Niseko Grand Hotel

Niseko Grand Hotel has one of the largest outdoor baths in the Konbu Onsen cluster, and it's mixed, so couples and groups of friends can soak together straight off the hill. You buy a ticket from the machine at the entrance and register at the front desk. The winter price covers towels and a yuami-gi. That's the cotton bathing wrap everyone wears in the mixed pool.

The hotel owns two wells and blends them in the garden bath. Well No. 1 comes up clear and turns a cloudy green-tea brown once its iron meets the air, while Well No. 3 stays clear with a green tint. Both are salty bicarbonate water, so they hold warmth in your legs and feel slippery on the skin. In winter only the big tub by the doorway stays open because the smaller pools can't hold their heat.

On cleaning days the mixed bath is drained in the morning and refills around 2:30 in the afternoon, so check the schedule before you drive over from Moiwa. Women who'd rather skip the mixed pool have their own outdoor bath with both waters. Day visitors get free tea brewed from the local Kanro spring water.