43 Facilities
The most popular of Kinosaki's seven public baths. In a building modeled on the Kyoto Imperial Palace, a waterfall rotenburo faces the hillside and a glass-roofed 'sky bath' sits indoors, all renovated in 2020. Overnight guests get free entry with the 'Yumepa' pass, so evenings are busy with yukata-clad bathers — go at 7 am when it opens.
A vast garden bath hall fed by 14 sources at 1,400 litres a minute, with four water types — sulfur, alum, saline and iron — in one place. The central pool is mixed-gender (women-only hours; bathing garments allowed).
A large day-spa 12 minutes from Hakone-Yumoto Station, open 23 hours (10 am to 9 am). A 17-metre rooftop open-air bath, garden waterfalls and private baths. Overnight stays cost extra.
A 390-year-old inn where Sōseki and Shiki once stayed. Two large baths (cypress and granite) with open-air tubs and saunas, all pure Dōgo water. Day use is ¥1,800 with towels and amenities included — a calm alternative to the crowded Honkan.
A nine-room designer ryokan in the heart of Shuzenji. Indoor bath of Fuji lava stone and cypress, plus an Izu-stone garden rotenburo fed by three private springs. Day bathing is a 2.5-hour midday window, reservation only, with green tea and a sweet afterwards.
Eight minutes from Shimura-sakaue Station in Itabashi, one of Tokyo's most atmospheric super-sento, built around a Showa-era mansion and dry-landscape garden. Free-flowing olive-green spring water in the rotenburo, high-concentration carbonated bath, stone sauna and a soba restaurant. ¥970 weekdays, ¥1,300 weekends and holidays; open until midnight. No tattoos.
The bath wing of a historic hotel built on the site of the Yamauchi lords' residence below Kochi Castle. A rare natural hot spring in central Kochi, with a rotenburo facing the Kagami River and Mt. Hitsuzan, a large indoor bath and sauna. Day use is daytime only, 10:00–16:00. Fifteen minutes on foot from Harimaya Bridge — easy between sightseeing and the Sunday market. ¥1,200; bring or rent a towel.
An hour by car from Niigata city, a ryokan in Tsukioka Onsen, famed for water that 'makes you beautiful'. Its emerald-green spring, among the most sulfur-rich in Japan, fills indoor and open-air baths, and day use runs late — 15:00–23:00 — so you can soak while the garden is lit up. ¥800 on weekdays (¥1,000 with towel), +¥200 on weekends and holidays. Combine with the free footbath and spring-source park in the village.
One of Japan's largest day-spa complexes, sharing a resort with Nagashima Spa Land and Nabana no Sato. Roughly 33,000 m² of open-air baths landscaped after the Oirase stream and Kurobe gorge, with 17 natural-spring baths for men and women plus six rock-bath rooms. A 50-minute direct bus from Nagoya's Meitetsu Bus Center makes it popular with families and overseas visitors combining it with the amusement park or outlet mall. Admission ¥2,100; open until 23:00 on weekends.
The flagship ryokan of Harazuru Onsen on the Chikugo River, known for 'double beauty water' that is both mildly alkaline and sulfurous. Highlights are the leafy 'jungle bath' hall and two roofless private open-air baths, Keiryū-no-yu and Takimi-no-yu (¥2,000 per 50 min, reservation required). Day use ¥1,000, Wed–Sun 11:00–20:00 (Mon–Tue from 14:00). Rooms renovated in 2024 feature Fukuoka crafts such as Kurume kasuri textiles — a good weekend base an hour's drive from Hakata.
A white-walled onsen hotel in the hills between Kojima, at the foot of the Great Seto Bridge, and the pilgrim path up Mt Yuga. Yuga Onsen has long refreshed worshippers at the Yuga Daigongen shrine-temple; the spacious bath hall lines up a source tub, waterfall shower, jet bath and bubble bath, with a garden that flowers through the seasons beyond the windows. Day use 11:00–15:00 (last entry 14:30), ¥1,980 including bath and face towel rental. The lunch-plus-bath set (¥3,960) is popular, with a third-floor rest room. 30 minutes by car from Kurashiki's Bikan quarter; combine with Kojima Jeans Street or the bridge. Open daily.
