Kakugamionsen

Kakugami Onsen is located within the vast resort area of "Kakugami Village," which covers 120,000 tsubo (approximately 396,000 square meters). Here, you can experience the natural beauty of the Agano River basin, which has been selected as one of Japan's top 100 scenic spots, by taking a sightseeing boat on the first-class river, the Agano River, which shows various expressions throughout the four seasons. The valley beauty is also stunning during the summer's fresh greenery and autumn's foliage, but it's even more recommended to enjoy the snow scenery like a sumi-e ink painting in the winter of Oku-Aga. In addition, there is a private ski resort called "Kakugami Ski Resort" within the resort area, so you can also heal your tired body after moving around on the slopes.

The area where Kakugan Onsen is located is known as "Oku-Aga" in Niigata Prefecture, and is situated on the border between Niigata and Fukushima prefectures. In 2005, four towns and villages, Tsugawa-cho, Kase-cho, Mikawa-mura, and Kamikawa-mura, were newly merged to form "Aga-cho" today. Since it was under the control of the Aizu clan until the Edo period, it has inherited a unique culture that mixes the cultures of both Niigata and Fukushima. Currently, the SL Banetsu Monogatari (C57) line, which connects Niigata and Fukushima, is still in operation, and many people from both outside Niigata and Fukushima come to see its beautiful natural scenery.

If you're driving from Tokyo, enter Niigata Prefecture from the Kanetsu Expressway and continue on the Ban-etsu Expressway. It takes about 3 and a half hours from central Tokyo to Niigata Chuo IC, and then another hour from there via Tsugawa IC on the Ban-etsu Expressway to Kakugan Onsen. If you're driving from the Tohoku region, take the Tohoku Expressway and transfer to the Ban-etsu Expressway at Koriyama JCT. From there, you can go via Tsugawa IC. It takes about 3 hours from downtown Sendai. If you're taking the train, get off at Kagase Station on the Ban-etsu West Line, regardless of whether you're coming from the Tokyo or Tohoku direction.