Washikura Onsen

Washikura Onsen Kogen Ryokan sits at 1,230 meters in the mountains above Fukushima, where two completely different springs well up naturally on the same property. The sulfur spring produces milky white water with indoor and outdoor baths; the iron spring runs clear with a faintly sour taste and has its own outdoor bath. The two bath areas are in opposite directions, so you change between them, which gives each its own feel. The outdoor baths look out over beech forest and mountain ridges. The ryokan is a member of Nihon Hito wo Mamoru Kai (日本秘湯を守る会), the association dedicated to preserving lesser-known hot springs. The whole place closes for winter, roughly late November through late April.