133 Facilities
A large day facility where you can try Kusatsu's traditional 'awase-yu' — a row of wooden tubs at rising temperatures, entered in order. Indoor baths, rotenburo, sauna, plus rest and dining areas make it good for half a day. About 10 minutes' walk from the Yubatake, or a short bus ride. Admission ¥1,200 (2026); three-bath pass with Gozanoyu and Sainokawara ¥2,100.
Founded in 1879, with its 1938 wooden building and curved gable, Takegawara is the symbol of Beppu Onsen. A regular bath costs ¥300 — a deep, hot pool down a flight of steps. The famous sand bath has you buried in warm sand by staff while wearing a yukata. Bring your own soap and shampoo.
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.
The public bathhouse of Arima, one of Japan's three oldest hot springs. For ¥800 you can soak in the 'kinsen' — iron- and salt-rich water that turns rusty brown on contact with air, in pools at 42°C and 44°C. Under an hour by train from Kobe or Osaka, so an easy day trip. Free foot bath and drinking fountain outside. No tattoos.
Built in 1894 and the first public bathhouse designated an Important Cultural Property, the Honkan is Dogo's symbol. Full operation resumed in 2024 after a five-and-a-half-year restoration. The ground-floor 'Kami no Yu' is ¥700 for bathing only; upper floors add a rest room with tea. Soft alkaline water. Quietest right after the 6 am opening or after 9 pm.
The oldest inn in the Nyuto Onsen area, a hidden hot spring dating to the Edo period. The thatched 'Honjin' building and the large milky-white mixed rotenburo are its iconic scene. Day bathing 10:00–15:00; on Mondays the rotenburo is closed for cleaning and only indoor baths are open. Rooms sell out months ahead. From Tazawako Station take the bus, then the inn shuttle from Alpa Komakusa.
The centerpiece of Nozawa's 13 public baths, a traditional bathhouse in the middle of the village. Local 'yunakama' associations have cleaned it daily since the Edo period; payment is a donation in the box at the door. Two pools, hot and 'mild' — though even the mild one exceeds 42°C. Adding cold water is bad manners: rinse first, then keep soaks short. No soap or shampoo.
A public bath in the heart of Gero, one of Japan's three famous springs. The alkaline simple spring (pH over 9) leaves skin silky — the classic 'beauty bath' — for just ¥470. Indoor pool only, popular with locals. Combine it with the ¥1,500 'yumeguri' pass that admits you to three ryokan baths. 10 minutes on foot from Gero Station.
A thatched communal bath on the shore of Lake Kinrin. Unstaffed — drop ¥300 in the box at the door. Changing area and bath share one room; an indoor pool and a half-open pool facing the lake, and it is mixed bathing with clear water and little screening, so it's a challenge for women. Right in busy central Yufuin, but quiet at the 10 am opening.
In the Hakkoda mountains, bathing since 1684 and Japan's first National Recuperation Onsen. A vast all-cypress mixed bath hall (about 260 m²) fed by four sources. Women-only hour 8–9 am daily; bathing garments sold on site.
A communal bath with over a thousand years of history as the shrine's sacred spring. Milky acidic sulfur water pours like a waterfall from log flumes into cypress tubs. ¥300; bring your own soap.
Right in front of the Yubatake, a wooden recreation of the Edo–Meiji communal baths. Wood and stone bath halls alternate between men and women daily, with two sources (Yubatake and Bandaiko). The upstairs hall looks down on the Yubatake.
A storehouse-style communal bath halfway up the 365-step stone stairway. Iron-rich brown 'golden water' in indoor tubs; rest hall upstairs. Cashless payment accepted.
A faithful reconstruction of the Meiji-era public bath, with stained glass and Kutani-ware tiles. No washing stations — you simply soak, the old way. The combined ticket with the adjacent Sōyu is the better deal.
Kinosaki's flagship outer bath, praised as 'the best under heaven' by an Edo-period physician. Its cave bath carved into rock is the draw; the kabuki-theatre-style building is the town's landmark.
An open-air-only bath at the edge of the Pacific. One of Japan's oldest springs, mentioned in the 8th-century Nihon Shoki; on rough days sea spray reaches the tubs. No roof, no wash stations.
