A Slow Japanese Winter: Ginzan Onsen, Kusatsu Onsen, and the SL Fuyu no Shitsugen

A winter trip to Japan does not have to be filled with ski resorts and shopping malls. Ginzan Onsen in Yamagata is a good place to slow down at dusk and watch the gas lamps come on along both sides of the river. Kusatsu Onsen in Gunma can take a whole afternoon for a soak and snacks on the hot-spring street. Over in eastern Hokkaido, there is a chance to board a real steam sightseeing train and watch the Kushiro wetland slide slowly past the window.

The three places share a winter mood, but the way of traveling them is very different. Ginzan means sorting out a room, or the transport into the hot-spring street, before anything else. Kusatsu is easier to plan from Tokyo. The SL 冬の湿原号 has to follow designated running days and the hour tickets go on sale. If a slower Japanese winter is what you are putting together, getting to know these three scenes first is a lot easier than forcing every sight into one itinerary.

Ginzan, Kusatsu, or the SL 冬の湿原号? Start with the comparison

Ginzan, Kusatsu, and Kushiro sit in Tohoku, Kanto, and eastern Hokkaido. They are not three sights next door to each other. With only 4 or 5 days off, picking one region and doing it properly is already worthwhile. Doing all three in one go means extra days on the road and a larger budget.

1. Ginzan Onsen: when the gas lamps come on, the wooden ryokan feel even more themselves

Say Ginzan Onsen, and a lot of people picture wooden ryokan on both sides of the stream, eaves loaded with snow, and gas lamps lighting up one by one. The hot-spring street is small, and it has a mood that makes you want to walk more slowly. In the daytime you can follow the Ginzan River and look at lattice windows, bridges, and the old buildings. When the light drops, the lamps on the snow are a different scene.

Ginzan’s history is tied to silver mining nearby. The ryokan you see today keep a strong Taisho to early Showa look. Online, people often call it a real-life stand-in for Spirited Away, but that is a travel way of talking, not an officially confirmed model for the film’s locations. The night view is already easy to recognize without borrowing the movie.

When are you most likely to see snow?

For snow on the roofs and lamps along a snowy bank, the trip is usually set in 1–2 (January through February). There is a chance of snow in 12 (December), and early 3 (March) can still have some, though the cold snap and the snow cover change from year to year. Ginzan is genuinely beautiful in a heavy snow, and shoes get wet easily, especially where the bridge deck, stone steps, and riverside paths may ice over. Boots with a grip, or soles that hold on ice, are more useful than a nice ordinary leather boot worn for the photo.

It helps to split photos between daytime and dusk. Daytime shows the wooden ryokan in detail, and it is also easier to fit a meal in. Dusk is the lamp hour a lot of people are waiting for. On a day trip, do not assume you can stay as late as you feel like staying. Winter crowds and the transport setup can limit entry and how long you are allowed to remain.

How do you get to Ginzan Onsen? Does winter transport need a booking first?

From Tokyo, a common way is the Yamagata Shinkansen to Oishida Station, then a bus toward Ginzan Onsen or a pickup reserved ahead of time. Buses are not as frequent as city trains, and snow can delay them too. If you are staying in Yamagata City, local sightseeing buses, or trips that leave via Tendo and similar towns, are also worth a look.

What needs the most attention in winter is how narrow the road into the hot-spring street is. According to Ginzan Onsen’s official notices and Obanazawa City announcements, past snow seasons already used entry adjustments, vehicle controls, and a transfer shuttle at Taisho Roman Hall (大正ろまん館). A local notice from autumn 2026 also says winter controls on self-driving will run from 12/2026 through early 3/2027. So even with a rental car or a chartered car, confirm first whether you have to park at 大正ろまん館 and transfer, rather than driving straight into the street.

If the night view is the point, it is worth confirming, before you book the transport, whether that year’s shuttle is by reservation, what time the last return leaves, which hours you are allowed to stay, and whether your lodging can offer a pickup. Those details can be checked on the Ginzan Onsen official website and Obanazawa City tourism information.

Is one night at Ginzan Onsen worth it?