The leading large ryokan of Shimobe Onsen in Yamanashi, the 'hidden bath' of warlord Takeda Shingen. Its hallmark is three springs of differing character (including the tepid original Shimobe water) served in eleven tubs, seven of them open-air — a mini bath-hopping circuit with streamside rotenburo and Shingen lore. Day use 11:00–15:00, ¥1,200; resting in the tatami hall is free, and lunch-and-rest plans start at ¥5,000. Irregular closures, so confirm ahead. Just 3 minutes on foot from Shimobe-Onsen Station on the JR Minobu Line — easy by rail, and a natural pairing with Kuonji temple on Mt Minobu, the Fuji River or a Lake Motosu / Fuji Five Lakes drive.
In Asama Onsen, Matsumoto's spa hinterland, this day-use bath occupies the house of the hereditary bath-keepers who guarded the lords' private 'Goten-yu' for 400 years, since castle lord Ishikawa Kazumasa. Old garden trees and displays on the bath-keepers' history give the place the feel of a heritage site; the clear, mildly alkaline simple spring is fine-textured on the skin. Besides the main hall there is an open-air bath in a separate wing and a rest room, and many visitors come straight from Matsumoto Castle. Open 9:00–21:00 (last entry 20:00), closed Mondays (or the next day after a holiday), ¥900. About 20 minutes by bus from Matsumoto Station to Asama-Onsen Bunka Center-mae, then 10 minutes on foot.
The grand old hotel of Tokachigawa Onsen outside Obihiro. The water here is a 'moor spring' that rises through lignite beds of ancient plant matter — amber, silky and one of the world's few plant-derived natural hot springs, designated a Hokkaidō Heritage. The Yuraku bath halls of the Hōshū-tei and Tōyō-tei wings pair a broad indoor bath with the garden open-air 'Takitsubo-no-yu', wrapped in the sound of a waterfall; day visitors may also use the Harunire foot-bath café. Day use 13:00–21:00 (from 13:30 Mon & Thu), ¥2,000 including face and bath towels, no reservation — go to the front desk. Day bathing may be limited in peak periods. About 30 minutes by bus from Obihiro Station to Tokachigawa Onsen.
One of the Beppu Hattō 'eight springs', Horita sits on the old road towards Yufuin and its municipal bathhouse is among the busiest in Beppu's city-run network. Rebuilt in 2003, it has a bright, airy indoor hall and a seasonal open-air bath set among plantings and rock work; the two differently styled bath wings swap between men and women each week. The water is a gentle simple spring. ¥300; open 6:30–22:30, closed the first Wednesday (next day if a holiday). Afterwards, rest in the lounge overlooking Beppu Bay. Amenities are sold, so bring a towel. About 13 minutes by Kamenoi bus from Beppu Station's west exit to Horita-Onsen-mae, or 3 minutes by car from Beppu IC.
A day-use-only onsen on the slopes of the Minou range above Tanushimaru in Kurume, fruit-picking country an hour by car from Fukuoka city. The panoramic open-air bath looks over the Chikugo plain and river, most popular at dusk and after dark for the lights. The water is a skin-smoothing alkaline simple spring. Besides the indoor and open-air baths there are family baths (indoor ¥2,500 per hour, with open-air tub ¥3,600), and the attached café is loved for weekday lunches and desserts. ¥880; open 10:00–20:00 (main bath last entry 19:30), closed Thursdays and the 1st and 3rd Wednesday (open on holidays). Ten minutes by car from JR Tanushimaru Station, 15 from Asakura IC. A fine finish to a Fukuoka-area drive with Harazuru Onsen or Yanagawa.
A public-run hot-spring hotel on the clear Kuji River in Daigo, Ibaraki — the town of Fukuroda Falls. The main bath has an indoor tub and sauna, and from autumn to winter (Sep–Jan) it becomes the famous 'apple bath', floating with local apples. Day use 11:00–20:00 (last entry 19:30), ¥800 for adults including a face towel; open daily. A private barrel sauna (¥3,300 / 90 min, reservation), a post-bath lounge and a 16-hole ground-golf course in the garden are also available. About 10 minutes by taxi from Hitachi-Daigo Station and 15 minutes by car from Fukuroda Falls — easy to combine with the falls or apple picking.
