Ski & Onsen: Japanese Ski Resorts Where You Can Soak After Skiing

In Japan, the perfect ski day ends in an onsen. Volcanic mountains give the country both its snow and its hot springs, and many of its classic resorts grew up as spa towns first. Here are the best places to combine the two.

Nozawa Onsen, Nagano

Nozawa is the archetype: a serious ski mountain above a village with 13 free public bathhouses (soto-yu), where locals cook eggs in the hot spring water at Oyu. Skiing started here over a century ago — the village still thinks of itself as an onsen town that happens to have lifts.

Zao Onsen, Yamagata

Zao's strongly acidic sulphur water has been famous since long before skiing. Ski among the snow monsters by day; the old bathhouse district — including open-air rotenburo — by night.

Kusatsu & Manza, Gunma

Kusatsu is one of Japan's top three hot springs, with the iconic Yubatake cooling field in the town centre and a resort on the slopes above. Nearby Manza Onsen sits at 1,800 m — among the highest spa resorts in Japan — with milky sulphur water and skiing at the door.

More ski-and-soak combinations

• Yuzawa, Niigata — a dozen resorts above a hot-spring town at the Shinkansen station.
• Hakuba, Nagano — the valley's villages (Hakuba Happo, Mimizuku, Kurashita and more) each have their own springs.
• Niseko, Hokkaido — the Niseko area has onsen scattered around Mt. Annupuri, from village baths to mountain lodges.
• Myoko, Niigata — Akakura Onsen town sits at the base of the lifts with traditional ryokan baths.

Onsen etiquette in one minute

Wash before entering the bath, no swimsuits, towels stay out of the water, and many baths still do not allow tattoos (policies vary — some towns, Nozawa included, are traditionally relaxed). Check the resort or town's official page before you go.