Yunishigawa Onsen

What to know

Yunishigawa Onsen (湯西川温泉) is a small hot spring town nestled in a remote valley in the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture, about an hour by bus further into the mountains from Kinugawa Onsen.

The town was founded after the Taira clan (also known as the Heike clan) was defeated by the Minamoto clan (Genji clan) for control of Japan near the end of the Heian Period (710–1185). Many Taira members fled to remote areas, and Yunishigawa became one of their hidden settlements.

Strict rules were enforced to keep the town undiscovered, such as bans on chickens (because of their crowing) and koinobori carp streamers (since the bright colors could be seen from afar). Interestingly, some of these bans are still observed today, even though the town has long been on the map. The open-air museum Heike no Sato displays about a dozen old homes that illustrate the daily life of villagers in the past.

Thanks to its hot springs, Yunishigawa Onsen has become a tourist destination in recent times, offering a range of accommodations from rustic ryokan to large hotels. Several lodgings serve dinners of local cuisine around a fireplace (irori).

Yunishigawa receives considerable snow in winter, attracting visitors with riverside outdoor baths surrounded by snow. An even more popular winter attraction is the Yunishigawa Kamakura Festival (Yunishigawa Snow House Festival), during which hundreds of snow houses (kamakura) of various sizes are built and illuminated in the evenings around town and along the river.

The Yunishigawa Kamakura Festival is held every year around February (January 30 to March 1, 2026) at multiple sites across town. The main site is Heike no Sato, which features snow houses and is lit up in the evenings until 21:00. A nearby riverside site has many mini snow houses and is illuminated on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Various outdoor activities can be enjoyed at other sites.