Honzawa Onsen is an alpine hot spring located at an elevation of 2,150 meters in the Northern Yatsugatake mountains, making it one of Japan’s highest open-air baths. It's just a short 5-minute walk from the Honzawa Onsen mountain hut, a popular stop for hikers traversing the beautiful mountain trails (it takes 1~2 hours of hiking in the woods to get to the mountain hut).

The price to enter the onsen is 1,000 yen, which grants you access to this secluded hot spring that feels completely integrated with nature.

Most bathers at Honzawa Onsen follow the Japanese custom of entering the bath naked, but if you're not accustomed to this, wearing a swimsuit is perfectly acceptable.

I'm already looking forward to returning in the winter, when the mountains are blanketed in snow.