Onsen Towns Near Tokyo: 7 Hot Spring Trips Compared (2026)

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Researched guide · Checked on Nov 2, 2026

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You do not have to go far from Tokyo for a real hot spring town. Atami is about 50 minutes from Tokyo Station by Shinkansen, and famous Kusatsu is a little over two hours by limited express. Here is how seven onsen towns compare, so you can choose the right one for a day trip or a night at a ryokan.

Onsen towns near Tokyo at a glance

Onsen town	From Tokyo	Day-trip bath	Good for
Atami	About 50 min by Shinkansen from Tokyo Station	Free footbath by the station	The sea, a short trip
Yugawara	About 1 hr 15 min by Odoriko limited express	Yugawara Soyu from ¥3,500 (3 hours, reservations generally required)	A quiet, stylish spa
Hakone	Odakyu Romancecar from Shinjuku, or Shinkansen to Odawara	Hot springs around Hakone-Yumoto and the mountains	Mountains, Lake Ashi, Mt. Fuji views
Ikaho	About 1 hr 40 min by limited express from Ueno, then a 15-min bus	Open-air bath ¥600, Ishidan-no-Yu ¥800	Stone steps and old streets
Kinugawa	About 1 hr 50 min by Tobu SPACIA from Asakusa	Free footbath by the station	A river gorge, boats and a ropeway
Kusatsu	About 2 hr 20–35 min by limited express from Ueno, then a 25-min bus	Public baths ¥800–¥1,200	A famous hot spring and the Yubatake
Shuzenji	Change at Mishima, about 32 min by train, then a 10-min bus	Hakoyu ¥700	Bamboo grove, autumn leaves

Times, prices and dates come from each town’s guide, where we checked the official sources in October 2026. Check again before you go.

Closest and easiest: Atami and Yugawara

Atami is the quickest onsen town from Tokyo: about 50 minutes from Tokyo Station on the Tokaido Shinkansen (Kodama), or about 1 hour 20 minutes on the Odoriko limited express. Even if you only have an hour, you can soak your feet for free at the “Ieyasu no Yu” footbath, one minute from Atami Station. See our Atami day trip guide.

Yugawara, about 1 hour 15 minutes from Tokyo on the Odoriko limited express, is quieter. Its day-use spa, Yugawara Soyu in Manyo Park, costs from ¥3,500 for three hours without a meal, and reservations are generally required. See our Yugawara guide.

The famous hot spring towns: Kusatsu and Ikaho

Kusatsu is a famous hot spring town in the mountains of Gunma. In the center, the Yubatake hot spring field steams in wooden channels, and at Netsunoyu you can watch the yumomi water-stirring show (¥700). The three public bathhouses cost ¥800 to ¥1,200, or ¥2,100 for a pass to all three. Getting there takes about 2 hours 20 to 35 minutes from Ueno on the limited express Kusatsu-Shima, plus a 25-minute bus, so start early or stay the night. See our Kusatsu guide.

Ikaho is on the same limited express line, about 1 hour 40 minutes from Ueno to Shibukawa, then a 15-minute bus. Climb the 365 stone steps of Ishidan-gai and bathe at the Ikaho Open-Air Bath (¥600) or Ishidan-no-Yu (¥800). See our Ikaho guide.

Mountains, gorges and Mt. Fuji: Hakone, Kinugawa and Shuzenji

• Hakone: the classic day trip from Shinjuku by Odakyu Romancecar, or from Tokyo Station by Shinkansen to Odawara. Combine hot springs with mountain scenery, Lake Ashi and art museums, and leave early for the best chance of seeing Mt. Fuji. See our Hakone day trip guide.
• Kinugawa: about 1 hour 50 minutes from Asakusa on the Tobu SPACIA, with direct trains also from Shinjuku and Ikebukuro. Walk across the Kinu-Tateiwa suspension bridge, ride the river boats (mid-April to late November, ¥3,500) or the ropeway (¥1,400 return), and soak your feet at the free footbath outside the station. See our Kinugawa guide.
• Shuzenji: a hot spring town in Izu, reached by changing at Mishima to the Izuhakone Railway. Bathe at Hakoyu (¥700, 10:00–21:00) and walk the bamboo grove. Autumn leaves are from mid-November to early December. See our Shuzenji guide.

Want Hakone and Mt. Fuji in one day without planning trains? Some bus tours from Tokyo combine both. We compare popular tours in Mt. Fuji day tours from Tokyo.

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Tattoos at onsen

Rules about tattoos are set by each bath, not by each town. In Kusatsu, the three public bathhouses do not specifically refuse guests with tattoos. Yugawara Soyu does not allow tattoos. Elsewhere, check the bath’s own rules before you go, and read our guide to tattoos and onsen.

Day trip or stay the night?

• Easy day trips: Atami, Yugawara, Hakone, Ikaho and Kinugawa.
• Better with a night: Kusatsu and Shuzenji take longer to reach, and Hakone is worth two days if you stay at a ryokan.
• Staying at a ryokan, a traditional inn, often includes dinner, breakfast and a bath. See types of accommodation in Japan and the best hotels in Hakone.
• First time at an onsen? Read onsen and sento etiquette before you go.

How to choose

If you want…	Go to
The shortest trip	Atami
A famous hot spring	Kusatsu
Mt. Fuji and mountains	Hakone
Old streets and stone steps	Ikaho
A river gorge and activities	Kinugawa
A quiet, stylish spa	Yugawara
Autumn leaves in a bamboo-lined town	Shuzenji

No time to leave the city? See onsen in Tokyo.

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