Onsen getaways don’t get more convenient than this rail station in Gunma.
When the hustle, bustle, and other non-rhyming but still fatiguing aspects of big city life start to be too much for your tastes, one of the best ways to relieve yourself of urban stress in Japan is by heading out to the countryside and then heading into a hot spring bath. From the moment you step off the train and see forests instead of skyscrapers, there’s a sense of joyous liberation…which sometimes fades away as you realize you’ve still got a long way to go before you can start your soak.
Once you get off the train you’ve got to figure out how to get the rest of the way to your bath, and with many onsen (hot spring) towns being in rural areas that often means having to navigate bus networks with infrequent service or shell out for an expensive taxi ride. However, you don’t have to deal with either of those unpleasantries if you’re taking your soak in the town of Kiryu, Gunma Prefecture, because there’s a hot spring bath facility with its entrance right on the train platform!
▼ The gray strip along the bottom edge, marked 水沼駅ホーム, is the train platform where you get off and can walk directly into the bathhouse.
You’ll find this ultra-convenient bathhouse at Mizunuma Station, on the Watarase Keikoku Line. Called Mizunuma no Yu, this is an authentic hot spring, not just a public bath with non-mineral waters, and it also offers an array of amenities to help day trippers relax.
In addition to indoor and outdoor baths, there are saunas and a spacious relaxation room with chaise lounges and tatami reed flooring.
Onsen aficionados will tell you that one soak isn’t enough for the full experience, and that the most enjoyable way to do a hot spring visit is to start with a bath, relax in the common areas and grab a bite to eat before going back in for a second soak. Mizunuma no Yu’s attached restaurant serves up such tasty fare as wagyu sukiyaki hot pot and locally raised Akagidori chicken with rice.
The baths are open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., accommodating travelers passing through from morning to night. Adult admission starts at 1,350 yen (US$9.10) on weekdays and 1,550 yen on weekends and holidays, and includes a free beverage. For those wanting to use the relaxation room or the largest of the outdoor baths, there’s an additional charge of 600 yen on weekdays or 800 yen on weekends/holidays, though this also gets you a set of pajama-like roomwear to wear while at the bathhouse, plus a rental towel set (standard admission doesn’t include towels, though they can be rented for an additional fee if you didn’t bring your own).
▼ A preview video showing the rustic charms of Mizunuma no Yu and the surrounding scenery
Prior to its opening, the space where Mizunuma no Yu is located was home to the Mizunuma Onsen Center, a different hot spring bathhouse. The Mizunuma Onsen Center closed its doors in the summer of 2023, though, and has now been comprehensively renovated to become Mizunuma no Yu, which had its grand opening on April 17 and is now welcoming visitors.
Related: Mizunuma no Yu official website
Source, photos: PR Times
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