Photo/Illutration Tourists stroll in a hot spring area of Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, in October 2020. (Koichi Ueda)

Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture has reclaimed its position as the nation’s most popular hot spring resort after being surprisingly ousted last year, according to a survey.

In 2022, the Kusatsu onsen in Gunma Prefecture toppled Hakone in annual rankings released by the Jalan Research Center, which specializes in tourism and leisure activities. Hakone had held the top position for 15 years.

The ranking for 2023 was based on a survey of members of the Jalan Net travel website in late August that produced 13,375 valid responses.

Respondents were asked to pick the resort they would like to visit again from 328 sites nationwide. Up to five multiple answers were permitted.

Hakone was particularly popular among people in their 20s through 40s.

The hot spring resort, which is within easy reach of Tokyo, was highly regarded for its good balance among ambience, accessibility and rich greenery.

The center said onsen operators and other local businesses in Hakone develop tourism strategies based on questionnaires that visitors are asked to complete and offer nature education activities themed on sustainability to attract visitors.

2023 ranking of best hot spring resorts in Japan

1 Hakone (Kanagawa Prefecture)

2 Kusatsu (Gunma Prefecture)

3 Noboribetsu (Hokkaido)

4 Dogo (Ehime Prefecture)

5 Beppu (Oita Prefecture)

6 Kurokawa (Kumamoto Prefecture)

7 Arima (Hyogo Prefecture)

8 Atami (Shizuoka Prefecture)

9 Yufuin (Oita Prefecture)

10 Gero (Gifu Prefecture)

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