An onsen town with a rich history of geisha. . .  The first onsen in Tsukioka opened in 1914 after hot spring water was found while drilling for oil. Located only about an hour from Niigata City, it quickly became crowded with large group tours and banquets during Niigata’s heyday. The hot spring town was decorated with street vendors by day and with geisha by night. Today, the onsen town still has 30 geisha—a rarity in Japan, especially for a town as small as Tsukioka. While many of the vendors of old are long gone, the town has made great efforts to create a walkable district full of restaurants … Continue reading Tsukioka Onsen