Noboribetsu
Noboribetsu is an onsen town in south-west Hokkaido, within the Shikotsu-Toya National Park, fed by the volcanic valley of Jigokudani, whose springs send out some ten thousand tonnes of water a day in nine kinds.
Jigokudani, above Noboribetsu
- Region
- Hokkaido
- Journeys
- Four include Noboribetsu
overview
A valley of steam above the town, and nine kinds of water below it.
Noboribetsu takes its name from Ainu words usually read as a cloudy river, for the milky water that runs down from the volcano. Above the town lies Jigokudani, Hell Valley, a crater about 450 metres across where steam rises from vents in pale yellow and rust-red rock, and every onsen in the town is fed from it. Few onsen towns in Japan have so many kinds of water in one place: sulphur, salt, iron, alum and others, each said to suit a different need.
The springs were known to the Ainu, and an inn was opened here in the 1850s for the miners and travellers of the new road. The town grew into one of the most celebrated onsen resorts of Hokkaido, a single street of ryokan and shops in a wooded valley, with the steam of Jigokudani visible from the end of it.
Beyond the springs, Noboribetsu is a gateway to the island's first people. Half an hour away at Shiraoi, on the shore of Lake Poroto, Upopoy, the National Ainu Museum and Park, opened in 2020 to keep the language, embroidery, carving and music of the Ainu. Lake Toya and Lake Shikotsu, the two great caldera lakes of the national park, are each about an hour away.
The town is made for a slow day. The walk up to Jigokudani takes ten minutes from the ryokan, the path to Oyunuma and the footbath in the forest about an hour at an easy pace, and the evening belongs to the onsen and the table: Hokkaido crab, scallops from Funka Bay and the beef and dairy of the island's farms, served in courses in a private room.
Our tours stay overnightOur tours visit for the dayOn a Custom Tour of Japan
see and do
What to see in Noboribetsu
Jigokudani
The crater valley above the town, walked on wooden boardwalks among steaming vents and rock stained yellow and red by minerals.
Oyunuma
A crater pond of grey water on the slopes of Mount Hiyori, its surface steaming among the trees, its depths far hotter, fed by the volcano beneath it.
The Oyunuma River footbath
A warm stream that flows from Oyunuma through the forest, where a short wooded path leads to a natural footbath on its bank, the water at the temperature of a gentle onsen.
Oyunuma, above the town Mount Hiyori
The volcano of 377 metres that feeds the springs, still breathing steam from its summit, seen across Oyunuma from the observation point.
Lake Kuttara
A small, almost round caldera lake in the hills above the town, its water among the clearest in Japan, ringed by forest with no building on its shore.
Upopoy, the National Ainu Museum and Park
The national centre for Ainu culture at Shiraoi, half an hour away, with galleries of embroidered robes, carved trays and tools, a reconstructed village, and performances of traditional dance and the mukkuri, the mouth harp.
The onsen street
The single street of the town, climbing towards the valley between ryokan, shops and steam rising from the drains, with Jigokudani at its head.
Sengen Park
A small park on the onsen street where a hot spring geyser sends a column of steaming water into the air at intervals through the day.
Lake Poroto
The quiet lake at Shiraoi on whose shore Upopoy stands, ringed by forest, with a level path along the water between the galleries and the village.
experiences
The best of Noboribetsu
An evening in a ryokan's onsen
The waters of Jigokudani in the open-air onsen of a ryokan, set in a garden, followed by kaiseki in a private room: Hokkaido crab, scallops and beef in courses.
Upopoy with a specialist
A morning at the National Ainu Museum with a guide who explains the galleries and the performances, and the place of the Ainu in Hokkaido's history.
Jigokudani in the evening
The boardwalks of the valley when the steam rises against the darkening sky and the day visitors have gone, a short walk from the ryokan.
The footbath in the forest
A level walk through the woods to the Oyunuma River, and an hour with your feet in the warm stream under the trees.
plan your visit
Noboribetsu on a journey through Japan
- How long to stay
- One or two nights; two allows an afternoon at Jigokudani, a morning at Upopoy and a full evening in the ryokan.
- Getting there
- By private car from New Chitose Airport in about fifty minutes, or from Sapporo in about an hour and a quarter. The limited express from Sapporo to Noboribetsu Station takes a little over an hour, then fifteen minutes by car up to the onsen town. Hakodate is about two and a half hours by train.
where to stay
Luxury hotels and ryokan in Noboribetsu
The ryokan of Noboribetsu line the main street of the onsen town, all drawing on the springs of Jigokudani. The best of them have open-air onsen in gardens of their own and dining in private rooms. One, at the centre of the town, has an open-air onsen set in its Japanese garden, rooms with onsen of their own, and kaiseki served in private.
journeys
Tours of Japan that include Noboribetsu
Each journey below includes Noboribetsu; choose one to see its route, dates and price. For a journey on your own dates, the Custom Tour of Japan can include Noboribetsu and anywhere else you would like to go.
SummerThe Wild North Tour of Hokkaido
11 days27 July to 6 August 2027$21,500per person, twin shareSee the journey
SummerThe Summer Tour of Hokkaido
12 days25 June to 6 July 2027, or 11 to 22 July 2027$18,500per person, twin shareSee the journey
SpringThe Cherry Blossom Tour of Hokkaido
13 days28 April to 10 May 2027$18,500per person, twin shareSee the journey
The Private CollectionPure Hokkaido
9 daysOn the dates you choose$21,600per person, twin shareSee the journey
Planned around youThe Custom Tour of Japan
Your party aloneWith your own Tour DirectorFrom five nights, on the dates you chooseSee the journey
questions
Noboribetsu: questions answered
How do you get to Noboribetsu from Sapporo?
By the limited express to Noboribetsu Station in a little over an hour, then fifteen minutes by car to the onsen town, or by private car in about an hour and a quarter.
How long should you stay in Noboribetsu?
One or two nights. Two allows Jigokudani, the Oyunuma footbath and Upopoy at an easy pace, with a long evening in a ryokan.
What is special about Noboribetsu Onsen?
Its nine kinds of spring water, among them sulphur, salt and iron, all drawn from the volcanic valley of Jigokudani above the town.
Is Noboribetsu close to New Chitose Airport?
Yes, about fifty minutes by private car, which makes it a natural first or last night of a Hokkaido journey.
What is Jigokudani?
Hell Valley, a volcanic crater about 450 metres across above Noboribetsu, where steam rises from vents in mineral-stained rock. Wooden boardwalks lead through it from the top of the town.
How far is Upopoy from Noboribetsu?
About half an hour by car. Upopoy, the National Ainu Museum and Park, stands on Lake Poroto at Shiraoi.
What kinds of water are there at Noboribetsu?
Nine, among them sulphur, salt, iron, alum and acidic springs, each with its own colour and character. Most ryokan draw on more than one, so a stay can take in several in an evening.
Which Luxury Japan Travel journeys include Noboribetsu?
The Wild North Tour of Hokkaido, The Summer Tour of Hokkaido, The Cherry Blossom Tour of Hokkaido and Pure Hokkaido include nights in Noboribetsu. The Custom Tour of Japan can include Noboribetsu on any dates, created around your party alone.
Can Noboribetsu be part of a private tour of Japan?
Yes. The Custom Tour of Japan is created around your party alone, on your dates, with a Tour Director beside you, and it can include Noboribetsu. For independent travel, the Expert Japan Itinerary plans every day for you.
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Noboribetsu, planned for you.
Tell us when you would like to travel and what draws you to Noboribetsu. We will answer with a journey shaped around it: one of our tours, a journey of The Private Collection, or a Custom Tour of Japan created around your party alone.