Yuda Onsen Shibuumi Riverside

Honor-system bathing

Yuda Onsen Shibuumi Riverside is an inexpensive onsen facility in the Tokamachi area of Niigata, and I feel like it's uniquely Japanese in that it operates off an honor system. The reception area isn't staffed, and you just pay the 500 yen bathing fee into a box (you can also take change from the box if you need it). I don't know that the honor system would work in many other places around the world! The waters here are good for a bunch of stuff, including joint issues and fatigue recovery.