One of the most beautiful onsen in Japan, Aoni is famous for its great baths and atmospheric, fragrant oil lamps, which are lit nightly. The collection of baths, many of which are konyoku rotenburo, provide lots of variety, and the scented mix of hinoki wood and lamp oil is wonderful.
Part of the beauty is the isolation -- once you're there, you're there, and it's hard to justify anything other than rest and relaxation. This quiet, peaceful, remote onsen is gorgeous any time of year, whether there's deep snow, spring blooms, or leaves turning color as autumn approaches. Due to the remote location, it's best to stay overnight if possible. We found only one small place for improvement here -- the plastic washing buckets, which seemed out of place. Real wood, though certainly more expensive, seems called for at a spot as special as this.
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