Yumoto Onsen - 湯元温泉
Yumoto (湯本, literally "origin of hot water") is a small hot spring town in the back of Okunikko and part of Nikko National Park. The town is attractively located next to Lake Yunoko (lit. "hot water lake") and consists mainly of ryokan with hot spring baths.
North of the town stands Onsenji, a Buddhist temple with a small hot spring bath open to the public. Next to the temple is Yunodaira Marsh, where most of the town's hot water bubbles up from the ground. Some hot water is also bubbling along the northern shore of Lake Yunoko, and a pleasant sulfur odor hangs over the whole town.
Autumn colors around Yumoto Onsen are usually best around mid October.
Yudaki waterfall - 湯滝
Immediately south of Lake Yunoko, the lake's calm waters suddenly plunge down a steep, 70 meter high slope. The spectacular waterfall is called Yudaki (lit. "hot water waterfall"), but the water of neither the lake nor the waterfall are actually warm.
From Yudaki starts the attractive Senjogahara Plateau Nature Trail, leading along Yukawa River (lit. "hot water river") through the woods and across the marshland of the Senjogahara Plateau to Ryuzu Waterfall at the shores of Lake Chuzenji.
Senjogahara Marshland - 戦場ヶ原
At an altitude of 1400 meters above sea level, the Senjogahara Marshland (戦場ヶ原, Senjōgahara) covers the plateau between Lake Chuzenji and Yumoto Onsen. It offers some of the best hiking in the Nikko National Park and is particularly beautiful during the autumn leaf season in October when the marshland's grasses turn into a reddish yellow and the larch trees into a shiny gold.
The Senjogahara Plateau Nature Trail follows Yukawa River during most of its course between Yumoto Onsen and Ryuzu Waterfall near the shores of Lake Chuzenji. The hiking trail offers excellent views of the marshland and surrounding mountains, and it takes around 2.5 to 3 hours to complete. Not far from Senjogahara lies Odashirogahara, a smaller but equally idyllic marshland, which is worth a detour or separate visit.