A big bathhouse in Kanie, just west of Nagoya, open since the 1960s and known among Tōkai-region onsen fans as 'the real thing'. Two of its own springs, one cool and one hot, are blended to bathing temperature and run untouched — no dilution, no recirculation — into both indoor and outdoor baths. The showpiece is a garden-style indoor hall of a scale you would not expect, with pools of various sizes among rocks and greenery. The clear simple spring is soft and leaves you refreshed. Adults ¥700 on weekdays, ¥800 on weekends and holidays; open 13:00–23:00 (last entry 22:30), no closing day apart from occasional maintenance. Soap and shampoo provided; a tatami hall and restaurant on site. About 7 minutes by taxi from Kintetsu Kanie Station or 17 minutes on foot from JR Eiwa Station; 250 free parking spaces. A rare chance at free-flowing source water within 30 minutes of Nagoya Station.
A hideaway day spa in a copse of trees near Jindaiji, Tokyo's second-oldest temple, and its soba-shop village. The blackish-brown 'kuroyu' sodium-chloride water from 1,500 m carries compounds from ancient plant matter, feels viscous on the skin and keeps you warm long after. The wooden bathhouse holds an indoor bath, a rock open-air bath, sauna and cold plunge, and an outdoor rest deck among seasonal greenery — more like a country inn than a big spa complex. Adults ¥1,080 on weekdays, ¥1,180 on weekends and holidays, with cheaper 30-minute and one-hour tickets. Open 10:00–22:00 (last entry 21:00), every day apart from inspection closures. A soba restaurant and rest room are on site — a fine finish to Jindaiji temple and the Jindai Botanical Garden. Free shuttle buses from Chōfu and Tsutsujigaoka stations.
Of the inns at Yunohana Onsen — Kyoto's 'back parlour' spa in the Tamba hills outside Kameoka, about 25 minutes by train from Kyoto Station — this is the easiest for day bathing. Fields and woodland spread across its large grounds, and the main bath and garden open-air bath look out on the countryside through the seasons. The water is a clear, soft, mildly radioactive (radon) simple spring. Day bathing: adults ¥1,000, children ¥500; weekdays 12:00–21:00 straight through, weekends, holidays, eves of holidays and Obon in two sessions, 12:00–15:00 and 17:30–21:00. Day plans with lunch or kaiseki are offered — a fine finish to Kameoka, the starting point for the Hozu River boats and the Sagano scenic railway. About 15 minutes by car from JR Kameoka Station (ask about pick-up) or 10 minutes from Kameoka IC. Combine with Arashiyama for a Kyoto onsen day trip.
A town-run hot-spring inn next to Hanahasu Park in Minami-Echizen, Fukui, where more than 130 varieties of lotus bloom. The alkaline simple water from about 1,000 m down clings softly to the skin; there is a roomy indoor bath, a garden-style open-air bath, the signature 'lotus bath' floated with lotus leaves and flowers, plus bubble bath, lie-down bath and sauna. Day bathing is a modest ¥650 for adults and ¥350 for children, and the long 08:00–22:00 hours (last entry 21:00) are a bonus. Closed Tuesdays (open on holidays, during the July lotus festival and at New Year). The restaurant serves set meals with sashimi boats and 'lotus udon', and overnight stays are possible. About 5 minutes by car from Imajō IC on the Hokuriku Expressway or 10 minutes by taxi from JR Imajō Station — an easy stop between the Echizen coast and Tsuruga. Lotus season runs from late June to early August.
One of the few natural-spring bath complexes on Okinawa's main island, on Route 58 in Ginowan next to the MEGA Don Quijote, about 30 minutes by car from Naha. The tea-brown water pumped from underground is a salty chloride spring that warms you well; besides the indoor bath, carbonated bath, sauna and cold plunge there is a pleasant garden open-air bath among tropical planting. Bedrock baths, private family baths, a recliner lounge and an inexpensive canteen round it out, and towels and shampoo are included so you can come empty-handed. Entry: adults ¥1,500, junior/senior high ¥1,000, children ¥750; open 07:00–23:00 (last entry 22:00), every day. Close to Chatan's American Village and the Ginowan beaches, it is handy on a rental-car trip or as a proper wash after a day in the sea — many divers stop by on the way home. 200 parking spaces.
