Dai-ichi Takimotokan

Takimoto Kinzo became Noboribetsu's bathkeeper in 1858 and opened his inn in 1888, and his family's hotel still sits at the head of the valley against Jigokudani. Day visitors walk into a separate bath building of about 5,000 square metres with 35 tubs across the two sides. It's a big, busy place and the quickest way to try Noboribetsu's chemistry in one afternoon.

Five spring types reach the tubs straight from the source. The sulphur water at pH 2.4 clouds white and smells like the valley outside, and it feeds the waterfall jets and the sleeping baths. A salt spring keeps you warm long after you've dressed. The bicarbonate water runs red from oxidised iron, while the Glauber's salt spring at pH 2.2 is the most acidic thing in the building.

There's a heated pool and an outdoor jacuzzi in the same building for swimsuits, and you can order a drink at the counter and pick it up at the rotenburo. Reception for day bathers closes at six in the evening.