The Kusatsu pools trail is shown here. For The Maui News/Jon Woodhouse photo

Editor’s note: Jon Woodhouse, who writes regular arts and entertainment articles for The Maui News, is currently traveling in Japan and writing about his journey along the way.

The waters of Kustasu Onsen in Japan’s Gunma Prefecture are considered so beneficial that during the late 1600s, the eighth Tokugawa Shogun had barrels of the town’s spring water delivered to Edo Castle.

Japan is a paradise for anyone who loves hot springs. Known as onsen, you can literally travel to thousands (more than 27,000 hot springs locations) across the nation. Considered sacred, emperors and members of the imperial family would stay at onsen for long periods of time to bathe in the water.

The ancient Izumokuni Fudoki text noted in 733 about Tamatsukuri hot spring: “If you wash in the hot spring once, your appearance will become beautiful, and if you wash again, you will be cured of all diseases.”

In the mid-80s I made my first trip to Japan, spending a week on the southern Island of Kyushu in the town of Ibusuki, which is famous for hot sand baths by the ocean, called sunamushi. It’s the world’s only natural sand bath where hot spring water naturally flows along the beach. There’s nothing more luxurious than donning a yukata robe, lying down and being buried in the sand, while bathed in hot water.

This time I’m first visiting the mountain town of Kusatsu Onsen, just a few hours from Tokyo. Praised as the best onsen in Japan, it has the greatest output of any Japanese hot spring. With a population of around 7,000, Kusatsu attracts 3 million tourists annually.

In the center of town, you encounter the massive Yubatake (hot water field), where more than 1,000 gallons per minute of geothermal hot spring water bubbles to the surface. At 150 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s cooled in wooden channels and distributed to local hotels and public baths. The water’s sulphuric sediment, known as hot water flowers, is harvested and sold as a type of bath salt.

The rich mineral content of Kusatsu’s waters is known for metabolism-boosting effects, promotion of beautiful skin, and it is said to be beneficial for a variety of health conditions. High in acidity, bacteria, microorganisms and fungi cannot survive in these hot waters, thus providing an antibacterial effect.

You can choose between more than 100 onsen in Kusatsu with the biggest, including Sainokawara Rotenburo, Otakinoyu and Gozanoyu. Located about a 12-minute walk from the Yubatake, Sainokawara offers an extraordinary outdoor bathing experience. One of the biggest outdoor baths in Japan, the combined men’s and women’s baths cover 5,300 square feet. It’s described as “a sense of space on a massive scale.” Entrance fee is only $5 a day. How delightful to relax in soothing hot water while gazing at a serene vista of Autumn trees changing color, a vibrant array of shades of red, orange and yellow leaves.

Known as the “hot spring of beauty,” Otakinoyu provides an experience of traditional awase-yu bathing culture. A variety of indoor and outdoor baths includes a series of four, from a relatively cool 100 Fahrenheit up to a very hot 114 degree pool. Entrance fee is $8 a day. It’s a five-minute walk downhill east of Yubatake.

My hotel, the Kusatsu Onsen Hotel Resort, offered both indoor and outdoor pools. It’s traditional Japanese style with futons for sleeping and breakfast and dinner included. One of the staff spoke good English and he was Balinese! Famous guests who stayed there have included actor Charles Bronson.

From Kusatsu I’m headed to Nozawa Onsen, a village in the eastern Japanese Alps. A winter ski resort, where you might encounter some visiting acclaimed Hawaiian musicians, a wandering Buddhist monk is said to have discovered the springs in the 8th century. There are 13 free public onsen, each dedicated to a Buddhist deity. Finally, I will soak in the waters of Hirayu Onsen, a picturesque mountain town with several indoor and outdoor baths.

Visiting a Japanese onsen they are typically separated by gender, though a few allow mixed bathing at certain times. Japanese etiquette requires always washing and rinsing off before and after bathing. You are requested not to bring any towels into the bath, to be mindful of and respect the tranquil atmosphere, and no bathing suits are allowed.