Honshu onsen with vibrant town atmosphere?

Hey guys. So this will be my third time in Japan and I'm already quite used to going to various onsen. On my previous trips, I've been to secluded rural onsens in the wood, onsen in bigger cities, and onsen by the beach. I'd like to try something different this time for a weekend outing with my significant other.

What I'm looking for is an onsen town that would be dense enough to allow bath hopping and to maybe do some souvenir shopping or go to a restaurant, walk around town, etc, but without it being too modern and untraditional. Think something like Misasa onsen in Tottori.

It was also have be within 3-4 hours max from Tokyo (so nothing on Kyushu unfortunately, or on Shikoku, or in the Sanin region, or on Hokkaido. Eastern half of honshu or nagano/niigata only please).

I'm considering Kusatsu onsen, Ikaho onsen, Ginzan onsen or Shibu onsen at the moment. However I feel like maybe there are onsen that are less frequently discussed in travel guides/on English language websites that I might have missed on my shortlist.

I've already eliminated Kinugawa (too modern), Hakone (already been, not dense enough), Atami (too seaside and modern) from my list. Kinosaki seemed nice but it's too far, at 5 hours and a half out of town.

I don't mind sulphuric smells and all that and I'm ambivalent about water quality. I've been in an onsen I felt was just too hot once (it was in Hanamaki) but all the other ones were completely fine for me so I'm going to assume it was an exception. What is important to me is the location and general feel/atmosphere of the place.

Is there anything I missed? Some secret, hidden gem that will check all the boxes? I go to Japan once or twice a year so most suggestions will probably see some use one day, even if not necessarily on this trip.

i think Kinosaki will fit that all best (it is west, but easy to reach)

beside that:
* Shibu Onsen
* Nozawa Onsen

Kinosaki onsen is unfortunately just a bit too far, at 5h30 of transit from where I'm staying in Tokyo. It's just too long a travel for a single night (or if we went for two nights, we'd arrive way too late). Otherwise it definitely would've been on that list, and I do intend to visit it on a future trip, maybe this fall.
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Yup. I know about airplanes. Guess what, I'll have to GET ON ONE to go to Japan. Magical uh? Because Japan is a bunch of islands and all.

However I'm not taking a plane for a one night trip. I'm sure there's plenty of onsen that wouldn't require me to do so that I haven't heard about yet and that people will suggests.

Oops I missed the suggestion for Shibu and Nozawa. Shibu was already on the list so I'll consider it even more now.

I was wondering how Nozawa was in the summer, devoid of all the skiers. It looks really pretty, wondering if it's a bid dead in the summer? I'll add it to the list notheless.

well if you dont want to travel far from tokyo, maybe try its island onsen:
http://www.onsentipster.com/blog/2015-06-28-islands-off-tokyo.html

it is not vibrant cities, but nice from exploring the sea.

Have you considered Zao?

Bessho Onsen is also beautiful, although there is no official onsen hopping (but you can still do it, if you want cause most ryokan accept day guests and beside that there are many public baths even). and it is only 2,5h from toyko.

Hey! While the islands are not really the vibe I want for this specific romantinc outing, it's a great idea I totally had not considered! I am definitely going to go there on a day trip or something at some point in the trip (gotta keep myself occupied while my bf is at work!). Thanks ~so much~ for the suggestion. I was only thinking about the furthest ones that are too far but I'm realizing some of them are quite close.

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Wow I hadn't thought about Bessho! It looks quite lovely and charming! I don't really mind the bath hopping not being official, I'm used to doing it on my own (I did that all over Katsuura and Shirahama last year haha). Thanks a lot for the suggestion! What a good idea.

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I wonder how Zao onsen is in the summer? It seems to be a potentially great choice, thanks for your recommendation!

Bessho is really nice but I wouldnt say it is hopping as such. Maybe on the weekends it is more lively, but it was generally pretty sedate on the days I was there (May from memory). Try a weekend.

Yeah this will definitely be a weekend visit as my boyfriend works during the week. We'd be arriving late Friday night or mid morning Saturday depending how close/far the town we pick is. I've looked at videos of Bessho and it might be a good choice, currently it's a battle between that and ikaho

Horesmeat sashimi is a local specialty there. They can keep that to themselves but the rest of the food there was awesome, and the ryokans are really cheap.

I love horse sashimi to be honest, that's a big plus for me.

I went to Zao during Golden Week. I seem to remember in the Summer there are lots of hikes and when not in danger of erupting Okama Crater is supposed to be nice.

I mostly remember the big outdoor rotemboro which was just superb.

Good luck finding someplace to enjoy!