If a snowy night with gas lamps, and a quiet street in the morning, are what you most want, one night usually fits the trip better than rushing back the same day. You are not watching the last bus all evening, and the next morning you can walk the street before the larger crowds arrive. Rooms on the street are limited, and popular winter room types are often gone early. Quite a few traditional ryokan also have set meal times, shuttle rules, and a cap on how many guests can stay.

When you book, look first at which months the ryokan’s own website has opened. There is no need to take “always half a year ahead” as a blanket rule. Some inns only release rooms for the next few months, and others have their own phone line, website, or booking-site setup. If nothing on the Ginzan street is left, Oishida, Tendo, or Yamagata City can work as a base, and you go in by the day-trip transport approved for that year. If a ryokan does not bathe people who are not staying, do not treat a walk past the door as a sure soak.

What else fits easily near Ginzan?

With Yamagata City as a base, Yamadera, the Yamagata city streets, or Zao Onsen can fit if the time is there. A Tohoku rail trip can also fold in the moves around Oishida Station. These places are not hit by winter wind and snow to the same degree, so the actual order depends on how the connections line up. Running Ginzan, Zao, and Yamadera in one day looks like a lot of sights, and much of that day can end up as waiting for a ride.

2. Kusatsu Onsen: walk into Yubatake and watch the heat rise off a winter street

Ginzan leans on wooden ryokan at night. Kusatsu’s most distinctive view sits right in the middle of the hot-spring street. You may catch a light sulfur scent before you even reach Yubatake. Greenish-white water runs down rows of wooden channels, steam lifts into the cold air, and around it are ryokan, restaurants, souvenir shops, and foot baths. Even without a heavy snowfall, the contrast of heat and cold air already feels like a town built for soaking.

Kusatsu is counted with Arima and Gero as one of Japan’s three famous hot springs. The Kusatsu tourism association says Yubatake sends up about 4,000 liters of spring water a minute. Wooden channels cool the water, and the deposited mineral, yunohana, can be gathered there. So Yubatake is not a backdrop built for photos. It is a facility that has long been tied to how the hot spring is actually used.

How do you spend the day and the night at Yubatake?

Daytime is good for a slow loop, watching the channels and the water falling off them, then finding a shop for onsen manju, grilled dango, or soba. There are foot baths nearby. When the walking adds up, sit down and watch people in yukata moving along the street. After the lights come on around Yubatake at night, the steam looks especially sharp under the lamps. There is no need to hunt for one perfect angle. Looking once from a few different directions is already interesting.

If you are already staying on the street, leave the afternoon for walking, soak once before dinner, and after dark put a coat on and walk near Yubatake again. The outdoor temperature gap in winter is large. Dry your hair after the bath, and dress warmly before you go back out. Kusatsu does not need a tight checklist of photo stops. A whole afternoon is a better way to feel the town.

What is the yumomi show at Netsu-no-yu, and is it worth seeing?

Kusatsu has a famous tradition called yumomi (湯もみ). The spring water is very hot, so in the past people stirred it with long wooden paddles to bring the temperature down without adding a lot of cold water. 熱乃湯 (Netsu-no-yu) still keeps that tradition, together with the Kusatsu bushi song and a performance, so a first-time visitor can follow the local hot-spring culture more easily.

Right now, the official “yumomi and dance” at Netsu-no-yu is ¥700 for a standard adult and ¥350 for an elementary-school student. There are usually several shows in a day, but times in winter and on event days may shift. Show tickets are sold on site. Before you buy, the Netsu-no-yu official performance page has that day’s information. There are also hands-on paddle sessions on designated days. That is a different ticket from simply watching the show.

Kusatsu Onsen transport: how do you get there from Tokyo?

Kusatsu is in Gunma Prefecture, and no shinkansen runs straight from Tokyo to the hot-spring street. A common route is the JR limited express Kusatsu-Shima from Ueno to Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station, then a JR bus of about 25 minutes to the Kusatsu Onsen bus terminal. You can also take the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Karuizawa and change to a bus toward Kusatsu. Which one fits depends on where you are staying in Tokyo, whether you want to add Karuizawa, and that day’s departures.

