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Anything similar to Spa World? 2010/11/2 06:38
Earlier this year I discovered Spa World in Osaka (http://www.spaworld.co.jp/), and I have just recently went back a second time (staying at the Spa World hotel again, that makes it very easy to go down to the facility in the morning, then go out for 2/3s of the day, and return back in the later afternoon for some nice relaxation). Living in Hawaii, Japan being just a quick 6-7 hour flight away, it's really easy for me to go over for a few days of relaxation and rejuvenation at the onsen -- that really helps given my very stressful work.

I have been trying to find some other similar big onsen facilities in Japan, but have come up short on my searches. The ''super onsen'' or ''super sento'' in Tokyo are all (at least, the ones I've went to) just 1/4th size of Spa World, at best.

Basically, what I am looking for is:
* a large facility (2000+ guests capacity at a time) with many various large baths (indoor and outdoor), saunas, etc. - where there is enough variety to go back a few times and stay in for some two+ hours at a time
* preferably conveniently located (close to train or at least metro station) in a fairly large city, with things to see and do there during the day (with easy access to and fro)
* preferably with a directly attached/part of it hotel (so can stay there, and when one goes down to enjoy the facility, no need to put on street clothes, can just go using the provided clothing)

Is there anything else like this (similar to Spa World) in Japan?

In Korea, I've found Hur Shim Chung in Busan (http://www.hotelnongshim.com/eng/hurshimchung/hur_intro.asp), that seems quite similar to Spa World in Osaka - only (it seems) even bigger (and with a surely much bigger attached hotel). (Actually, the day after I found it, I changed my next summer return flights from EU to Hawaii to add in a brief Busan stopover, to relax a bit on the way back from my working vacation.)

But, I've come up short of anything else like this in Japan.

In Tokyo it seems for sure there is nothing.

There is the Nagashima Spa Land (http://www.nagashima-onsen.co.jp/resort/download.html/) in Nagoya (I mean the onsen part, not the theme part part that I am not intersted in), but it seems to be a bit inconveniently located (a rather lengthy bus ride away from the closest train station), and also doesn't appear to be really as big as Spa World (on their site, I can't really find a map/outline of the onsen facility, just some very general words on it only claiming that it's big)... though it's a lot more outside, so still I guess worth a visit (?).

Then in Noboribetsu, Hokkaido there is Dai-Ichi Takimotokan, but it also seems to be a rather small facility really (http://www.takimotokan.co.jp/english/facility/spa.html - seems less than 1/5th the size of Spa World in Osaka).

So, my question is, what am I missing? Any suggestions for something similar to Spa World in Japan (or Korea, other than Hur Shim Chung in Busan - the advantage of Korea is of course notably lower cost than Japan), where I can go and stay for some two or three nights to relax, enjoy the onsen (that is hopefully large enough with enough variety to keep one there for a good few hours each day for 2 or 3 days), while also having things to see and do during the daytime outside?
by RealHJ  

... 2010/11/2 09:51
Yunessun in Hakone:
http://www.yunessun.com/english/

To include Noboribetsu Takimotokan into the list of "super spas" is inappropriate. The baths at the Takimotokan are real, natural onsen baths with seven different types of natural local hot spring waters. The "super spas" get their water from two kilometer deep human made pipes, at best.
by Uji rate this post as useful

.. 2010/11/2 12:27
RealHJ,

I am a manoa graduate years years ago.
So, you find Spa world interesting. I visited spa world couple years ago and never went back since after my experience with the great hotspring water all around Japan. Love the mud spa in kirishima, the great outdoor hotspring water in Akita espically during winter seasons.
you may want to explore more around the country. Just a great place and i visit twice a year. my next trip will be new year. There is a mud bath in Niseko.
by lester (guest) rate this post as useful

Tokyo 2010/11/2 13:22
Hi!

Ohedo Onsen Monogatari(Tokyo Odaiba)
http://www.ooedoonsen.jp/higaeri/english/index.html
by naniwanojoe rate this post as useful

Thank You! 2010/11/3 03:39
Thank You for your responses, everyone!

Uji-san: as always, thank you for being super-helpful. I didn't mean to in any way slight Noboribetsu Takimotokan, just that Noboribetsu is famous as a big onsen destination, and Takimotokan there is the biggest.
Even from my limited experience, I can definitely appreciate a real onsen from a man-pumped-water one.

Thanks for the Hakone Yunessun recommendaton. Unfortunately, there it seems that the Mori No Yu area there seems rather small, and just the Yunessun area (that I am not really interested in - if I want to go to the water in my swimming trunks, I'll go to the nice beaches here in Hawaii) is bigger.
Though still, when I make it out to Hakone (sometime for sure), I'll still check it out.
Thanks!

lester: Thanks, I'll check those out, and I am always definitely looking at exploring more around the country (so far in my two visits to Japan so far been to Osaka, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Kanazawa, Takayama, and Tokyo - not yet to the onsen areas really).

naniwanojoe: Thanks, I've been to Oedo Onsen Monogatari a few times actually. Last week was rather disappointing: two of the indoor baths were drainked of water and closed. I just find that it's rather small (the actual water/sauna area), and for what it is rather overpriced (e.g. Hana No Yu in Narita, just two Keisei line stations away from the airport, costs more than 2x less and is about the same size; that's a convenient place to stop by and recharge during the inevitable ~8 hour layovers at NRT).
Oedo Onsen Monogatari is still worth a visit as there can go in, go out, eat dinner (the food there is eatable, though not great by any means), and go in again, and as in Tokyo I like to stay around Shimbashi Stn., it's also convenient access from there. Still though, the actual water area I find is rather small (when compared to, say, Spa World in Osaka, it's barely 1/4th the size).
by RealHJ rate this post as useful

Nagashima Spa Land 2010/11/3 07:37
Anyone ever been to Nagashima Spa Land and could comment how large (or not) is the onsen part of that? On their site they claim it's rather big, but don't show any map or outline of it, so it's hard to tell.
by RealHJ rate this post as useful

Nothing else like Spa World? 2010/11/3 08:03
I think it's quite possible you will find that Spa World is the biggest complex of its type in Japan- you might just have to settle for something smaller/different ;-)

I went to Hawaiians Resort in Fukushima this year, which was pretty big, but a) you live in Hawaii, right? and b) definitely not an area where there is a lot to do nearby the resort.
by Sira (guest) rate this post as useful

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