For those that aren’t up for a long ride out of the city, Yokohama is fortunate enough to have its very own onsen right in Minatomirai. The Manyo Club, located right on the harbor across from the Pacifico Yokohama, offers easy access from area hotels, and both Sakuragicho and Minatomirai Stations. Instead of you going to the onsen, they bring the onsen to you with authentic hot spring water brought in from Yugawara Onsen in western Kanagawa.
I spent many relaxing hours exploring the impressive selection of baths this “urban onsen” has to offer, comfortably roaming the facilities in a yukata, the traditional robe commonly worn at onsen ryokan. The rotenburo (open-air bath) and rooftop footbath garden area both offer excellent views of the surrounding harbor and Yokohama skyline–providing an experience quite different from a trip to a countryside onsen inn. Warming my feet in the footbath in the cool evening breeze under the lights of the nearby Ferris wheel was especially stunning. Note that like most Japanese onsen, guests with tattoos aren’t allowed in the public bath, but at Manyo can have the same experience in a privately reserved room.
If you are looking for the full spa experience, you can choose from a number of different massages to further ease your body. You can also enjoy Japanese meals, such as soba, made with fresh, seasonal ingredients. Cap your experience off with an overnight stay in the Manyo Club’s ryokan atmosphere in the heart of downtown Yokohama. Surely your body deserves the treat. Mine was already begging for a return visit.