My second stop in Hokkaido was the town of Noboribetsu, known for its many hot springs. I was staying at the Dai-ichi Takimotokan, which claims to be one of the biggest hot spring baths in all of Japan! They have 5 different springs coming into more than 30 different baths, both indoors and outdoors.
The time I didn't spend relaxing in the hot water was spent walking around in the "Hell Valley" (Jigokudani), a network of hiking trails around the crater of a now inactive volcano.
After a short walk through the crater comes the Oyunuma Pond, a small volcanic lake, steaming hot and surrounded by black sand. The pond is the source of the Oyunuma River. As the river flows, the water temperature decreases enough that a natural foot bath was built around the river bed.
I only stayed there for one night, on my way to Hakodate. But this was a lot of fun and some good time spent relaxing in baths.