Unazuki Onsen

Unazuki Onsen is a hot-spring resort town in Kurobe City that developed around thermal springs discovered during construction of the Kurobe Gorge hydroelectric works in the early 20th century, and it now serves as the gateway station for the Kurobe Gorge Railway's open-air sightseeing trains. Visitors stroll the town's riverside promenade along the Kurobe River, stopping at free public foot baths, including one built into a former railway car, and crossing red suspension bridges with gorge views. Many of the town's ryokan inns offer day-use bathing for visitors not staying overnight, typically for a few hours in the afternoon, providing access to indoor and outdoor baths fed by the same mineral springs used by guests. A relaxed visit combining the promenade, a foot bath, and a day-use bath takes one and a half to three hours. The town is most commonly paired with a ride on the Kurobe Gorge Railway, and it sees its highest volume of visitors in autumn, from late October to early November, when the gorge's foliage colors the hillsides visible from the town's bridges and riverside paths. Evening in Unazuki has a quieter, more traditional onsen-town atmosphere, with lantern-lit streets and the sound of the river below, in contrast to the daytime bustle around the railway station.