The original bath of Misasa, one of the world's most radon-rich springs. Locals take short dips in the hot water. Free foot bath and drinking fountain next door; the free riverside mixed bath is nearby.
An annex opened in 2017 in Asuka-period style with Ehime craftwork throughout, plus an open-air bath the Honkan lacks. Upstairs rest rooms and a private special bath limited to five groups a day.
Beyond the vermilion gate (a National Important Cultural Property) stands one of Japan's oldest surviving wooden bathhouses, built in 1876. Open from 6:30 am until late, ¥500.
A stone steam-bath chamber in use since the Kamakura period. Lie in a yukata on a bed of medicinal sweet-flag herb and sweat heavily in 8–10 minutes. Yukata rental ¥220 (or bring a T-shirt and shorts). Free foot steaming outside.
The symbol of Nagayu, said to have Japan's most carbonated water. Sink into the 32°C open-air pool and silver bubbles coat your whole body. The charred-cedar and plaster building by architect Terunobu Fujimori is a sight in itself.
The heart of Kusatsu, where 4,000 litres a minute cascade down wooden channels. The Yukemuri-tei pavilion beside it is a free 24-hour foot bath, lit up at night. Start your visit here.
Closest of Kinosaki's seven public baths to the station. A striking hexagonal lantern-motif window; indoor bath only, simple and quick.
The bath tied to Kinosaki's founding legend. Popular for its cypress open-air tub and barrel baths facing the wooded hillside; at the quiet end of town. Opens at 3 pm.
A free communal bath right beside the Yubatake that welcomes visitors. Shirahata source water flows into two wooden tubs (hot and hotter). No soap, no showers — this is the locals' bath, so keep it quiet and quick.
A tiny bath hut on the Tanohara River, rebuilt by donations in 2022 after the 2020 floods (now separate men's and women's rooms). Slide the shutters open and it becomes almost open-air. ¥200 in the box.
The oldest communal bath in town, next to the Jizō hall that gives Kurokawa its identity. Not covered by the bath-hopping pass, but only ¥200. No soap; the water runs hot.
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 tiny communal bath from 1947, three minutes from Atami Station. Same salty source as the station foot bath, free-flowing and hot. The Atami ritual: one last soak before your Shinkansen home.
A Kengo Kuma-designed communal bath at the entrance to Ginzan's Taishō-era street. Hot water with drifting mineral flakes for ¥500. The one place day visitors can bathe in Ginzan's water — reception closes at 3:30 pm.
The 1,300-year-old birthplace of Nasu Onsen. Inside the wooden bathhouse, tubs are graded from 41 to 48°C, all fed with milky, strongly acidic sulfur water. No showers, no soap — start with the traditional head-dousing ritual.
A historic cure-bath in the hills a short way from Unzen's main street, said to have hosted Siebold and Yoshida Shōin. An octagonal wooden bathhouse with milky sulfur water cooled from a 90°C source. No open-air bath, but Unzen's finest water.
Shuzenji's only day-use public bath, recreating the historic outer bath tied to shogun Minamoto no Yoriie. A cypress tub of soft, clear water; a watchtower next door overlooks the town. Perfect after the bamboo path.
A public open-air bath built right at Ikaho's spring source, above the stone-step street and Kajika Bridge. Nothing but bamboo-fenced outdoor pools where the rusty-brown 'golden water' flows straight from the source. Pair it with the bridge in autumn.
The communal 'sōyu' of Yamanaka, praised by the poet Bashō as one of Japan's three finest baths. Men's and women's halls stand in separate buildings across the street; the deep, hot (~43°C) pool is the signature. 6:45 am to 10 pm, ¥500. Bring your own soap.
A public bath from the early Shōwa era beside the ruins of the Shimazu lords' private bathhouse. The Shimazu crest decorates the tub; the salty water runs hot and free-flowing. Free drinking spring too — a local follow-up to the sand bath.
Shirahama's other classic public bath, on the Yuzaki seafront near Saki-no-yu. Its draw: two distinct springs — Mabuyu and Miyukiyu — under one roof. 7 am to 10 pm, ¥420.
