Kurokawa

Kurokawa Onsen is a hot spring village folded into a forested river gorge in the highlands of Kumamoto Prefecture, north of the Aso volcano. About thirty ryokan share the ravine, and the village banned flashy signage decades ago, so stone paths and rising steam set the scene instead.

The wooden tegata pass admits you to a choice of rotenburo, the open-air baths that made the village famous, ranging from riverside pools to cave baths. Bath-hopping in yukata between inns is the whole activity, and the village center is small enough to wander without a map.

Day visits work, but Kurokawa rewards a night, when the lanes empty and dinner runs long on mountain vegetables and Higo beef. Buses reach the village from Kumamoto and Aso, and autumn leaf season is the favorite time. Winter snow on the bath stones is the connoisseur's choice.