years of Japanese rail…
15.63 MILES
Yubatake is the main attraction in the town centre and the source of hot-spring water in the area. Its milky-blue sulphuric water flows like a waterfall…
28.33 MILES
This property, one of the first Western hotels in Japan, welcomed guests from 1906 to 1970. An exceptional example of elaborate Meiji-era architecture, it…
13.1 MILES
This lovely little museum displays memorabilia from the life of author Kawabata Yasunari, the first Japanese recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature,…
15.63 MILES
Yubatake is the main attraction in the town centre and the source of hot-spring water in the area. Its milky-blue sulphuric water flows like a waterfall…
20.11 MILES
Among gorgeously forested mountains and believed to be the home of the God of Water, Fire and Agriculture, this site has housed a shrine of some form for…
20.34 MILES
Pleasant in winter when shrouded in snow but less appealing when seasonally bare, Jigokudani Monkey Park is wildly popular. Made famous by the 1992 film…
5. Asama-yama Magma Stone Park
26.63 MILES
Here's your chance to get up close and personal with Asama-yama – so close, you could almost touch it. Formed in 1783 by Asama's last violent eruption,…
28.33 MILES
This property, one of the first Western hotels in Japan, welcomed guests from 1906 to 1970. An exceptional example of elaborate Meiji-era architecture, it…
28.71 MILES
Japan's most famous ukiyo-e (woodblock print) artist, Hokusai, spent his final years in Obuse. There's an audiovisual presentation on his life in the…
28.71 MILES
Takai Kōzan, woodblock artist Hokusai's friend and patron, was a businessman and an accomplished classical artist specialising in elegant Chinese-style…