Spend the Night in Kurokawa Onsen, One of Japan’s Most Scenic Onsen Towns

As much as I love big modern cities like Osaka and Sapporo, it’s the little rural towns like this one that I love most. They make me feel like I’m in the real Japan.

I went on a FAM trip to Western Japan earlier this year and one of the places we visited was Kinosaki Onsen in Hyogo. Like Kurokawa Onsen, it’s a beautiful and atmospheric onsen town known for its wooden buildings, ryokans, and numerous hot spring baths. The Japanese would go there to engage in rotemburo meguri, which is the practice of hopping from one onsen to another, so it was common to see people walking around town wearing only yukatas and getas. It was an exceedingly charming town, one that looked straight out of a Japanese period film, and it made me yearn for a true onsen experience.

I had read nothing but wonderful things about Kurokawa Onsen. Tucked away high up in the mountains of Kumamoto, it’s known for being one of the most beautiful onsen towns in Japan, making it an ideal final stop…