Some other options include:

(1) Shuzenji Onsen - Izu Peninsula

(2) Kusatsu Onsen - Gunma Prefecture.

The main problem with traditional onsen towns near Tokyo was the 1980's bubble. If it was close to Tokyo then people could go there for the weekend. Atami was a great location but got totally over developed to the point that it's now quite ugly in sections. The same happened to other locations as well.

Shuzenji onsen is nice but the area is not that big. The water is also only soso (better than Kinosaki Onsen). Kusatsu Onsen looks great at night with the huge cooling pool and the water quality is also great (it smells strongly of sulfur so you have been warner).

Hakone is also famous for onsen hotels but not so much for it's vibrant town atmosphere.

I was thinking about Shuzenji but wondered how well the town is preserved, and how much of an atmosphere it has.

Kusatsu is one of my top picks at this time, it looks really cool and I've been meaning to go for a long time. I was just hoping to maybe find something a bit more off the beaten path.

I've already been to Hakone so I think I'll skip it this time around.

And yeah I totally agree about towns like Atami; quick development during the bubble which left towns looking ugly and not as much upkeep. I do find it has its own kind of charm, but I'm definitely looking for something that feels a bit more traditional. A bit of that "WOW" feeling one gets from looking at Ginzan onsen (but I heard Ginzan onsen is very boring and there's not much to do... I still want to go sometime though. So picturesque!)

Kusatsu onsen is actually a little bit annoying to get to so crowds are much smaller than expected apart from long weekends and major holidays. This is an advantage for me....

https://www.japan-guide.com/community/mfedley/report-2223

Shuzenji is nice but small. English is not well spoken at this location (and dinner options can be difficult to find if you don't READ Japanese)

Did you check Ikaho onsen.
Reading your reply, I remembered up this onsen,
though this is very small town.

http://www.ikaho-kankou.com/multilingual/en/sightseeing.html

Oh not a problem, I speak Japanese functionally, at least as far as communication for travelling is rquired and can sorta-kinda read it (I know about 500 kanji so I can usually make out the essentials). I've traveled somewhat extensively in rural Japan before; I admit sometimes restaurants where the menus are all hand written on papers make it challenging for me but but asking what is recommended always serve's one well, so long as you're not picky (I'm not). Actually to a point I somewhat prefer places where English isn't spoken, it forces me to practice.

I'm honestly happy to hear that about Kusatsu. It reassures me a lot. I was scared it would be crowded as we'd be going on the weekend in the summer.

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Yes, like Kusatsu, I mentionned Ikaho in my original post as to the ones I was currently considering. So far, Ikaho, Kusatsu and Bessho are my top 3 potential picks and at this point, barring another outstanding suggestion, it will be between those 3 based on travel time/schedules and the deals I find for ryokan in each. I'm keeping all the other ones in mind for future trips or solo day trips though!

If it helps: Bessho has not so much of a night life as kusatsu, but therefore some extremely beautifully located shrines and temples (among the best in japan i think). - i havnt met anyone that didnt like bessho.

however kusatsu may have slightly better water quality, if that matters to you. there is a saying: there is only one thing kusatsu onsen water can not cure and that is love.

We stayed at Bessho in April this year. We went there from Matsumoto by car, and stopped at the Daio wasabi farm on the way. We splurged, and stayed in an expensive room here: http://hanaya.naganoken.jp/ , but there are also rooms in the main building at quite reasonable prices which look lovely.

The ryokan itself is BEAUTIFUL, serene, with wonderful service, food, and bathing, and set in lovely gardens. It's unusual in that it's in a "Taisho Modern" architectural style (if you look at the pictures, you'll see what they mean much better than if I try to explain it).

It was so restful and lovely in the ryokan that we didn't go out to explore the town after checking in, but we did spend two or three hours beforehand looking around the various shrines (very nice), having lunch (hard to find on a weekday at the beginning of April - there were very few people around and lots of places were closed), and stopping for a coffee in a fantastic café & gelateria with a "hidden" back room with a charming owner and where you pick your own cup from a selection in a case on the wall. It turned into a wine bar in the evening, apparently, and I think it would be lovely place to go after dinner.

We saw a couple of public bathhouses as we walked around; they looked nice but we didn't go in them (only because we were limited for time - we wanted to check into the ryokan as soon as we could, and we also wanted to see the various temples/shrines).

The only thing I'd say - looking at what you say you want - is that it was really quiet. It was a rainy weekday at the beginning of April, and we didn't go out into the town in the evening, so perhaps our experience wasn't typical, but we scarcely saw another person. That may be a good thing or a bad thing for you, but I just wanted to tell you.