A large spa complex in Tōon, just east of Matsuyama, whose pride is an open-air bathing area billed as among the biggest in western Japan. About 6 minutes on foot from Minara Station on the Iyotetsu line, with a free daily shuttle from Matsuyama-shi Station — handy for anyone wanting an onsen near Matsuyama other than Dōgo. The underground spring, nicknamed the '200-million-year warming water', fills a garden-like cluster of outdoor baths set with natural boulders, plus indoor baths, sauna and cold plunge, and there are five private family baths. Day use is by course: the standard course is ¥1,480 for adults, ¥1,280 for over-65s and ¥700 for children (including loungewear and the rest lounge), with cheaper simple courses. Open 06:00–24:00 (last entry 23:00; indoor baths only in the early morning; maintenance 09:00–10:00), every day. Japanese and Western restaurants, a café, body care, the adjoining Juraku hotel and a morning farmers' market let you linger for half a day. About 5 minutes by car from Tōon Smart IC.
Miyakojima is often assumed to have no hot springs, yet inside the Shigira Seven Miles Resort on the island's south coast lies one of Japan's southernmost and westernmost natural onsen. Golden sodium-chloride water rises undiluted from 1,250 m underground into separate men's and women's open-air baths and saunas wrapped in subtropical greenery, plus a swimsuit 'jungle pool' and lookout bath where families and couples can soak together – there are even floats for a full resort mood. Adults (12+) pay ¥2,000 and children 4–11 ¥1,000; guests of Shigira Resort hotels pay ¥1,600/¥800. Swimsuit rental is ¥510 and towels are rented for a fee. Open 11:00–22:00 (last entry 21:30), from 12:00 between mid-November and mid-March, every day, with a restaurant and relaxation salon on site. About 15 minutes by car from Miyako Airport, with resort shuttle buses in the evening. Combine it with Shigira Beach, south-coast sunsets and stargazing.
An urban natural hot spring 8 minutes on foot from JR Sugamo Station, named after Somei village, birthplace of the Somei-Yoshino cherry. Renovated in August 2025, the interior is now calmer and more Japanese-modern. Amber sodium-chloride strong-salt water pumped from 1,800 m underground holds heat so well it is called the 'bath of warmth', enjoyed in an outdoor rock bath, pot tubs and a garden-view indoor pool, with a hot sauna, cold plunge, outdoor cooling area and a mist sauna on the women's side. Admission including towels and loungewear is ¥2,100 on weekdays and ¥2,900 on weekends and holidays for adults, ¥1,200 for children aged 6 to elementary school – city prices, but with no time limit you can stay all day. Open 10:00–23:00 (last entry 22:30), irregular maintenance closures. Japanese, Western and Chinese dining, a large tatami rest hall, body care, scrubs, esthetics and even hair styling are on site, and a free shuttle bus runs from Sugamo Station; parking for 88 cars (2 hours free on weekdays). Combine it with Sugamo's Jizō-dōri shopping street or Rikugien garden for the closest thing to an onsen getaway on the Yamanote Line.
About 25 minutes by car from Morioka Station, this large hotel is the flagship of Tsunagi Onsen, the lakeside 'back parlour of Morioka' lined with inns along Lake Gosho. Its lake-facing bathhouse, the Nambu Magariya no Yu, is modelled on the region's traditional L-shaped farmhouses, and the open-air bath on the shore frames Lake Gosho and Mt. Iwate, beautiful as the light shifts at dawn and dusk. A second bathhouse, Hitorishizuka no Yu, looks onto a stone garden, and the two swap between men and women by time of day. The clear alkaline simple spring is soft on the skin, and there is a sauna. Day bathing hours are short – 11:00–16:00 on weekdays (reception until 15:00) and 11:00–14:00 on weekends and holidays (until 13:00) – at ¥1,200 on weekdays and ¥1,400 on weekends for adults, ¥600 for children. There is no fixed closing day, but cleaning days and crowds can suspend or shorten day bathing, so check ahead. A restaurant, shop and lounge are on site with ample free parking. Iwate Kenkō bus for Tsunagi Onsen from Morioka Station's west exit takes about 30 minutes, or 15 minutes by car from Morioka IC via Route 46. Combine with Koiwai Farm or Morioka Handi-Works Square.
