Healing hot springs
The Akan-Mashu National Park is a hot-spring haven, with multiple sources found throughout the park. There are free footbaths and outdoor baths, as well as hot-spring hotels, in most areas. After a day of hiking or exploring, a dip in one of these mineral-rich baths can help soothe tired muscles.
Meakan Onsen is close to the start of the trail that leads up Mt. Meakan. Taking a bath here is a popular way to relax after a hike up the mountain. There is a large outdoor bath at the trailhead of the Wakoto Nature Trail, and a sizable footbath near the Kawayu Eco-museum Center. Ikenoyu and Kotan Onsen are two public outdoor baths on the shore of Lake Kussharo. In winter, whooper swans migrate to the area from Siberia and can be sighted from Kotan Onsen.
Customary hot spring etiquette is to bathe without a swimsuit. However, the park’s outdoor public baths are for mixed-gender bathing, therefore swimsuits are allowed.