Mar 2, 2015 - 1 min read

Tsurunoyu Onsen in Winter

A snow-covered hot spring village

By Justin Velgus

Community writer

Making some new friends. Tsurunoyu has an outdoor mixed bath to relax and socialize

The entrance to the small village. Some snow trekking is required to reach the end of the row of houses

Icicles hang from the eaves of snow-covered roofs

A rough map of the area available at the front desk

Drinks chilled by cold mineral water gushing from the earth

Support beams are brought out during winter to protect some of the more fragile buildings

Kuronoyu is the hottest of the hot springs at the village

Boiling water on a wood furnace in the rest lodge

Looking upstream from atop the footbridge

Gazing out from inside the soothing mixed bath

It is only three steps from the men's changing room to the water. But it is a very cold three steps!

A snowy lantern hangs near the cafe next to the parking lot

Soaking in my private bath inside the men's locker room next to the mixed bath

Tsurunoyu (literally Crane's Bath) is the oldest and most famous hot spring resort in the hot spring resort villages of Nyuto Onsen. With its wooden buildings and mountain setting, it could be enjoyed any season. Still, the charm winter brings can not be beat. Those few moments your body is numbed by cold just make your soothing warm hot bath that much more pleasurable. There is even a konyoku mixed-gender bath outside. Socializing and relaxing under the gently falling snow with locals and travelers has been one of my best memories during my travels around the rugged North.

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Justin Velgus

By Justin Velgus

Community writer

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Trifina Leang

Trifina Leang 9 years ago

Very interesting pictures. Looks like everyone is having a great time ;-)

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