Kaga Onsen — Four Historic Hot Spring Villages

Kaga Onsen (加賀温泉郷) refers to four historic hot spring villages in southern Ishikawa: Yamanaka, Yamashiro, Katayamazu, and Awazu. These villages have provided therapeutic bathing for 1,300+ years, attracting shoguns, poets, and artists throughout history. Each village has distinct characteristics: Yamanaka Onsen (山中温泉) sits in a forested gorge along Kakusenkei River with traditional wooden inns and public bathhouses; Yamashiro Onsen (山代温泉) features the reconstructed Kutani Kosen Kiln and historic bathhouse architecture; Katayamazu Onsen (片山津温泉) overlooks Lake Shibayama with modern resorts; Awazu Onsen (粟津温泉) claims to be Hokuriku's oldest hot spring (founded 718 AD).

The villages preserve rotenburo (outdoor baths) fed by natural mineral springs rich in sodium chloride and sulfates, beneficial for muscle pain, arthritis, and skin conditions. Traditional ryokan inns offer overnight stays with kaiseki dinners featuring Kaga cuisine, private baths, and tatami-floored rooms. Day-trip visitors can use public bathhouses (soto-yu, 総湯) for ¥500–800. The villages are connected by the Canbus (周遊バス) tourist loop, allowing easy exploration of all four areas. Kaga Onsen represents Japanese hot spring culture at its most traditional — wooden architecture, communal bathing, and integration with surrounding nature define the experience.