Saitama Hyakkannon Onsen July 2nd, 2013

As circumstances would have it, I have found myself with an abundance of time on my hands. After quitting my job nearly two months ago and without a prospect in sight, my darling boyfriend invited me to tag along on one of his business trips to Saitama prefecture, the largely residential prefecture to Tokyo's north. Saitama gets a bad rap because...well...it isn't the most exciting place to be. I,too, am guilty of making cracks on this poor prefecture, or as I like to call it, The Iowa of Japan. Never in a million years did I expect to discover such an earth-shatteringly awesome onsen there.

Hyakkannon Onsen is located in　Kuki City, a three minute walk from Higashi Washinomiya Station on the JR Utsunomiya line. This onsen seems to be the pride and joy of the city. Garish, yellow, SEE ROCK CITY-esque signs line the roads leading up to it, and it is pretty hard to miss. With a large (free) parking lot and just an hour's worth of driving time between Tokyo and Kuki, I recommend going by car if possible.

First thing you need to know about this place...you'll need at least three 100 yen coins to close your lockers, so make sure you have some with you. After storing your shoes, you exchange your shoe locker key for another key in the changing room. The fee for bathing is 700 yen for three hours and of course there are all the optional Korean beauty treatment packs at various prices. They also have private baths available for 3,150 yen. From what I can tell, in addition to a private bath you also get a 'chill out room' with a TV and green tea. Anyway, we chose to do the regular one for obvious economic reasons. The locker room was spacious and bright. There were plenty of good quality blow dryers in the vanity space as well as nice shampoo, soap, and conditioner available to everyone. There were jet baths, hot baths, cold baths, reclining baths, and outdoor baths surrounded by a beautiful tropical garden. Gardenias perfumed the air and Antique Roadshow violin music played softly. Talk about YOWZA for your yen! The best part? It was nearly empty. We arrived a little before 10 AM and were the only people under 40. The ladies in my bath were polite and friendly. They were also quiet, something I really look for in a good onsen.

This onsen has an unusually high level of minerals diffused in the water. For every 1kg of water, there are 18.3 grams of mineral content. To put that into perspective, most onsen in the Kanto region have 0.5 grams. 18.3 compared with 0.5?!? Amazing. You can taste it in the air and of course in the water. Salt. Pure, natural sodium chloride. You don't just take a bath, you get coated in nature's seasoning. Because of its saltiness, the skin on my face stung a little when I touched it with the water, so be sure to keep your face dry if you have sensitive skin. Other than that, be prepared for relaxation to the max.

I can confidently say that this onsen is the BEST Kanto onsen I have visited. Its serene beauty as well as the genuine kindness of the people there make for an unforgettable experience. It is going to be awhile before I can say that Saitama isn't lame...but this experience opened my eyes and taught me that you really can't say you know a place until you have taken the time to see what's there. This onsen is spectacular in every way, and I very much want to visit again someday.

TIP Be sure to try their dango desserts from the little hut outside. A perfect post-onsen snack!