From the bus terminal, Yubatake is about a 5-minute walk. Many ryokan sit in that cluster. If the room is up a slope or farther out, pulling luggage up a snowy incline may be less easy than it looks. Ask the ryokan first whether they pick up at the bus terminal or help with bags. If you are not used to driving in snow, you do not necessarily need a rental car for Kusatsu.

What should you watch for when soaking in Kusatsu?

The Kusatsu water leans acidic, and some sources run hotter. A first soak can start in the ryokan bath or a well-looked-after public bath: rinse off as the signs say, test the temperature, then get in slowly. Drink water before and after. If you feel unwell, rest first. There is no need to push a very hot pool. Tattoo policy, rules for children, whether towels are provided, and opening hours can differ by bathhouse. Checking when you book, and again before you go in, is more reassuring.

Around Kusatsu there are also Sai-no-kawara Park, public baths, and snow-season events, enough for a slow 1 night and 2 days. Leaving from Tokyo, an afternoon walk and a soak on the first day, then one or two small sights on the second day, already makes a comfortable trip.

3. Hokkaido’s SL 冬の湿原号: board a steam train and cross Kushiro’s white wetland slowly

If what you like is not a hot-spring street but winter opening up outside the train window, Hokkaido’s SL 冬の湿原号 is worth a close look. The train runs through the Kushiro wetland in eastern Hokkaido. Outside the window there are no city towers, just snow-covered grass, rivers, tree shadows, and a wide sky. Wildlife sometimes shows up along the line, but whether red-crowned cranes or Ezo deer appear is down to that day’s luck.

What is most appealing about this sightseeing train is the vintage feel it keeps. Wooden seats, a dark car interior, snow through the window, and the particular sound of a steam locomotive make a short rail ride memorable. You do not have to be a real rail fan to be drawn to a way of traveling that is not in a hurry.

Which section does the SL 冬の湿原号 run, and in which season?

JR Hokkaido’s official introduction puts the SL 冬の湿原号 between Kushiro Station and Shibecha Station. It is a winter-only sightseeing train, and it does not run every day. The previous snow season ran on designated dates from 1/2026 to 3/2026. As of a check in 10/2026, the full official running dates for 2027 were not yet confirmed, so plan it first as “expected to run on some winter dates,” and pick the riding day after JR Hokkaido announces them.

Kushiro generally works as the base. Even a limited express from Sapporo to Kushiro takes several hours. From New Chitose Airport or another area, a domestic flight or JR depends on what time you actually arrive. Do not assume that breakfast in Sapporo in the morning means you will definitely make a sightseeing train that leaves at midday.

How do you buy tickets? Can a JR Pass just walk on?

The SL 冬の湿原号 uses reserved seats. It is not an ordinary commuter train you can board any time by tapping a transit card at the station. Ordinary JR reserved seats usually go on sale one month before the travel date, at 10:00 Japan time. You can look them up on JR’s えきねっと system or at a reserved-seat ticket window. Some ticket types can be requested before general sale, and that request does not mean a seat will definitely be assigned.

The fare is usually the basic fare for the section plus a reserved-seat fee. The booking page shows the actual amount for that year and that seat. Even with a JR Pass that covers the area, confirm whether that departure is allowed, and whether you still need a separate reserved-seat reservation. A Pass in hand is not enough to walk straight on. Before you leave, bookmark JR Hokkaido’s official page for the SL 冬の湿原号.

Can you really grill squid on a stove onboard?

A stove in the old cars, and squid grilled on it, is a strong memory many riders have of this train. Some cars have a vintage stove, and there has also been a chance to buy dried squid and grill it on designated equipment. That depends on the actual formation, what is sold onboard, and that year’s operation. It is not something to treat as a fixed activity included with every ticket. If you especially want to try it, look at that season’s official formation and onboard service before you book, and follow the staff.

Photographers have another thing to watch: the locomotive at the front. In 2/2026, JR Hokkaido switched some departures to a diesel locomotive after a steam-locomotive parts failure. That does not mean the train is permanently suspended. It is a reminder that anyone hoping to photograph steam should check the date and, before departure, look again at the notice for the train and locomotive formation.