The oldest of the seven sotoyu public baths of Kinosaki Onsen, said to be the spa's earliest spring. Its name comes from the legend that 1,400 years ago a wounded stork healed its leg here, and it has a garden rotenburo. Adults ¥800, children ¥400, 7:00–23:00 (last entry 22:40), closed Tuesdays (open on holidays). 20 minutes on foot from JR Kinosaki-Onsen Station, at the far end of the spa street in front of the ropeway, with the first hour of parking free. Note: closed for renovation from 11 May to 30 October 2026, due to reopen 31 October.
Keikoku-no-Yu, a wooden great bath looking over the Kinugawa gorge. It has five baths — a green-stone bath, a wooden great bath, an open-air rock bath, a half-body bath and a germanium bath — plus a sauna, letting you take in the gorge amid the warmth of timber. Day bathing is 14:00–17:00 at ¥1,650 for adults (tax included, plus ¥50 bathing tax) and ¥880 for children aged 3–12, and may be declined when busy. About 7 minutes by dial bus from Tōbu Kinugawa-Onsen Station, about 25 minutes from Imaichi IC on the Nikkō-Utsunomiya Road, free parking for about 100.
Day bathing at Shirasagiyu Tawaraya, an inn of roughly 800 years overlooking the Kakusenkei gorge. The waters of Yamanaka Onsen, praised in a haiku by Matsuo Bashō, can be taken in open-air baths opening onto the valley. Day bathing is by advance reservation only, 9:00–11:00 and 15:00–18:00, at ¥1,500 (tax included) for adults, ¥1,000 for elementary pupils and free below age 2, with a towel set (bath towel and hand towel) included. The two great baths, Kakusen and Kajika, switch between men and women morning and afternoon. Overnight guests come first, so busy days are not accepted, and the private great baths are not available for day use.
A large inn of Misasa Onsen with its baths set in a Japanese garden of some 1,000 tsubo. There are several bathing places, including an open-air bath looking over the garden and one placed beside a waterfall, and they switch between men and women morning and evening. Day bathing is accepted 11:00 to 21:00 at 1,000 yen for adults, 500 yen for children aged 3 to elementary school, and free for under 2s. Reception is paused during busy weekend and holiday hours, closure days and maintenance, so it is worth checking. The private open-air bath can be used by day visitors from 11:00 to 14:00 with same-day booking only, for a separate fee.
A large inn in Minakami, formerly Gensen-yu no Yado Matsunoi, now part of the Oedo Onsen Monogatari Premium line. Three open-air baths face a garden of 10,000 tsubo, Akane-no-yu, Aono-yu and Wakaba-no-yu, with great baths as well. Akane-no-yu switches between men and women, and the men's open-air bath has a barrel sauna. Day bathing needs no reservation and runs 7:00 to 10:00 and 15:00 to 24:00 with last entry at 22:00, at 1,150 yen for adults on weekdays, 1,400 yen on weekends and holidays and 1,600 yen on peak days. Towels rent for 330 yen. People with tattoos may use the great baths only if they are fully covered with the designated cover stickers, which are sold on site.
A large hotel at the heart of Bandai-Atami Onsen, using alkaline simple spring water at 52 to 58 degrees. There are several bathing places, including an open-air bath set in a garden, and the open-air bath is the women's side in the morning and the men's in the afternoon. Day bathing is for one visit, in the morning or the afternoon, at 1,500 yen for adults and 700 yen for children aged 2 to elementary school (taxes included). Reception is 10:00 to 17:00 on weekdays and 10:30 to 17:00 on weekends and holidays, and bathing runs 10:00 to 18:00. From 12:30 to 13:00 the baths change over and cannot be used. Towels are 300 yen to buy and 300 yen to rent, and a private bath can be added for 3,000 yen per group.
