Nakagawa Onsen Buna Hot Spring

Quiet tattoo friendly onsen located near Tanzawa Lake. Situated about an hour from Yokosuka, Yokohama, and Tokyo on the Tanzawa Mountain. We came here because this onsen is 2 - 3 minutes away from our campsite, that we stayed at the night prior. Decent size, the water does not have as strong as a smell compared to most other onsen. However the male onsen did have massage sprayers in the indoor bath. The outside scenery adds to the unique theme.

We visited on a snowy day. Sitting in the rotenburo, a deep gently-steaming pool of clear mountain water, gazing out on a turquoise river of meltwater and the snowy mountainside... everyone needs to experience this once in a lifetime. This is a plain, comfortable, essentially Japanese onsen, tucked away in the Tanzawa range, an easy day trip from Tokyo, quieter and more reasonably priced than the over-developed Hakone onsen towns. Memorable

I gave this 3 stars. But it’s 2 stars in the available baths. Came here following a day of relaxing in the river. It’s crowded! Not much in the way of amenities. It seemed very much an old mountain side onsen without frills. Which the coast betrays. Two baths. Neither extremely hot. Lockers off the hinges. Body soap and shampoo, no conditioner. Yeah, I’m not in love here. And it benefits from location.

I went during Golden Week. The water in the river was too cold for me to fully dunk myself in, but lots of children seemed to have no trouble jumping in the frigid waters. I have no idea how they didn't catch hypothermia. The onsen nearby is a nice treat to warm up at. It wasn't too crowded during Golden Week but I imagine the warmer summer days might see periods of increased activity.

This area is beautiful and this onsen is the perfect place after a day of hiking. It was around $7 for an adult and $4.50 for a child (4 and over). They allowed us to enter with tattoos. There was shampoo and body wash provided. After you can enjoys the typical drinks or beer and shop for souvenirs to take home.