Of Shibu's nine communal baths along the cobbled street, No. 9 'Ō-yu' is the only one open to non-guests. Hot rusty-brown water plus a steam room fed by the source; a footbath on the roof. Buy a ¥800 ticket at the tourist office or nearby inns and have the door unlocked for you.
A log-cabin-style communal bath at the top of Takayu-dōri. Zao's three public baths (Kamiyu, Shimoyu, Kawarayu) all cost ¥200, paid into an honesty box. No washing stations — just rinse and sink into the strongly acidic milky sulfur water.
In Nozawa, where 13 outer baths are free (donation), this is the only paid day facility with showers, shampoo and an open-air bath. A handsome building with a curved gable, hot and mild indoor pools and a stone outdoor bath — the fallback when the outer baths are too hot or you want a proper wash.
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.
A municipal public bath two minutes from Bandai-Atami Station. Two pools of free-flowing spring water — a lukewarm one at about 36°C and a hot one — with silky alkaline water made for long soaks. Unusually, admission is highest in the morning and drops to ¥400 from 14:00 and ¥300 from 16:00. No towels or soap; bring your own.
A natural open-air bath on the Asahi River gravel bed right below Yubara Dam, where water bubbles up through the riverbed itself — ranked the 'western grand champion' of Japan's rotenburo. Three pools at different temperatures; mixed, free and open 24 hours. Only a simple changing hut, so women are advised to wear a bathing garment (sold and rented in town). Closed Wednesday mornings for cleaning. Photography strictly forbidden.
Thirty minutes by train from Fukuoka, next to Dazaifu, this communal bath belongs to Futsukaichi Onsen, a spring with 1,300 years of history. A single tub in a wooden building, but 100% free-flowing alkaline water leaves skin slick and smooth, and locals keep coming. ¥350 weekdays, ¥450 weekends. Upstairs rest room, plus onsen coffee and hot-spring eggs. Increasingly paired with a visit to Dazaifu Tenmangu.
A wooden toji (therapeutic stay) inn over 200 years old on the Toyosawa River in the Hanamaki-Minami onsen area, once frequented by poet Kenji Miyazawa. Its signature is 'Osawa-no-yu', a mixed open-air bath jutting over the river, with women-only hours. Day bathing from 7 am; ¥700 covers three baths. Many linger for lunch and sake at the 'Yahagi' dining room. Free shuttle from Hanamaki Station.
The source bath of Yamaguchi's oldest hot spring, opened some 600 years ago. Local volunteers rebuilt the aging public bath in 2020; the bathroom sits directly on the spring, so you stand chest-deep in a 1-m pool watching water seep from the bedrock. Around 39°C — made for long soaks. The riverside lounge doubles as a café open to non-bathers. Pair with a stroll through the town redeveloped around Hoshino Resorts' KAI Nagato.
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.
The communal bath of Yunotsu, once the shipping port for the World Heritage Iwami Ginzan silver mine. Rated a perfect 'all fives' by the Japan Spa Association, it is 100% free-flowing, and iron-rich mineral deposits coat the tub in thick brown crusts. Next door is 'Shin-yu', a Western-style wooden building from 1919 whose retro café and rooftop terrace are open to bathers. ¥600. The whole street is a preserved historic district.
Twenty-five minutes by local train from Fukushima, the emblematic communal bath of Iizaka Onsen, where the poet Basho is said to have bathed. Rebuilt in 1993 as a faithful copy of one of Japan's oldest wooden bathhouses, its granite tub runs with free-flowing spring water above 45°C. Locals don't cool it with tap water; visitors get guidance. ¥400, from 6 am. No soap or shampoo. Start here for a crawl of the town's nine public baths.
A wooden ryokan founded in 1841 on the Toyosawa River at the far end of the Hanamaki onsen villages. Its signature is 'Hakuen-no-yu', a self-welling rock pool about 1.25 m deep that you stand in — billed as Japan's deepest rock bath. Five springs feed four bathhouses, all 100% free-flowing. Day use ¥800, 10:00–21:00. Hakuen-no-yu is mixed bathing with women-only hours. Free shuttle from Hanamaki Station by reservation.
