This is a dynamic list of geothermalhot springs (onsen) as geological phenomena in Japan. This list is not for listing commercial establishments such as spa hotels, onsen ryokan, healing centers or other commercial establishments.
Natural iron hot spring, Beppu, JapanSukunabikona, the kami of hot springs, dances on a rock at the Dōgo Onsen while Okuninushi watches.Izu Province, The Hot Springs of the Shuzen Temple woodcut by Utagawa HiroshigeNihon fūkei senshū, Ōsumi Anraku onsen by Kawase Hasui
Japan has many geothermal spring systems as it is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire volcanic area. More than 27,000 hot spring sources exist in Japan,[1] together they discharge over 2.6 million liters of water every minute.[2]
These springs have played, and continue to play, an important role in Japanese culture throughout history.[3][4] In Shinto, Sukunabikona is the kami of the hot springs. As the deity of hot springs Sukunabikona and Ōkuninushi went to the Dōgo hot springs. There Ōkuninushi put Sukunabikona in the hot spring water to heal him of an ailment. Upon awakening, Sukunabikona danced atop a stone. It is said that his footprints left impressions on the rock, known as Tamanoishi, which still exists at Dogo Onsen north of the main building.[5][6]
Tamagawa Onsen, Akita prefectureBeppu Chinoike-jigoku, Ōita prefectureYudomari seaside onsen, Kagoshima prefectureTakanoyu Onsen, Akita prefectureWinter bathing at Tsuru-no-yu roten-buro in Nyūtō, AkitaOld Tsuru-no-yu Bathhouse in Nyūtō Onsen area, Akita
Hokkaido Prefecture has the third most hot springs with 2,304 registered. The hot springs in the prefecture have the second highest discharge rate of water at 260 kiloliters per minute.[1]
Kagoshima prefecture has the second most hot springs in Japan, with 2,824 registered.[1] The hot springs systems in Kagoshima have the third highest discharge rate at 201 kiloliters per minute.[1]
Higashi Onsen and one other hot spring (Tamagawa Onsen in Akita) have the highest acidity content in its water at a PH value of 1.2, of all the hot springs in Japan.[1]
Beppu Umi-jigoku, Ōita prefectureWomen and children take a hot sand bath at a hot spring in Beppu
Oita is the prefecture with the most geothermal spring sources in Japan, 4,788 are registered. The prefecture also has the highest discharge rate of 296 kiloliters per minute[1]
Bro, Lindsey (2022). Thermal: Healing with Heat - Saunas, Hot Springs & Baths. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. p.182. ISBN978-1-7972-1857-1.
Ishizu, Risaku. The Mineral Springs of Japan (1915), published by Sankyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo Imperial Hygienic Laboratory for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition
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