Onsen and "Valley of Death"
Hot water streams up to 80 degrees Celsius smoke in the middle of the rocky mountains, making visitors excited when coming to Jigokudani.
Belonging to Hokkaido province (Japan), Noboribetsu city has only about 50,000 inhabitants but each year welcomes over 3 million tourists. This is the leading onsen (hot spring) area in Japan providing 10,000 tons of natural hot water. One of the tourist attractions here is Jigokudani ("Valley of Death" in Japanese).
To describe Jigokudani, people in the area only need to say one sentence, "That is the origin of Noboribetsu Onsen". This valley spreads over an area of 11ha, including many hot springs supplying the whole region.
The name "Valley of Death" originates from the "wonderful" beauty of this place. The steaming hot water in the middle of the mountain scenery will make visitors unforgettable.
Following a wooden walkway stretching several hundred meters, you walk to the viewing platform that stops at the center of the valley.
Tessen Ike underground water source in the middle of the valley. The water temperature here reaches 80 degrees Celsius. Many guests have tossed small Japanese coins in the hope of being able to return to this place.
There are many gentle trails for you to explore the area around the valley, the shortest is nearly 600 m, just need to go within 10 minutes. When going through the forest, you can see the valley from above.
About 20 minutes away from the Valley of Death, you will reach Lake Oyunuma with a surface temperature of up to 50 degrees. There is a road around the lake for cars to pass, approaching the water's edge.
If you listen closely, you can feel the sound of boiling water bubbling in the lake. The water has a strong sulfur smell, so you will feel a bit uncomfortable when posing for photos here.
The thin white smoke when hovering over the gray and brown rocks creates a fanciful scene.
Originating from Lake Oyunuma, there is also the Oyunumagawa River that weaves through the forest. A few hundred meters of water leads to an outdoor footbath among rustling leaves.
Autumn (mid-October) is the best time to come here when the golden red leaves add to the fascinating scenery of the Valley of Death and the surrounding trails. In winter, some areas are impassable.
Don't forget to take pictures with the kind demons that protect the hot spring source. To get to the Valley of Death, you can take a train or bus from Sapporo city to Noboribetsu, then walk 5 minutes from Noboribetsu Onsen bus stop.
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Injavi.com - Visit in Japan
