Japan’s 2026 Onsen Ranking for Travellers in Their 20s

Jalan Research Center’s 2026 survey puts Hakone first among respondents in their 20s, followed by Kusatsu, Atami, Dogo and Gero. It ranks places respondents had visited and wanted to revisit; it is not a measure of spring quality.

The five towns also make very different trips. Hakone spreads its attractions across a large area; Kusatsu keeps much of its hot-spring-town experience around Yubatake; Atami mixes bathing with a seaside town; Dogo is part of Matsuyama; and Gero is an easy rail trip from Nagoya. The ranking is a useful shortlist. Your departure city and the kind of day you want matter more when choosing between them.

How Jalan built the ranking

Jalan Research Center surveyed members who had used Jalan.net between August 2024 and July 2025. The online questionnaire ran from September 1 to 13, 2025, and received 12,595 valid responses. It covered 334 hot-spring areas, excluding Tokyo. The report was published on December 10, 2025, under its 2026 edition title.

Respondents could choose up to five areas they had visited and wanted to revisit. The 20s group contained 434 people, or 3.4% of the full sample. The survey does not identify why an individual chose a destination or which property they booked.

Across all ages, Kusatsu ranked first, Beppu second and Hakone third. Jalan did not publish reasons for each age-group choice, so access, cafés and local history are practical ways to compare the towns—not explanations supplied by respondents.

Five places, five different kinds of trip

1. Hakone: the flexible option from Tokyo, with a lot of ground to cover

The Odakyu Romancecar takes as little as 75 minutes from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto. That is a straightforward start, but Hakone is a region rather than one compact resort street. Hakone-Yumoto, Gora, Sengokuhara and the Lake Ashi area sit along different transport corridors, so a hotel that looks close on a map may not work well with the sights you want to visit.

For a first overnight trip, choose the area you want to sleep in before building a sightseeing loop around it. The railway, buses, ropeway and lake boats serve different parts of the region; adding every famous stop can turn a relaxed onsen stay into a day of transfers. If a public bath is the priority, compare Hakone Yuryo and Tenzan near Hakone-Yumoto before deciding where to stay.

2. Kusatsu: a longer journey, followed by a walkable hot-spring centre

From Ueno, the Kusatsu-Shima limited express takes about 2 hours 33 minutes to Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi; a JR bus then takes about 25 minutes to Kusatsu. Another route goes from Tokyo to Karuizawa by Hokuriku Shinkansen, followed by a bus journey listed at roughly 1 hour 18 minutes to 1 hour 55 minutes. Check the operators’ current timetables before fixing a connection.

Once there, the central visit is easier to picture: Yubatake anchors the hot-spring town, with streets and bathing stops close enough to explore on foot. Kusatsu makes sense when the town itself is the reason for the trip and you can give it an overnight stay. A half-day dash from Tokyo leaves little room for delays or a slow evening. For a facility-by-facility comparison, see how to choose among Kusatsu’s three public baths.

3. Atami: a short rail escape where the town matters as much as the bath

Atami’s official tourism campaign describes the conventional-train trip from Tokyo as about an hour and a half. Around town, the mix is distinctly coastal: the Ginza shopping street has long-running cafés and dried-fish shops alongside newer cafés and sweets businesses. The tourism association puts the walk from Atami Station to Ginza at about 20 minutes, so allow for that leg—or check local transport—rather than treating every stop as station-front.

Atami fits a short break when your group wants time outside the bath as well: a seaside walk, shops and a soak can sit in the same itinerary. The terrain rises and falls, though, and a station-to-town walk is not the same as a flat promenade. For a day trip versus an overnight stay, compare the actual time you have in Atami.

4. Dogo: easiest to add when Matsuyama is already on your itinerary

Dogo Onsen’s three public bathhouses and the shopping street sit in the same neighbourhood. From Matsuyama Airport, the limousine bus to Dogo Onsen Station takes about 43 minutes; from JR Matsuyama Station, the tram takes about 25 minutes. The Honkan is roughly a three-minute walk from Dogo Onsen Station.

That makes Dogo a natural part of a Matsuyama or Shikoku trip, especially if you want a historic public bath and a town stroll without travelling between far-flung resort districts. It is a harder fit as a side trip from a packed Honshu itinerary: getting to Matsuyama is the main commitment, not the last walk to the bath. The Dogo day-use guide compares the Honkan, Asuka-no-yu and Tsubaki-no-yu.

5. Gero: a simple overnight from Nagoya, with one outdated bath plan to avoid

The Gero Onsen Tourism Association lists the JR journey from Nagoya to Gero at about 1 hour 30 minutes, making this the clearest fit of the five for a short break from Nagoya. The station, Hida River and central hot-spring area give an overnight visit a manageable shape. One practical detail: Gero Station does not accept transport IC cards, so arrange the rail ticket for your full journey before setting out.

Older travel posts may still show people bathing in the riverside Fountain Pool. Since December 1, 2021, the Gero Onsen Tourism Association has designated it for footbathing only; do not plan on a full-body soak there. If day bathing is your aim, use the current Gero day-use onsen guide to compare facilities that actually admit bathers.

A better way to use the ranking

Choose by the route you are already taking: Hakone or Atami for a short Tokyo break, Kusatsu for an overnight built around a hot-spring town, Gero from Nagoya, or Dogo as part of a Matsuyama trip. Use the vote counts as a shortlist, then compare the specific bath, inn and transport for your dates.

Sources and survey notes

- [Jalan Research Center: Hot-Spring Destination Ranking 2026 (Japanese PDF, published December 10, 2025)](https://jrc.jalan.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/report_HotSpringResortRanking2026.pdf) — survey dates and sample on page 1; all-ages result on pages 5–6; age-group results and vote counts on page 8. - [Hakone Navi: Access to Hakone](https://www.hakonenavi.jp/transportation/access/) — Odakyu Romancecar’s fastest listed Shinjuku–Hakone-Yumoto time. - [Kusatsu Onsen Tourism Association: Rail access](https://www.kusatsu-onsen.ne.jp/access/train.php) and [Kusatsu Onsen Tourism Association: hot-spring area information](https://www.kusatsu-onsen.ne.jp/) — published rail and bus route estimates; check current operator schedules. - [Atami City Tourism Association: “Cute & Classical Atami”](https://www.ataminews.gr.jp/ad/cute_classical/index.php) — approximate conventional-rail trip from Tokyo; [Ginza Shopping Street](https://www.ataminews.gr.jp/spot/329) — neighbourhood description and approximate walk from Atami Station; [downhill town-stroll route](https://www.ataminews.gr.jp/courses/28) — an example of the city’s sloping streets. - [Dogo Onsen: Access](https://dogo.jp/en/access.php) — airport and station transfer estimates; [Dogo Onsen: Facility Guide](https://dogo.jp/en/howto.php) — the three public bathhouses. - [Gero Onsen Tourism Association: Gero access and visitor information](https://www.gero-spa.com/spot/detail_1.html) — rail access; [Gero Onsen Tourism Association home page](https://www.gero-spa.com/) — notice that Gero Station does not accept transport IC cards; [Fountain Pool use change](https://www.gero-spa.com/topics/detail_333.html) — footbath-only rule effective December 1, 2021.

Checked: September 28, 2026