How do you plan 2 days and 1 night in Kushiro?

If the goal is to ride the SL 冬の湿原号, at least 1 night in Kushiro is the safer plan, so the whole trip is not riding on a same-day connection between cities. After you arrive on the first day, you can walk Kushiro’s town center, the area around the fishing port, or sit down for seafood. On the second day, ride at the time on the officially published schedule, then decide whether to go out and back to Shibecha, add a wetland viewpoint, or stay another night.

Looking for a place to see red-crowned cranes in the wetland also depends on winter roads, buses, and transport to the viewing sites. The Kushiro wetland is large. Many of the better photo spots are not a walk from the station exit. A plan with some slack in the time also absorbs the delays that are common in a Hokkaido winter.

How do you line the three up? Start from where you leave, and you save time on the road

Plan A｜Yamagata, 3 days and 2 nights: Ginzan at night and a Tohoku onsen

On day 1, arrive in Yamagata, stay in Yamagata City or Tendo, and eat a local meal. On day 2, go into Ginzan Onsen on the transport you already reserved. If a room on the hot-spring street came through, leave the night view and the soak for that evening. On day 3, head back from Oishida or Yamagata. This suits someone who wants to photograph snow slowly, and it is less likely to be spoiled by an evening shuttle that is too tight.

Plan B｜From Tokyo, 2 days and 1 night: a short Kusatsu soak

On the morning of day 1, leave Tokyo by train. In the afternoon, walk Yubatake and see the yumomi show, then in the evening go back to the ryokan to soak and have dinner, and walk the Yubatake lights at night. On day 2, sleep in, eat breakfast, visit Sai-no-kawara Park or pick up a few souvenirs, and return to Tokyo. For anyone who does not want to spend too much time crossing prefectures, this is easier to fold into an independent Tokyo trip.

Plan C｜Eastern Hokkaido, 3 days and 2 nights: Kushiro and the SL 冬の湿原号

On day 1, arrive in Kushiro and stay in town. On day 2, ride the SL 冬の湿原号 on a date from the official calendar, and return to Kushiro for the night. On day 3, depending on the weather and the transport, choose the area around the Kushiro wetland, the direction of Akan, or go straight home. Distances in Hokkaido are large. Doing Kushiro and its surroundings properly is more worthwhile than forcing Sapporo, Otaru, and Abashiri into a single day.

How do you buy winter transport passes? Do not pay for a Pass the moment you see one

Ginzan and Kusatsu are both on Honshu, and that does not mean one JR Pass covers the local buses and shuttles in both places without limits. Ginzan’s winter shuttle, ryokan pickups, and some Kusatsu buses may sit outside a rail pass. List the main rail segments first, then compare that period’s JR East pass terms with the total of buying the tickets separately.

Hokkaido needs its own calculation. If you only stay in Kushiro for two or three days, a Hokkaido rail pass is not necessarily worth buying. If the route also crosses Sapporo, Obihiro, Abashiri, and similar cities, price the limited-express fares for the whole way. Whether a JR pass includes the reserved-seat ticket, whether you still need a reservation, and whether the sightseeing train is in scope, follow the official terms at the time you buy.

What do you wear in snow country? Soaking and the train do not share one list

All three trips are in winter, and the clothing focus is not quite the same. Ginzan is about grip, staying dry, and a long time outside taking photos. Kusatsu works in layers, so it is easier to move from the outdoors into a hot bath and a restaurant. The wind on the Kushiro wetland can be strong. Warm gloves, a hat, and a windproof jacket matter while you wait for the train and shoot outside.

A base layer that wicks, a warm middle layer, and a windproof waterproof shell are a workable set, with soles that really can walk on snow. Do not leave a phone and a power bank out in the cold for a long time. An inner coat pocket keeps them warmer when you need that. A waterproof pouch lowers the chance of the phone getting damp as you move between the snow and a ryokan.

Ginzan, Kusatsu, or the train from Kushiro: how do you choose a Japan eSIM?

