An onsen town that cools its water with song
In the middle of Kusatsu, hot spring water runs steaming down wooden troughs called the yubatake, or "hot water field," to cool before it reaches the baths. Nearby, performers stir the water with long wooden boards while singing a folk song, a cooling method called yumomi, and the public baths around the square welcome day visitors. It is about 3 hours from Tokyo by limited express and bus.
Hot water pours down wooden troughs in the middle of town, sending up clouds of white steam, and spills into a pool as a small waterfall. It is lit up at night.
Performers stir the water with long wooden boards to the rhythm of Kusatsu-bushi, a local folk song, in a wooden hall facing the yubatake. Shows run six times a day for 700 yen, and you can try yumomi yourself.
A free public bath right next to the yubatake, with wooden tubs of strongly acidic water. Open from 8am to 11pm.
A day-use bathhouse rebuilt in the style of an old Kusatsu bathhouse, with a wooden bath and a stone bath, each fed by a different hot spring source. You can rent a yukata, a light cotton kimono, for 300 yen to relax in after your soak.
A temple at the top of the stone steps above the yubatake, with a view down over the steaming troughs.
A park where hot spring water flows as a steaming stream between the rocks, with a large open-air bath at the far end. About 15 minutes on foot from the yubatake.