Recommendations for onsen day-trip from Tokyo

Hi,

I will be in Tokyo in mid-March and I'm planning to make day trips out of Tokyo with the Japan Rail Pass.

I want to do an onsen daytrip from Tokyo - leave in the morning and be back by evening or earlier.

I intend to just visit one or two bath-houses, and also walk around nature trails or look at shops. As long as there is something to do in addition to the bath-house itself.

I'm currently trying to decide between Nasu Onsen and Minakami Onsen. Which is more accessible from Tokyo? And has more to see/do?

Thank you!

Hi!
I'd absolutely recommend Nasu. Minakami is great, but it takes a bit longer to get to and is a bit more spread out to enjoy in a day. Nasu (while spending a night would be ideal) has many good sites and baths in a relatively close proximity.

I'd recommend leaving as early as possible and catching an early bus from Kuroiso Station (just one station north of Nasushiobara Station, the nearest Shinkansen stop)--you could probably also just catch a bus from Nasushiobara Station. But take a bus to the Nasu Yumoto (那須湯本行) and from there you can either hit the nearby traditional, old (indoor) Shika-no-yu (鹿の湯) bath house, and/or check out the Onsen Jinja (shrine) that's RIGHT next to the bus stop, and then the Nine-tailed Fox Demon's "Killing Stone." Also in the same vicinity is another less-known onsen called Shimizuya (清水屋) which is very nice, and an absolutely wonderful souvenir store called Michinoku (みちのく), both just a few minutes walk down the street (downhill) from the Yumoto bus stop.

You can also take another bus from the Yumoto up to the Nasu Ropeway, where you can hike to the summit of Mt. Nasu (about 2 hours or less from the top ropeway station). There are also a few other fantastic onsen nearish to the ropeway that are a bit harder to time with buses (but doable if you're particularly motivated).

It's just another option - but normally the Izu Peninsula is Tokyo's onsen weekend away. As such - there are plenty of hotels which are reasonably prices (apart from Shuzenji).

I do know it's possible to visit different onsen hotels in Atami and Ito. The water is nice - but not the best compared to what you might get up at Hakone (another option) or Nikko (another option)

Thank you both for your replies!

Nasu Onsen it is then ^^. Appreciate the info you gave on Nasu! I will try and search the bus info too - my one worry for daytrips is missing that connection back to home base!

Thanks for the recommendations for the other onsens - I definitely will consider Izu peninsula when I plan my next trip. This trip I'm basing myself in Tokyo, so I'm not doing overnight anywhere else.

For the local buses, unfortunately (like in most places in Japan) there aren't really English timetables available. Here is the timetable for the bus from Kuroiso Station (labeled 黒磯営業所 here) to and from the Nasu Yumoto (那須湯本) and the highest onsen on the mountain, Omaru Onsen (大丸温泉); all three of those stops are highlighted in yellow.

http://www.toya108.jp/public/_upload/type017_32_1/file/file_1417171147...

Pages 1-2 are for weekdays, 3-4 weekends and holidays. Pages 1 and 3 are from Nasu to Kuroiso (down the mountain), pages 2 and 4 are reverse.

Also, this is just one bus company's schedule, so there might be other buses running too (specifically the Yu-Bus). All the bus stops have signs with timetables on them as well, so it's relatively easy to time how long you have once you're there. Also, there are information desks at Kuroiso Station and right next to the Yumoto bus stop; they don't really speak English, but they'll try to help!

I hope it goes well for you!

Thank you so much joeymigs! This is super-helpful for my planning, you are so very kind ^^! It looks like a 17-min bus journey from Nasu Yumoto to Omaru Onsen.

If I miss the bus and there are no other buses for a while, would you say the distance between Omaru and Yumoto is walkable, within an hour? Many thanks!

Do take notice of the bus service, as majority of these onsen place only have limited bus service, and does not run at late hours, especially is you are only on a day trip.