[2026] Masterpieces that sing of hot springs. Songs that make you want to go to a hot spring.
Hot springs are wonderful, aren’t they?
A bath at home feels great, but hot springs are on a whole different level.
There’s the allure of nostalgic hot spring towns and the joy of savoring an escape from the everyday.
In this article, we introduce songs themed around hot springs and special tracks that will make you want to visit one.
Along with local songs that tell stories about hot springs, we’ve also gathered a few tunes related to things like table tennis.
It’s music with the same relaxing effect as a hot spring.
Whether you’re about to head to a hot spring or haven’t been in a while, refresh yourself with these hot spring songs!
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[2026] Masterpieces Singing of Hot Springs: Songs That Make You Want to Visit an Onsen (31–40)
Tsurutsuru Onsen OndoNōsonyama Miki
“Tsurutsuru Onsen” is a bit different from the many famous hot spring resorts, but it’s located in Hinode Town, Nishitama District, Tokyo, which draws many hikers heading to Mount Hinode.
There’s also a nearby campground, making it a leisure spot in the Kanto area.
The hot spring’s claim to fame is its skin-beautifying waters, which is why the song title is also “Tsurutsuru” (meaning smooth and silky).
The intro sounds a little similar to Takashi Hosokawa’s “Kita Sakaba.”
What a nice bath.Duke Aces
While the Drifters’ “Bibanon Rock” is the more familiar version, this one also became established early on as a kayōkyoku (Japanese popular song).
The hot spring resorts mentioned differ slightly: Duke’s version sings about Kusatsu, Ikaho, Manza, and Minakami, whereas the Drifters mention Noboribetsu, Kusatsu, Shirahama, and Beppu.
It’s fun to compare the two.
Hanamaki Onsen KoutaFujimoto Nisankichi
Hanamaki Onsenkyo in Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture, is a representative resort hot spring area of northeastern Tohoku.
Since the release of the “Hanamaki Onsen Kouta” was before the war, it may have flourished more as a traditional hot spring town than as a resort at the time.
In hot spring towns—hot spring inns and onsen geisha—short songs (kouta) likely became popular in various regions.
DiabloSuiyōbi no Campanella
Japanese people who love hot springs can’t always go to one, but they’ll head to a super sento or a public bath nearby to soak up the hot-spring vibe.
This song evokes a slightly nostalgic Showa-era sento, yet the track itself has a rap style that plays with words.
There’s a touch of irony in it, too.
Elegy of the Hot Spring TownŌmi Toshirō
Listening to it again, both the lyrics and the melody are so beautiful that the scenery of the hot spring town of Izu comes to mind.
Omi-san’s clear voice carries the secret longing of visiting the image of a first love, those unforgettable feelings, into an even more beautiful world.
I think it’s a song in which the singing, the circumstances, and the work fit together perfectly.
[2026] Classic songs about hot springs: Tunes that make you want to visit an onsen (41–50)
On the journey…Yoshi Ikuzo
It was the theme song for the NHK TV program “Fudangi no Onsen.” I used to think of hot springs as places you visit while traveling or go to for a change of pace, but listening to this song—perhaps because of Yoshi-san’s simple singing—I feel a comforting warmth, like I’ve returned to my hometown.
The Dancing Girl of IzuYamaguchi Momoe
The Izu Dancer is a novel by Nobel Prize–winning author Yasunari Kawabata, based on his own experiences at the age of nineteen, and it was later adapted into films.
The leading actresses in the early film adaptations included Kinuyo Tanaka, Sayuri Yoshinaga, and Momoe Yamaguchi.
It is a fleeting love story between Kaoru, a dancing girl with a troupe touring the hot spring towns of Izu, and a student known simply as “I.”