Noboribetsu, Japan: Hell Valley, hot springs and demons

Noboribetsu is a coastal city and a hill resort under one name. The city sits on the coast; the hot-spring resort that visitors mean when they say Noboribetsu sits inland, up a short road, in the hills. The tourism association describes Noboribetsu Onsen as the northernmost large-scale onsen resort in Japan, and says it is known for nine different types of onsen water.^4,3 Few resorts offer that many water types in a single small town.

The reason is the ground. Many of the springs come from Jigokudani, the Hell Valley, which was created by volcanic activity about 10,000 years ago.⁸ People have bathed here for a long time: the association says Noboribetsu Onsen has been healing people from the Edo period, 1603 to 1868, to the present day.⁹ So the steam you see is not a show; it is the plumbing of the town.

Walk the main street and the theme is obvious. Demon statues stand at corners, shops sell souvenirs, and the smell of sulfur drifts in when the wind turns. It feels like a mountain spa village rather than a city, small and walkable, with the valley path starting at the top end.

Jigokudani is the main sight, and it is quick to understand. It is the site of a crater 450 m across and 11 hectares in area, created by the volcanic activity of Mount Hiyori.⁵ Steam vents and bubbling pools line the walls. As much as 10,000 tons of hot spring water of various types gush from this area every day, and it is supplied to the resort's hotels and inns.²⁶

Entry to the valley is free of charge. If you drive, the Jigokudani car park is a 1-minute walk from the valley and charges 500 yen for a passenger car, with a ticket valid only until you leave the lot.⁶ A wheelchair-accessible ramp with a maximum slope of 8% runs from the Park Service Center to the observation deck, so the overlook is open to wheelchairs and strollers.¹⁰

The full walk, with its geyser, hot sulfur pond and natural footbath, has its own page on this site, along with the evening options. Here it is enough to know that the valley is the anchor, and that the other sights listed below are arranged around it by distance and by the time you have.

The demon theme is not decoration. The Nembutsu Demon Statue shrine has a 3.5 m standing red demon and a 2.2 m seated blue demon on each side, and it is a popular photo stop.⁴⁶ The Enmado hall shows a karakuri puppet of the demon king Enma at 10:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00, 17:00, 20:00 and 21:00, and may close in bad weather.¹³

The calendar leans on the same story. The Jigoku Matsuri is based on the legend that on the last Saturday and Sunday of August the lid of the cauldron of hell opens and the Great Demon King Enma visits the onsen town.²⁵ In February the Hot Water Festival marks the onsen's abundance; in 2026 it ran on 3 and 4 February.⁴⁷

After dark, the valley is lit on a path called Onibi no Michi. It is free and open all year from sunset to 21:30.¹⁵ The demon fireworks over Jigokudani cost 500 yen per adult, start at 8:00 pm and last about 15 minutes, with spectators limited to 1,000.^48,49,50 Check the association's calendar for the current dates before you plan around them.

A good Noboribetsu day follows the heat. Start at the valley while the light is soft, walk on to Oyunuma and the free natural footbath, and keep the onsen bath for the end, when your legs are tired. If you have more time, add Lake Kuttara or the festivals, but do not try to see everything in one afternoon.

If you come by the bus day, you will spend a slice of the 10 hours here; Jigokudani is one of the stops listed alongside Cape Chikyu, the Silo Observation Deck, Showa-shinzan and Shikotsu-Toya National Park. That makes the town a pleasant opening stop rather than the whole outing. If you come alone, there is room for lunch and a bath.

Sleeping over changes everything. The evening path, the demon fireworks on set nights and a late soak after the day-trippers leave are all open to those who stay. Even one night at a ryokan turns Noboribetsu from a stop into a place, and the walk back through the quiet streets is worth the cost of the room.