The source bath of Yunogo Onsen, where legend says the monk Ennin found an egret healing its wounds some 1,200 years ago. One of the three famed Mimasaka hot springs, an hour by car from Okayama. The town-run bathhouse charges ¥960 for indoor and open-air baths across two bathing wings linked by a moving walkway, alternating daily. Open 8:00–21:00; the 'all-day rest' plan lets you come and go until closing. Bring your own food.
Sakakibara Onsen was praised in the 11th-century Pillow Book as one of Japan's three finest baths. Tucked in the hills of Tsu, it flourished as a purification stop for pilgrims to Ise Shrine and is known as a 'beauty bath'. The day-use wing of this old ryokan lets you feel the silky pH 9.6 house spring unheated in the dedicated 'gensen' tub. ¥1,000 (face towel included, 2-hour limit). Shuttle from Sakakibara-Onsenguchi Station.
The only communal bath in Akiu Onsen, Sendai's classic hot-spring retreat. Among upscale ryokan charging ¥1,000-plus for day use, this humble bathhouse offers free-flowing chloride spring water for ¥300. Near the Yakushi-do temple at the source, it has a single tub and a mostly local crowd; soap is sold, not provided, and a sign asks for 40-minute stays. About 55 minutes by bus from Sendai Station, right by the Yumoto stop.
A communal bath in Obama Onsen on Tachibana Bay, whose ~100°C springs release more heat than any in Japan. The single-storey wooden building from 1937 feels like a museum of Showa-era life and is a designated prefectural townscape asset. Pay at the old-style counter, then choose between the hot and very hot tubs of free-flowing chloride water. Open from 6 am; part of the Kyushu 88 Onsen trail. About an hour from Nagasaki city, on the way back from Unzen.
The source bath of Ryujin Onsen, counted with Yunokawa and Kawanaka among Japan's 'three beauty baths'. It stands on the Hidaka River deep in the Kii mountains, with a cypress indoor bath and a rock rotenburo overlooking the stream. The silky bicarbonate water is famous for leaving skin smooth. ¥800, 7:00–21:00, open daily. An hour by car from Koyasan via the Koya-Ryujin Skyline, or about 80 minutes by bus from Kii-Tanabe.
A lone inn in a primeval beech forest on the southern flank of Mt. Hakkoda. Spring water wells up directly through the gaps in the hiba-cypress boards on the tub floor — 'free-welling', so you bathe in water that has never touched air, a rarity even in Japan. The all-hiba 'Kyuan-no-yu' bathhouse from 1918 is magnificent. Day use 10:00–15:00, ¥1,000; may close early when busy. Combine with the hour-long trail around Tsuta-numa pond, famous for autumn colour. Closed in winter.
Twenty minutes by car from the Tottori Sand Dunes, the communal bath of Iwai Onsen, one of San'in's oldest springs at 1,300 years. It preserves 'yukamuri', a quirky custom of singing while ladling water over a towel on your head. The 47.6°C source in a corner of the car park flows in 100% untreated. ¥380, open 6:00–22:00. A humble soak to pair with the Uradome coast or the dunes.
A hot-spring ryokan in the heart of the temple town below Kotohira-gū, close to the foot of the famous stone steps. Perfect for easing your legs with a day soak (¥750, 11:00–16:00) after climbing the 785 steps; the open-air bath looks out on the Konpira hills. Bicarbonate spring. About 10 minutes on foot from Kotohira Station and easy to pair with udon-shop hopping. Baths are occasionally closed for maintenance—check ahead.
An all-glass communal bath on the shore of Lake Shibayama in Katayamazu, part of the Kaga onsen cluster, designed by architect Yoshio Taniguchi. The lake-facing 'Kata-no-yu' and garden-facing 'Mori-no-yu' swap between men and women on odd and even days; for ¥500 you get the Hakusan peaks and the lake to yourself. The salty chloride water keeps you warm long after. Open from 6:00 to 22:00, with a café upstairs (closed Thursdays) selling onsen eggs. About 10 min by bus from Kaga-Onsen Station.
