Noboribetsu
登別42°30′ N 141°09′ EOnsen townPop. 42,727South
Hokkaido's best-known onsen town sits at the mouth of a steaming volcanic valley, with nine kinds of spring water and demon statues on every corner.
Photo by Sugarman Joe on Unsplash and others, credited in the gallery
Who should base here
Stay in Noboribetsu for a big onsen hotel and the most varied hot spring water in Hokkaido. It suits rest days and the last night before a flight from New Chitose.
The name
nupur-pet
ヌプㇽ・ペッThe river of deep-coloured water
ainu
The Noboribetsu River runs milky and tinted from the hot springs, and the Ainu name describes that colour; Yamada Hidezō gives nupur-pet, 'dark-coloured river'. The explorer Mogami Tokunai wrote in the 1790s of a stream called Noboribetsu whose water looked as if white powder and blue pigment had been stirred into it, so that you could never see the bottom. The city was called Horobetsu (poro-pet, 'big river') until 1961, when it took the better-known name of its onsen. The population figure is for the whole city.
SourceEat · 食べる
Aji no Daiou Noboribetsu Onsen味の大王 登別温泉店ramen¥
This is the home of 'jigoku' Hell Ramen, served at whatever chilli level you dare. Lunch only, 11:30–15:00; closed Tuesdays.
Ramen Ajijimanラーメン味自慢ramen¥
A miso ramen shop of more than sixty years. Order the red miso bowl made with Hokkaido miso.
Ramen Tenhoラーメン天鳳ramen¥
Tenho simmers its miso ramen for hours to a family recipe, and the menu also runs to yakiniku and a rare stew of venison and bear meat.
Ramen Izakaya Chibaラーメン居酒屋ち葉izakaya¥
An izakaya with tatami seating that ends the night with a kombu-stock miso ramen. The handmade gyōza are packed with vegetables.
lumoplank / Wikimedia Commons · CC0 NOBOJINNOBOJINyakiniku¥¥
A Genghis Khan grill in the onsen town cooking fresh lamb on the domed pan over charcoal.
Isekura炭火焼＆ラーメンいせくらyakiniku¥¥
Isekura grills everything from salt-marinated offal to Genghis Khan over charcoal, and you finish with ramen.
adex BAKERY & CAFEadex BAKERY&CAFEbakery¥
Fresh bread every day and a café open 8:00–22:00 with Wi-Fi and power outlets.
Drink · 飲む
Bar Seventy Onebar
This late bar in the onsen town opens 20:00–3:00; closed Sundays.
Do · 遊ぶ
Benny Ang / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 Jigokudani (Hell Valley)walk
A boardwalk runs through the steaming crater above town, which feeds most of Noboribetsu's springs. Go early in the morning before the coaches arrive.
Oni-bi no Michiwalk
Lanterns light the path from town into Jigokudani every night of the year from sunset to 21:30.
bryan... / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 Noboribetsu Bear Parksight
A ropeway ride above the onsen town to a park of Hokkaido brown bears with views over Lake Kuttara.
enqvist lau / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 Noboribetsu Date Jidaimuraculture
This Edo-period theme park with ninja and samurai shows is a short drive down the hill.
Noboribetsu Onsen is built below Jigokudani, whose name means Hell Valley. Steam pours out of a raw crater of yellow and grey rock, and you can smell the sulphur from the car park. About ten thousand tonnes of hot water a day come up here in nine different types, and the big hotels pipe it straight into their baths. The town leans into the theme. Painted oni demons stand on street corners and outside shops, and at night the Oni-bi no Michi path of lanterns leads up from the town into the valley until 21:30.
It is a soak destination more than a riding base, and it pairs well with Rusutsu or Lake Toya at the end of a trip. After the bath, try the Hell Ramen at Aji no Daiou, where you choose your level of chilli and people who finish the hottest get their names on the wall. Ramen Ajijiman has served miso ramen for over sixty years. NOBOJIN grills Genghis Khan over charcoal, and Bar Seventy One stays open until 3:00 for anyone the onsen has not put to sleep.
Quick answers about Noboribetsuよくある質問
What does the name Noboribetsu mean?
Noboribetsu comes from the local name nupur-pet, meaning the river of deep-coloured water. The Noboribetsu River runs milky and tinted from the hot springs, and the Ainu name describes that colour; Yamada Hidezō gives nupur-pet, 'dark-coloured river'. The explorer Mogami Tokunai wrote in the 1790s of a stream called Noboribetsu whose water looked as if white powder and blue pigment had been stirred into it, so that you could never see the bottom. The city was called Horobetsu (poro-pet, 'big river') until 1961, when it took the better-known name of its onsen. The population figure is for the whole city.
Is Noboribetsu a good place to stay?
Stay in Noboribetsu for a big onsen hotel and the most varied hot spring water in Hokkaido. It suits rest days and the last night before a flight from New Chitose.
How do you get to Noboribetsu?
JR limited express trains stop at Noboribetsu Station, and Donan Bus runs up to the Noboribetsu Onsen bus terminal. By car it is about an hour from New Chitose Airport on the Do-o Expressway, and a little under an hour from Lake Toya.
Ride from Noboribetsu近くの山
Stay in Noboribetsu宿
Hot springs nearby温泉
Paid links
Line up the trip around Noboribetsu
Some of these links pay us a commission. It costs you nothing and keeps the guide independent. How the links work