A leading inn of Nagato-Yumoto Onsen, standing on the bank of the Otozure river. It has two great baths: Seseragi-no-yu, with a rock open-air bath and a hinoki one, and Komorebi-no-yu, with a half-open bath facing the river, both fed by an alkaline simple spring. Day bathing is 2,500 yen for adults and 1,250 yen for elementary pupils, accepted 12:00 to 21:30 on weekdays and 12:00 to 15:00 plus 18:00 to 21:30 on weekends, holidays and special days. Day visitors use Seseragi-no-yu on the first floor if men and Komorebi-no-yu on the second if women, and bath and face towels are lent free.
A leading ryokan of Kaike Onsen with its own spring, Housho-no-izumi. Hana-no-yu on the first floor pairs an indoor great bath with an open-air bath set around a garden, where the sound of the Sea of Japan and the salt air are close at hand. The water is a sodium-calcium chloride spring at pH 7.4 and runs flow-through. Day bathing is accepted 15:00 to 21:00 at 1,500 yen for adults and 750 yen for children aged 3 to elementary school. The window is well suited to an open-air soak at dusk with the sea in view.
An inn of Iizaka Onsen with its own spring, where an open-air bath facing a Japanese garden is the signature. Day bathing needs no reservation and is taken from 11:00 to 14:00, with use until 15:00, at 1,000 yen for adults and 500 yen for elementary pupils, tax included. Coloured yukata rent for 300 yen, which makes it easy to combine the bath with a walk around the spa street. A shuttle to the station is available.
A large inn built around a garden open-air bath among the widest in the Hokuriku region, known as the ten pleasures of a wind-swept spa. Water from its own source fills baths of several shapes, including a porcelain tub and a silk bath. Day bathing is received from 16:00 to 20:00 at 1,500 yen for adults and 700 yen for children of elementary age and under, with a small towel and a bath towel included. No reservation is needed and you can register at the front desk on the day; payment is cash only.
A day-bath house of 1856 still standing on the edge of Fujiyoshida. A two-storey timber building and a thatched main hall remain, and the bath room shows its beams under a high ceiling, with a black-granite tub set in steps. The water is a soft simple spring of the Mt Fuji foothills, a cold mineral spring; there is no open-air bath, but a small courtyard garden can be watched from the water. Two hours costs 750 yen for adults, a full day from 9:00 to 17:00 is 1,500 yen, and the evening hours after 17:00 are 1,000 yen. There is a large hall for resting, where the local Yoshida udon is served. It closes on Wednesdays, though it does open on some days depending on the season.
A large onsen inn on the shore of Lake Gosho, taking day bathers for 1,200 yen on weekdays and 1,400 yen on weekends and holidays. On weekdays it receives from 11:00 to 16:00, and until 15:00 on weekends and holidays, each with a last entry time. The main bath is open from 5:00 until 1:00 and switches between men and women daily, with a sauna and a garden open-air bath.
A small inn at Yuwaku Onsen, the retreat in the hills behind Kanazawa, taking day bathers for 1,000 yen. There is a flow-through open-air bath where the trees and breeze can be felt, and the men's bath has a waterfall tub. It receives only from 14:30 to 16:30, so checking before setting out is needed.
One of Japan's largest spa complexes, inside Nagashima Resort. Seventeen baths for men and women sit across a 33,000 m² garden, fed by 10,000 tonnes a day of alkaline simple spring, with a free-flowing great rock bath.
A long-established ryokan in Tottori Onsen, the rare downtown hot-spring quarter five minutes from JR Tottori Station. Its own artesian spring flows unrecirculated (kake-nagashi) — a sodium chloride/sulfate spring at 56°C — filling a main bath with an octagonal Yumedono-style tub, cypress and stone indoor baths, and an open-air bath with garden views through the seasons.
An onsen inn on a hill above Shinkyo bridge, the gateway to the World Heritage shrines and temples of Nikko. Its garden bath of alkaline simple spring (pH 9.5) is the signature, with a cypress tub and open-air bath overlooking the garden through the seasons. Day bathing, often paired with lunch, is popular.
A traditional Japanese onsen ryokan standing near the approach to Kotohira-gu shrine. Its grand bath draws Konpira Onsen and is open to day visitors; from the indoor bath the view sweeps over the Sanuki plain to Iinoyama - the 'Sanuki Fuji' - and the Asan range. The north-side open-air bath (men's and women's sides switch between day and night) is wrapped in the greenery of Kotohira-yama with the temple town below. The well-kept garden is also much praised.