The sulphurous, rotten egg smell synonymous with high school science experiments that smothers your face and clothes as soon as you open the door of your car. But don’t let that stop you from planning to go there. In fact, I’ve grown to love the smell. If you are after an authentic experience, I highly recommend Kusatsu onsen in Gunma prefecture, which is always ranked in the top ten among the Japanese.

Gunma Prefecture, located about 200km (124mi) from Tokyo, is blessed with a wide variety of onsen (hot spring) resorts.