Kinugawa Onsen
Kinugawa Onsen, A Big Hot Spring Town In A Gorge On The Kinugawa River, About Two Hours From Tokyo, With Large Hotels, A Ropeway, A Riverside Walk And A Train Ride To Nikko. Faded In Places But Cheap And Easy, With A Good Range Of Baths. · Nikko, Tochigi
Kinugawa Onsen is a hot spring town strung along a gorge of the Kinugawa river in Nikko, Tochigi, about two hours from Asakusa in Tokyo by Tobu limited express - confirm the running time. It grew into a big group-tour resort in the 1960s and 1970s, and it still has large hotels with huge baths stacked up the valley walls. The water is mild and simple, often described as alkaline - confirm - and kind to the skin. Many hotels sell day-use bath tickets, so you can soak without staying the night. Be honest about the town: some hotels are dated, a few buildings stand empty, and the main street is quiet after dark. What you get is cheap, easy bathing, a riverside path, a ropeway and family sights nearby, such as a miniature world park and an Edo-period theme park - confirm both. It suits a relaxed overnight from Tokyo with older relatives or children. It is worth the trip for the baths and the gorge, less so if you want a refined ryokan village; Nikko itself is a better base for temples.
Kinugawa Onsen, Nikko, Tochigi, a short walk from Kinugawa-onsen Station on the Tobu Kinugawa line from Asakusa, Nikko, Tochigi, Japan
The town is open all day and the river path is free. Hotel baths for day visitors usually run from late morning to mid afternoon, commonly about 11:00 to 15:00, with the last entry earlier, and some hotels close the day bath for cleaning or full-house days - confirm by phone or at the front desk. The Kinugawa Ropeway keeps daytime hours with a last ride well before dusk and may stop in strong wind or heavy snow - confirm. Reach the town by Tobu Kinugawa line from Shimo-Imaichi, with some limited express trains from Asakusa direct - confirm the timetable and any seat reservation. Last trains and buses leave early in the evening. IC cards work on the Tobu line, but bring cash for baths.