Kusatsu Onsen Town at Night

Lit-up 'field' of very hot water at popular hot spring

Cathy Cawood Sep 19, 2015 - 1 min read

<p>The "hot water field" is surrounded by character buildings housing shops and restaurants</p>

<p>Looking across the 'hot water field'</p>

<p>Hot water pours down a wooden chute at the lower end of the the 'hot water field'</p>

<p>Lights reflect in the turquoise pool at one end</p>

<p>A row of wooden chutes designed to cool the extremely hot water</p>

<p>A stone lantern stands at the top of a steaming waterfall</p>

<p>Probably this popular hot spring town is always busy with tourists</p>

<p>At night this restaurant looks so lively and inviting!</p>

<p>On the left, lit up stairs lead to a temple, and in the foreground is a small shrine where people throw coins</p>

<p>One of the town's free public baths stands nearby</p>

Kusatsu in Gunma Prefecture is a very popular hot spring town with old world charm and lots of very hot water. The heart of the town is the 'hot water field' (Yubatake in Japanese). The hot water flows through rows of wooden chutes designed to expose the water to air and cool it. At night the 'hot water field' is lit up, as are the shops and restaurants around it. It looks beautiful and slightly surreal.

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Find out more about Kusatsu Onsen.

Cathy Cawood @cathy.cawood

I came to Japan in 2003 to teach English. I lived in Shiga prefecture for 1 year, and it still holds a special place in my heart. I lived in Kyoto for 9 years, then moved to Machida, Tokyo in 2014 after meeting my Japanese partner. I love to take photos, and my Japan in Pictures Facebook page ha...