Kinugawa Onsen is a hot spring resort in the city of Nikko, Tochigi, Japan, located adjacent the river valley that lies between Mt. Dai-hyuga-san and Mt. Shaka-ga-take, on the upper stream of the Kinu-gawa River that runs through the central part of Tochigi.

Located two hours by train from Tokyo, hot springs were first found in the area in 1691. Initially, only the Daimyo who built the Nikko Shrine and the Buddhists monks of Mount Nikko were allowed to bathe in the onsen. While in Kinugawa, you should definitely take the boat ride, called Kinugawa-rhine-kudari, from Kinugawa onsen to Otoro along a 6km stretch of river which takes about 40 minutes. The boats are in operation from mid-April to mid-November.

Another must-do is to try out the three footbaths at “Kinuta-no-yu,” located in the square in front of Kinugawa Station. There is no excuse as they are free to the public!

Kinugawa Onsen is also close to the famous world heritage site of Nikko, which as Toshogu Shrine, Kegon-no-taki Waterfall and Lake Chuzenji. Other attractions are Tobu World Square, Western Village and Edo Wonderland Nikko and Nikko-sarugundan (monkey) Theater.