Takamagahara Onsen Takamagaharaso

One of the most remote hot spring lodges in Japan, deep in the Northern Alps, the hike in takes the better part of a day regardless of which route you take, and the open-air bath is another 20-plus minutes downhill from the hut. The outdoor bath is mixed, with a partitioned women-only section. After the long trail, lowering yourself into milky alpine water with nothing but mountain wilderness around you is a moment that's hard to describe.