Oct 17, 2019 (BBC) - Perched beside the Kurobe River deep in the Japanese Alps, the small, milky-blue hot spring I was about to dip my toes into was a rather simple affair. A handful of yellow buckets served as washing stations, and clothes were balanced on nearby rocks. This was no luxury spa experience – but that was the beauty of it.
For more than 1,000 years, natural hot springs – known as onsen – have been an essential part of Japanese life, cleansing both the body and soul. There are more than 3,000 onsen to choose from in Japan. Mineral-rich and sourced directly from the 25,000 thermal springs that bubble beneath the surface of the geothermal archipelago, the baths provide a sanctuary for personal reflection and community, as families, friends and neighbours shed their clothes and step into the steaming waters together. From smart, inner-city spas to ocean-side caves, each of Japan’s onsen offers certain charms – but one is set in a location like no other.
Known as Japan’s most remote onsen, Takamagahara (literally: “the high plains of heavenâ€) takes two days to reach – a true pilgrimage of dedication for the most extreme bathers. In order to soak in its restorative waters in the Chubu-Sangaku National Park, hikers and onsen-devotees trek 40km through forests and along rivers, clamber up steep inclines and spend nights in a series of isolated mountain huts. This is no beginner’s trail: it is a true expedition, requiring physical endurance as well as a deep understanding of the capricious mountain climate.
The reward lies in a modest cluster of baths set deep in a rocky valley. While the views, minerals and designs are unique to every Japanese onsen, they each share an intangible connection to nature. In today’s increasingly urbanised world, it’s unsurprising that open-air baths, known as rotenburo, are among the most highly sought after, offering a glimpse of a starry night sky and a cooling breeze as bathers recline in the mineral-rich waters. Miles from civilisation, surrounded by alpine trees and serenaded with the sound of rushing water, Takamagahara is the zenith of the rotenburo experience.
While a four-day round-trip hike may seem extreme, Japan’s tradition of pilgrimage stretches back centuries – a perfect example of the journey being equal to, if not transcending, the destination. Once visited by Edo-era pilgrims, the mountains surrounding Takamagahara were deified and seen as manifestations of kami, or spirits of Japan’s indigenous Shinto religion.