The only hot spring inscribed as a World Heritage Site that you can actually bathe in, listed together with the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage routes. A tiny hut over the stream in Yunomine — said to be Japan's oldest onsen at 1,800 years — shelters a tub hollowed from natural rock that fits two adults. The sulfurous water is said to change colour seven times a day and served pilgrims for ritual purification. Private 30-minute slots, ¥800, sign up at the public bathhouse (6:00–21:00). Waits of several hours are common on holidays; boil onsen eggs in the hot-spring trough while you wait.
The landmark of Arifuku, a stair-stepped hamlet of wooden inns tucked into the San'in hills. A 1928 reinforced-concrete bathhouse with Western arched windows, it pours colourless alkaline simple-spring water undiluted into the tub — slippery 'beauty water'. ¥400 with soap and shampoo, open 7:00–22:00 for early soaks. A family bath rents for ¥1,200 an hour, and the tatami rest room upstairs displays pre-war photographs. Cars can't enter the sloping village, which also has the Satsuki-yu and Yayoi-yu public baths for a three-bath circuit.
A three-storey wooden former inn built in 1928 on the Matsukawa River, now run by Itō city as a cultural facility and a masterpiece of early-Shōwa architecture. The carved transoms, rooftop lookout and guest rooms where rival carpenters showed off are worth the ¥200 admission alone — but on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, 11:00–19:00, you can also bathe in the tiled 'large' and 'small' bath halls (¥500 adults including admission; halls swap by gender). The water is Itō's simple spring. Note the baths are closed on weekdays. Seven minutes on foot from Itō Station; combine with the riverside promenade and the old spa quarter opposite — a treat for lovers of retro buildings.
One of the three public 'outer baths' of Bessho Onsen near Ueda, the spa village nicknamed 'Kamakura of Shinshū'. Ishiyu is famed as the hidden bath of warrior Sanada Yukimura in Ikenami Shōtarō's novel Sanada Taiheiki; its tub is built around natural bedrock, filled free-flowing with faintly sulphurous, mildly alkaline water. Open 6:30–21:30 (last entry 21:00), closed Tuesdays, a modest ¥300 with free lockable lockers. Pair it with the other two — Ōyu (closed 1st & 3rd Wed) and Daishiyu (closed 1st & 3rd Thu) — plus Kitamuki Kannon temple and the National Treasure octagonal pagoda of Anrakuji, all on foot. Ten minutes' walk from Bessho-Onsen Station on the Ueda Dentetsu line.
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.
One of Kyūshū's largest wooden bathhouses, in the centre of the old castle town of Yamaga in northern Kumamoto. Built in the Edo period as a rest house for the Hosokawa lords, its Meiji-era rebuild is attributed to Sakamoto Matahachirō, the master carpenter of Dōgo Onsen Honkan. Faithfully reconstructed in 2012, the curved-gable entrance, dragon transoms and high-ceilinged bath hall feel far grander than the ¥350 admission. The water is a clear, silky alkaline simple spring, with a drinking fountain. Open long hours, 6:00–24:00 (last entry 23:30), closed the 3rd Wednesday. Soap and towels from the vending machine. Combine with the Yachiyoza theatre (Important Cultural Property), the Buzen Kaidō streetscape and the August lantern festival.
Founded in 1691 and regarded as Japan's oldest surviving hot-spring inn building, this Shima Onsen institution in Gunma stands across a red bridge; the main house, said to be one of the models for the bathhouse in Spirited Away, is an Important Cultural Property. The celebrated Genroku-no-yu, built in 1930 in Taishō-romantic style, has five tubs set into a stone floor lit by arched windows, with water welling up from below. Shima's sulphate water is counted among Japan's three great baths for digestive ailments and can be drunk. Day use 10:00–17:30 (last entry 17:00), ¥1,500 with face towel, covering Genroku-no-yu, the mixed rock bath and private baths. Tattoos accepted if covered with stickers. About 40 minutes by bus from Nakanojō Station to the Shima Onsen terminus.
