Dai-ichi Takimotokan

Dai-ichi Takimotokan sits at the top of Noboribetsu Onsen, right above Jigokudani (Hell Valley), and its bathing hall is the reason people come: five different spring types split across close to three dozen tubs, indoors and out, plus a sulfur-water waterfall bath (utaseyu, 打たせ湯), a jet bath, a dry sauna and a steam sauna, and a cold bath filled with spring water carried down from Orofure Pass. The onsen water runs straight from the source, and near the day-use entrance there's a spot where you can try drinking from one of the springs. Past the baths there's an indoor pool with a waterslide, two restaurants and a lounge, and in the hotel's premium West Building rooms, private open-air onsen tubs looking over the valley. It's a big, family-oriented place, and even a lot of overnight guests say the baths alone are worth the trip.