Yonezawa, Yamagata Pref. ¨C If you understand the satisfaction of a piping hot onsen (hot spring) on a cold day, or the view of fiery red leaves against a crisp autumn sky, you¡¯ll understand my disbelief when I found myself at .
The drive up the long and winding road on Ubayu¡¯s shuttle bus offered a stark contrast to my bullet train trip out of Tokyo and into central Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture, where I spent the night. I then hopped on a train to Toge Station to finally end up on this near-empty mountain road with orange and red leaves fluttering in the trees overhead. The trees eventually opened up for just a moment to reveal a glimpse of the onsen in the distance: a dark building coquettishly peeking through hills of red, orange, yellow and green foliage. After a few more minutes of bumpy driving over the last of the mountain road, I¡¯d arrived.
It wasn¡¯t easy getting to my first ³ó¾±³Ù¨ (secret onsen), but when it comes to these secluded resorts, that¡¯s entirely the point. Unlike largely urban ²õ±ð²Ô³Ù¨ (public bathhouses) and occasionally rural yet still accessible onsen, ³ó¾±³Ù¨ are a separate class of baths. While some require visitors to drive themselves for a soak, others ¡ª like Tochigi Prefecture¡¯s ¡ª are so remote that guests must hike several hours from the nearest public transit just to reach the front door.
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