On a hot-spring street, the moment you most need a connection may not be the second you upload a photo. It may be a sudden check of the last bus, a ryokan pickup, a booking confirmation, or a Japanese notice you have to translate on the spot. For the sightseeing train out of Kushiro, station names and reserved-seat details come first, and JR operation notices are easier to open when the weather turns.

With a JEKO Japan eSIM, you can confirm before departure that the phone supports eSIM and finish the install prep, then turn on mobile data after you arrive in Japan, following the product instructions. Travelers who already live in LINE, Google Maps, and a translation app do not need a separate Wi-Fi hotspot, so the bag stays simpler.

The plan still comes down to how you travel. If you only check transport, send photos, and message on LINE, a total-data plan or a daily plan is usually easier on the budget. If you will livestream for a long time, watch video, or share a hotspot with several people, compare the high-speed allowance with the details of an unlimited plan. JEKO currently has an au/KDDI Japan native line, plus different roaming plans on KDDI, SoftBank, Docomo, and others. Not every plan can freely switch among the three major carriers. When you choose, read the network and the data routing listed on that product page.

Mountains, tunnels, and snowy roads can all mean a short stretch of weak signal. A phone showing 5G does not mean the highest speed will hold the whole way. Especially on the Ginzan shuttle, in the Kushiro wetland, and while the winter train is moving, save the ticket QR Code, the ryokan address, and screenshots of the important times ahead of time. Google Maps can also download an offline map for the area you will actually use. A connection is a convenience on the trip. An offline backup makes the plan easier to rest on.

To pick a Japan data plan that fits, go to the JEKO Japan eSIM collection, compare daily, total-data, and native unlimited specs, then choose by trip length and how much data you use.

Common questions on winter onsen and sightseeing trains in Japan

Can you see the Ginzan night view without staying overnight?

There is a chance, and it depends on that year’s winter day-trip entry, shuttle reservations, and how long you are allowed to stay. If you want the night view, check the transport first, then decide whether a day trip works. One night on the hot-spring street usually leaves more room in the time.

Is Ginzan Onsen really the model for the Aburaya bathhouse in Spirited Away?

Travelers often use Ginzan to describe the nostalgic look in the film, and it should not be treated directly as an officially confirmed location model. The buildings and the gas-lamp night are reason enough to go.

Can you visit Kusatsu Onsen if you do not speak Japanese at all?

Yes. Transport, lodging, and visitor information are relatively complete. Look up the bus and the ryokan beforehand, and use phone translation for everyday exchanges. Bath etiquette and each bathhouse’s rules still follow the signs on site.

Can you step down into Yubatake at Kusatsu and soak?

No. Yubatake is the spring source and a viewing facility, not a pool you can enter. To soak, go to a ryokan bath, a public bath, or a foot bath that is legally open.

Does the SL 冬の湿原号 run every day?

No. It is a sightseeing train that runs on designated winter dates. The actual dates for 2027 have to wait for JR Hokkaido’s announcement. It is better to confirm the running days before you book flights.

Does buying a JR Pass mean you can ride the SL 冬の湿原号?

It still depends on the valid area of the pass you hold and on the sightseeing-train rules, and you still arrange the reserved seat that is required. If you did not get a reserved seat, do not board and hope.

Does an eSIM always get better reception than a physical SIM in the snow?

Not necessarily. An eSIM and a physical card are only different ways of using a SIM. The actual connection still depends on the carriers the plan supports, tower coverage, crowds, the device’s bands, and the conditions on site. Choosing the right network, and downloading offline data early, helps more than looking only at the word “eSIM.”

Leave the winter for the scenery you like, and the trip finds its own pace

If a snowy night and gas lamps are what you most want to see, choose Ginzan. If you want to soak and walk a lively small town, Kusatsu fits well. If you like trains and an open snowfield, hand the trip to Kushiro’s SL 冬の湿原号. All three are worth the time, and they do not all have to fit in one journey. Arrange the tickets, the room, and the winter transport first. The rest of the time can go to the snow you meet along the way.