Kusatsu Onsen Yubatake

At the center of one of Japan's most voluminous hot-spring towns, the Yubatake (hot water field) channels 4,000 liters of steaming water per minute through wooden conduits to cool it for bathing. The sulfurous clouds rising from the green-tinged pools are the town's signature spectacle, especially dramatic when lit up at night. Free public baths surround the field, and the traditional yumomi water-stirring performance runs daily.