Noboribetsu Onsen
About This Destination
Hokkaido's best-known hot spring town, and the reason is chemistry. Nine different types of spring water surface within this one small valley, which is unusual anywhere in the world: sulphur, iron, salt, alum, sodium bicarbonate and more, so a single ryokan can offer half a dozen genuinely different baths rather than the same water in six pools.
The source is Jigokudani, Hell Valley, a 450-metre crater immediately above the town. It is a bowl of ochre and grey rock with steam pouring out of vents across the whole floor, and a boardwalk crosses it to a bubbling pool at the far end. Ten thousand tonnes of water a day come out of here and run down into the baths. The smell of sulphur reaches the main street and never really leaves.
Walk the loop above the valley to Oyunuma, a pond of grey sulphurous water at 130 degrees at the bottom and 40 to 50 at the surface, then continue down the stream that drains it to a natural footbath in the forest, where the river itself is hot. That is free and it is the best thing here.
The town leans hard on the demon theme, with oni statues on every corner and a festival in August. It is kitsch, and the locals know it.
Most ryokan open their baths to day visitors for around 1,000 to 2,000 yen. Nearby, a bear park sits on the mountain above the town, reached by ropeway, and Date Jidaimura recreates an Edo-period village with ninja shows.
Buses run from Sapporo in about an hour and forty minutes, or take the train to Noboribetsu station and a bus up the valley.
Location
Prefecture: Hokkaido
Address: Noboribetsu, Hokkaido, Japan
Nearest Station: Noboribetsu Station
Best time to visit: Year-round; autumn foliage and snowy winters make the steaming Hell Valley baths especially atmospheric
Visitor Information
Credit Cards: Accepted
Food Options: Onsen town restaurants serve Hokkaido specialties including Jigoku Ramen (hell ramen), crab, and fresh seafood. Many ryokan offer elaborate kaiseki meals.
Access
Hokkaido, Japan
Get DirectionsFrequently Asked Questions
What's the deal with '9 spring types', and which baths should I try?
Japan officially recognizes 11 hot-spring water types (10 mineral classes plus simple thermal). **Noboribetsu has 9 of them within a 3 km² area**, more than any other Japanese onsen town. Each spring has different colors, smells, and claimed medicinal properties (sulfur is the loudest sensory experience here). **Day-use bath picks**: **Dai-ichi Takimotokan** (¥2,250, 35 different baths across 7 spring types, the famous one, 9:00 to 18:00, towels rentable; arguably the single best onsen day-trip experience in Japan); **Mahoroba** at Hotel Mahoroba (¥2,000, 31 baths across 5 spring types, more modern); **Sagiriyu** sento (¥500, simple but real local sulfur bath, 14:00 to 22:00, towels for sale only, so bring your own). Tattoo policy varies; Dai-ichi Takimotokan officially restricts visible tattoos but private rooms (kashikiriburo) at ryokan accommodate any guest. Cash required at most.
Is Jigokudani (Hell Valley) worth the walk, and what about the natural foot bath?
Yes, and it's free. **Jigokudani** is a 450 m diameter volcanic crater with steaming vents, bubbling pools, and the sulfur smell that defines Noboribetsu. A free boardwalk loop takes 15 to 20 min for the basic circuit. Extend the walk uphill ~20 minutes to **Oyunuma**, a 130 m diameter pond at 130 °C surface (don't touch). From there a 10-min walk down to the **Oyunumagawa Natural Foot Bath**, a hot-spring river where the entire stream is 40 to 43 °C. Free, open dawn to dusk, no facilities (no towels, no toilets, so bring a small towel and walk with dry shoes you can swap into). The combined Jigokudani + Oyunuma + foot bath loop takes 90 to 120 minutes, mostly easy paths but with one moderately steep section. Slippery in winter, so wear grippy boots Dec to Mar. The **Hell Valley Lantern Path illumination** runs nightly summer to autumn (~July to mid-Nov, ~18:30 to 21:30, free); the boardwalk is lit by ~70 lanterns with projection mapping on the rocks.
How do I get there, and should I combine with Lake Toya?
**From Sapporo**: JR Limited Express Suzuran or Hokuto from Sapporo Station to Noboribetsu Station (~70 to 80 min, ¥4,480 reserved, JR Pass eligible), then Donan Bus from station Stop #2 to Noboribetsu Onsen (~15 min, ¥350, every 30 min daytime). **From New Chitose Airport**: direct Donan Bus to Noboribetsu Onsen (~70 min, ¥1,500, ~10/day, the most efficient option from the airport). **Day-trip from Sapporo** is feasible but a stretch (5 to 6 h round trip leaves limited bath time); the experience is dramatically better with an overnight ryokan stay (¥18,000 to 40,000/person with kaiseki dinner + 2 bath sessions + breakfast). **Combining with Lake Toya**: yes, this is the classic 'Hokkaido onsen 2-nighter'. Direct Donan Bus Noboribetsu Onsen → Lake Toya Onsen (~95 min, ¥1,500, ~3/day in summer, fewer winter, so check the timetable). Lake Toya pairs well as the second night for caldera scenery, the Mount Usu volcano ropeway, and the Toya summer fireworks (nightly Apr 28 to Oct 31, free, ~20:45 to 21:05).
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