Japan's most historical hot springs

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  Arima Onsen 【3 of the historical Onsen】

  Located in what is called "Ura-Rokko" (back of Rokko) in the north of Kobe is the Arima-onsen Hot Spring Resort, one of the oldest in Japan, said to have been opened when Buddhist monks built a sanitarium there in the 8th century. The spa contains a variety of hot springs including salt-rich spring with a salt content as high as twice that of seawater, carbonated spring with the flavor of soda-pop and radium spring. Arima-onsen Hot Spring is very popular as it is referred to as "The back parlor of Keihanshin" (Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe).

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  Shirahama Onsen 【3 of the historical Onsen 】

  Nanki, a generic name for the entire southwestern part of Wakayama, is a large spot of leisure containing various amusement facilities, beaches and places where you can enjoy marine sports, golfing and tennis. Shirahama-cho, a center town of Nanki, is a typical hot-spring resort facing the Pacific Ocean in the Kii-hanto Peninsula and is known as one of Japan's three largest spas together with Beppu in Oita and Atami in Shizuoka.
  Collectively called the Shirahama-onsen Hot Springs comprises the Yuzaki-onsen Hot Spring, long known for open-air bathing in manually hollowed rock tubs and other hot springs at Shirahama opened early in the 20th century, Higashi-Shirahama, Tsunashirazu and others.

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  Dogo Onsen 【3 of the historical Onsen】

  Located in central Ehime and in the northeastern part of Matsuyama, the Dogo-onsen Hot Spring is Japan's oldest noted spa, and is said to have been opened about 3,000 years ago.
  In the center of the hot-spring town where a number of inns and hotels are clustered is the main building of Dogo-onsen (Honkan), a communal bathhouse. The building was erected in 1894 and is a symbol of Dogo today. With a magnificent three-storied castle-styled wooden structure that has been designated as the first important cultural asset of public bathhouses in Japan, the bathhouse boasts a time-honored and dignified appearance amid modern hotels and shops. It has a watchtower called the Shinro-kaku on the roof, and the sound of the time-telling drum that beats three times a day, or morning, noon, and evening, reverberates all over the spa town. In the Dogo-onsen Honkan, you can make yourself comfortable in the grand hall or in a private room, even for just taking a bath.