A neighbourhood-run communal bath at the foot of the stone stairway to Izusan Shrine, north of Atami Station and linked to Minamoto no Yoritomo and Hōjō Masako. The water comes from Hashiriyu, one of Japan's three ancient springs — a cave source where hot water once 'ran' down to the sea — a 71 °C calcium-sodium chloride spring, free-flowing with only water added to cool it. Inside it is pure Shōwa: an attendant's counter and two tubs, one hot, one lukewarm. ¥350; open afternoons only, roughly 14:00–20:00, closed Thursdays. Bring towel and soap. Pair with the free Hashiriyu cave just below and the 837-step climb to Izusan Shrine for a slice of Atami history. About 7 minutes by bus from Atami Station to Aizomebashi.
A wooden inn founded in 1789 at Kamasaki Onsen, a mountain cure spa in Shiroishi, Miyagi, where villagers are said to have struck hot water with the tip of a sickle more than 600 years ago. Its iron-bearing sulphate water, known as the 'medicinal bath of Ōu', turns tea-brown and has long been trusted for cuts and bruises. Gleaming dark corridors, glass shōji and traces of the old self-catering cure wing make it irresistible to lovers of retro Japan. Day use 11:00–14:00, ¥800; bring a towel. Fifteen minutes by car from Shiroishi-Zaō Station — a convenient stop with Shiroishi Castle, the Yajirō kokeshi village or the start of the Zaō Echo Line. Day bathing is sometimes suspended when busy or for cleaning, so phone ahead.
At 1,800 m in Manza Onsen — said to have the highest sulphur content in Japan — this is the most rustic of the old spa-cure inns. The wooden bathhouse holds just one indoor tub per gender, but the milky acidic sulphur water is thick and hot enough to leave you drowsy afterwards. It is known for its 'Sarunokoshikake-yu', in which extract of a bracket fungus has long been added to the water. Day use 10:00–16:00, ¥700 for adults, towels sold for ¥250. For onsen fans who want an old-school cure-bath feel amid Manza's big resort hotels. The building has tilted due to ground subsidence, so phone ahead to confirm it is operating. About 40 minutes by bus from Manza-Kazawaguchi Station.
The oldest communal bath in Echigo-Yuzawa, near the inn where Kawabata Yasunari wrote Snow Country — he is said to have bathed here himself. The tub fits only five or six people, but the sulphur-scented free-flowing spring is a rarity in Yuzawa and the star of the town's five-bath 'sotoyu' circuit. Adults pay ¥850 including bathing tax (revised 2026); open 10:00–21:00 (last entry 20:30), closed Tuesdays. Soap and shampoo provided, towels sold for ¥200. It sits up a slope 25 minutes' walk from Echigo-Yuzawa Station, or 10 minutes from Gala-Yuzawa Station; only 10 parking spaces.
Tawarayama Onsen, in the hills of Nagato, Yamaguchi, has 1,100 years of history and still lives by 'sotoyu' culture: the inns have no baths of their own, so even overnight guests walk in yukata to the two communal bathhouses, Machi-no-yu and Hakuen-no-yu. Hakuen-no-yu is the newer of the pair, with three tubs — a lukewarm No.1 bath straight from the source, a heated hotter No.2 bath and an open-air bath — showcasing silky pH 9.9 alkaline water. ¥850 for adults, open 12:00–21:00, closed Tuesday to Thursday (Machi-no-yu runs daily 06:00–22:00 for ¥650). A free foot bath sits halfway up the entrance stairs. About 20 minutes by bus from Nagato-Yumoto Station.
The communal bath of Maga Onsen, a tiny hamlet of stone stairways on a slope above a tributary of the Asahi River in the Yubara Onsen area. Legend says a defeated warrior healed his wounds here some 700 years ago. The star is the 'Makuyu', a mixed rock bath of about 1.6 × 2 m and 1.2 m deep, so you soak standing up — often called Japan's smallest mixed bath — with lukewarm 39°C water bubbling up through cracks in the rock floor. The men's and women's baths connect to it and cost ¥250; the Makuyu is ¥400 (max 8 people, one hour) and a private bath ¥1,300 for up to three. Open 08:00–21:00 (last entry 20:10), closed Tuesdays (open on holidays). No towels allowed in the mixed bath, so be prepared. About 20 minutes by car from Chūgoku-Katsuyama Station.
