This week, we travel to scenic hot springs around Japan in winter. Admire breathtaking snow views while relaxing in secret spas and quiet inns in nature. Plus, there are lots of local delicacies to enjoy and interesting encounters to discover along the way.

For our first adventure, visit a secret spa with gorgeous snow views. Start by travelling from Tokyo through Echigoyuzawa in Niigata. Alight at Itoigawa, a town facing the Sea of Japan. Change to a local line and head to an unattended station, Oyashirazu. Walk towards the sea and go to the observation deck of Oyashirazu Memorial Park, from where you can see a beautiful view of the Sea of Japan. Walk along the shore to Michi no Eki, where there is a jade exhibition hall. It houses the biggest raw jade in the world. You can also go to the Osakana Center where seafood caught in the Sea of Japan is sold at low prices, with some items going for half the price compared to those sold at Tokyo. You can buy snow crabs and anglerfish from Oyashirazu, for example. It is said that anglerfish tastes the best during the winter season. If you want to try some delicious anglerfish, drop by a restaurant called Isaribi. You can see the Sea of Japan from its huge windows. Try the anglerfish pot, which comprises seven ingredients. The locally-caught anglerfish is served in a miso-flavoured broth and costs 1,850 yen (S$28.47). The flesh, liver and skin of anglerfish can be eaten and this delicacy will warm you up during winter.

After lunch, head back to the station. Explore the area nearby and stroll along a road, which used to be called Shio no Michi. It was used to transport salt to Nagano. There is an old sweet shop called Ikehara Kashiho, which sells a delicious confectionery called Shio-okuri no Michi. This smooth-textured delicate sweet is made of wasanbon, sticky rice flour and plum. After this tasty treat, go to a hotel where you can stay the night. If you make a booking, a car will pick you up from the station and take you to Sasakura-onsen Ryuunso in Niigata, which is 30 minutes away. It was established during the Edo period and is located deep in the mountains. Its “spa of beauties” offers beautiful snow views. The hotel’s spacious Japanese-style rooms have a veranda from where you can admire the peaceful surroundings. After unpacking, go the famous “spa of beauties” and relax in the open-air bath built in nature. You can enjoy the refreshing and smooth spa, which is supposed to be good for the skin, while taking in the beautiful view of the snow. Dinner is served in the restaurant, and you can get a good view of the garden and snow while eating. The meal comprises 13 dishes of local and seasonal food such as seasonal pink shrimp with roe, jellied broth made of “kitsune” fish, greasy cod steamed with yuzu soy sauce, mountain vegetables and kamameshi cooked in hot spring water. The next morning, after a delicious local breakfast, travel by the pick-up car to the Seaside Valley Skiing Ground. It is a popular spot during winter. End your trip by taking a 30-minute ride on a snow car. After you’ve climbed to the top, enjoy the winter view and become a child once again by playing in the snow!

For our next trip, we visit a hot spring with healing properties – Hikage Onsen - located in Akita. First, travel by plane to Odate Noshiro Airport, and take a limousine bus to Odate Station, a town full of forest and nature. Here, you will see a bronze statue of “Chuken Hachiko”, an Akita Inu breed of dog who was born in Odate in 1923. To find out more about this world famous dog, go to the Akita Inu Kaikan museum which is dedicated to the Akita Inu. The museum became a national natural monument in 1931. Odate is also famous for the Amekkoichi festival – held in February - a traditional local event with 400 years of history. During this time, you can see several hundred sweets being hung from trees. About 100 sweet shops are usually set up for the festival.

Head back to the station. There is a restaurant near the station, Hanazen, which is famous for its piping hot chicken rice box lunches. This nostalgic meal was introduced in 1947. The chicken is seasoned with soy sauce, sugar and sake, while the rice is boiled with chicken stock. After this delicious lunch, travel by Ou Main Line to Jinba Station, which is two stations away from Odate. Enjoy the beautiful winter view from the train windows during the 12-minute train ride. Jinba is the nearest station to Hikage Onsen, and if you make a booking, hotel staff will come to pick you up. Enjoy the view of the cedar forest on the way to the inn, which is surrounded by cedar trees. The hotel’s rooms are spacious and have a high ceiling. You can also get a beautiful view of the snow from the room’s windows. This hot spring resort was established in 1893. The nostalgic spa is spacious and its hot spring is said to cure diseases. In fact, the resort still has rooms catered to long-term visitors who come to cure their illnesses. Relax in the cosy open-air bath which is made of hinoki, while taking in the beautiful view of falling snow.

Next, enjoy a 15-dish dinner – comprising Akita delicacies and nostalgic local dishes - in the restaurant. Dishes include appetizers such as seasoned ostrich fern and hizunamasu; hen of the woods dobinmushi; sandfish baked with miso; and the main course which is Odate’s speciality, kiritanpo hot pot. After your meal, you may wish to proceed to the lounge, where the warmth of the firewood creates a relaxing atmosphere. The next morning, after breakfast in the restaurant, end your trip to this secret hot spring in Akita by indulging in another refreshing bath.

Our next spa adventure in winter takes places in Fukushima, a treasury of hot springs. Travel by Tohoku Shinkansen for 1.5 hours from Tokyo to Fukushima Station. From the station, take a bus heading to Tsuchiyu Onsen, a spa town located between Fukushima Station and Shinnoji Onsen – a scenic highland hot spring. Explore the town of Tsuchiyu Onsen, which is well known for producing konjac. Make your way to Konjac Workshop called Kinkonkan. Here, you can try some miso-flavoured handmade konjac, which is perfect to eat during winter as it warms you. As Tsuchiyu Onsen is also famous for producing kokeshi dolls, go to the Asahi Photo Studio Gallery, where you try your hand at kokeshi drawing. The owner of the gallery loves kokeshi, so he exhibits the works of local craftsmen here. Continue exploring the town and drop by a famous nostalgic shop where you can buy the Onsen steam bun, a speciality of the area. It has a history of 70 years and comes in five flavours, including mugwort, edamame and raisin. Each costs 73 yen (S$1.15). Munch on the warm and delicious steam buns as you soak your feet in a free public ashiyu, Kajika no Yu, outside the shop. If you’re still hungry, go to a famous soba shop called Hisago. Its speciality is pheasant tsuke-soba, which costs 1,350 yen (S$20.96). Buckwheat flour from Fukushima is used to make it. The thin pure soba and pheasant dipping sauce make a perfect combination.