Noboribetsu
Noboribetsu, in Noboribetsu City within the Iburi General Subprefectural Bureau of Hokkaido, is one of Japan's premier hot spring towns — earning the nickname «department store of hot springs» because of its nine distinct water types. Producing about 10,000 tonnes of hot spring water daily (roughly 1.5 Tokyo Domes), its natural outflow ranks among the world's largest. The main landmark, Noboribetsu Jigokudani («Hell Valley»), is a roughly 450 m-wide, 11-hectare crater formed by the eruption of Mt. Kuttara about 10,000 years ago — an active volcanic zone where steam, volcanic gas, and hot spring water continue to vent. With the natural footbath of Oyunuma River (where iron-rich water flows like a stream), Oku-no-Yu (a 7,000 m² sulfur-spring lake), walking paths through steaming valleys, and the «Oni Hanabi» fireworks of July–August, it offers dynamic onsen photography.
Highlights
- Noboribetsu Jigokudani — a 450 m-wide, 11-hectare crater with steaming valleys and walking paths
- Oyunuma — a 1 km-perimeter, 7,000 m² sulfur-spring lake with surface temperatures of 40–50 °C, mystical pale-blue waters
- Oyunuma River Natural Footbath — a hot spring stream flowing from Oyunuma, free to enjoy as a forest footbath
- Oku-no-Yu — adjacent to Oyunuma, an ash-gray pond extending the Jigokudani's otherworldly landscape
- Evening Illumination and Oni Hanabi (July–August) — the Jigokudani path is illuminated at night, with the «demon fireworks» festival in summer
