What is Onsen
Onsen (溫泉) means a natural spring, which is usually hot, that contains the prescribed amount of chemical components.
As Japan is situated in a volcanic area, thousands of onsen are scattered throughout Japan are often found out in the countryside. It is a very popular place to relax both the body and mind in Japan.
Why do Japanese and visitors like onsen so much?
The most important reason is that there is a Japanese folk remedy called “toji” that involves attempting to cure illness such as muscle pain and sensitivity to cold through the effects of onsen. Generally, all types of the onsen promote health and also enhance relaxation of body and mind.
Every onsen area has different kinds of minerals that provide different types of medical benefits. According to the chemical components, onsen is divided into 9 types in Japan:
- Simple spring
- Simple carbon dioxide spring
- Carbonated spring
- Chloride spring
- Sulphate spring
- Ferruginous spring
- Sulphur spring
- Acidic spring
- Radioactive spring
Although onsen is divided into 9 categories but if you look at the composition of different onsen, you will notice that no two are the same. That means the effects of any onsen is unique.
Which type of onsen baths is the most popular?
The onsen baths can come in many types: open-air or indoor, colourless or coloured, public or private and also mixed gender or separate. The bath tubs are most often made from Japanese cypress, marble or granite.
Onsen bath houses are either publicly run by a municipality or privately, often as part of a hotel or a traditional Japanese inn called 'ryokan'. An overnight stay at onsen ryokan is a highly recommended to visitors of Japan. Be careful that onsen is different from sento which is an indoor public bath house with baths filled with heated tap water only.
The most popular type of onsen bath is open-air onsen where you can enjoy the traditional Japanese garden or stunning natural landscapes while you are bathing in onsen.
All people have to be naked in the public onsen baths so if you want more privacy, you can choose the private one (See List of Ryokan with Private Onsen Available). Even more, you can book a room with private open-air onsen bath when you are staying in the room (See List of Ryokan offering Rooms with Private Onsen Attached).
More Things to Know about Onsen...
Selected Onsen Towns in Japan...