Halfway along Ideyu-zaka, the steam-wreathed main street of Beppu's Kannawa district, this communal bath is run by the local residents' association. In typical Beppu style the changing area and bath share one room, and hot sodium-chloride water rich in metasilicic acid flows freely. Visitors pay only ¥100 — technically a coin-locker fee rather than admission. Open 06:30–21:00 daily. No soap or shampoo and minimal washing space, so follow local manners: quiet and quick. There is a toilet on the little square out front, and the Jigoku-mushi steam-cooking workshop and Umi-jigoku are two minutes away, making it an easy stop on a Kannawa stroll. Counts toward the Beppu Hattō Onsen-dō stamp rally.
In the town centre of Ibusuki, famous for its sand baths, this is one of the oldest communal baths, dating from 1882. Locals call it 'Muran-yu'. Its pride is the wooden bathhouse and the spring that wells up straight through the floor of the tub; there are no taps — you scoop the emerging water with a bucket to rinse, the old way — and there are two tubs, hot and lukewarm. The sodium-chloride water is strongly salty in true Ibusuki fashion and keeps you warm for ages. Adults drop ¥350 into the unattended fee box; open 08:00–22:00. No soap provided, so bring your own. About 13 minutes on foot from Ibusuki Station. For onsen fans who want a 'real locals' bath' after the Saraku sand-bath hall; entry may not be possible during cleaning or crowding, so check closure days in advance.
Hijiori Onsen, 1,200 years old, is a cure-spa where inns huddle at the bottom of a caldera in Ōkura village, Yamagata. Right in the middle of the street stands Kami-no-yu, the only communal bath open to visitors. A small bathhouse with an attendant's counter, it has slightly hot free-flowing sodium-chloride/bicarbonate water and a tiny Yakushi shrine in the corner of the tub. Adults pay ¥400 (free for guests of the village inns); open 08:00–18:00 (until 17:00 in winter), no bathing on Thursday mornings for cleaning. The Hijiori way is to pair it with the morning market that sets up from about 5–6 am (Apr–Nov). In winter this is one of Japan's snowiest places, and just walking the street between snow walls is an experience. About 55 minutes by bus from Shinjō Station.
The communal bath at the heart of Nuruyu Onsen in Kuroishi, Aomori, a spa with more than 400 years of history. It is ringed by 'kyakusha' — simple self-catering cure lodgings with no baths of their own, whose guests all walk over here — a form of spa life now rare even in Tōhoku. The bathroom is as roomy as a sentō, with 100% source water (sodium chloride-sulphate) cooled by a special method without dilution and split into hot and lukewarm tubs. Adults pay ¥350; open long hours from 05:00 to 22:00 (last entry 21:30), daily (occasional closures in April and November). No soap provided. Kokeshi-doll workshops and the Tsugaru Kokeshi Museum are nearby. About 25 minutes by bus from Kuroishi Station.
A lone inn in a steaming fumarole field at about 1,000 m on the Akita side of Hachimantai. One of Tōhoku's great cure spas — 'arrive on horseback, leave on your own two feet', as the saying went — it is also famous for its ondol-heated cure wing. The main bathhouse lines up seven kinds of tubs: the signature box steam bath, a mud bath, a cascade bath, a 'volcano bath' and an open-air bath, all fed by milky acidic sulphur water. Day use 10:30–15:00 (last entry 14:00), ¥800 for adults, closed Tuesdays (plus maintenance days). Behind the inn a nature trail loops past mud volcanoes and vents in about 40 minutes. About 1 h 55 min by bus from Tazawako Station on the Hachimantai summit line (usually late Apr–mid-Oct); in winter come by local bus from Kazuno-Hanawa Station or by car.
Tsuetate Onsen, where inns line both banks of the Tsuetate River on the Kumamoto–Ōita border, claims 1,800 years of history as the bath water of the infant Emperor Ōjin. Moto-yu is the communal bath said to be its origin: a single half-open tub carved into the rock face beside the riverside promenade — mixed, free and open 24 hours, nothing more. The sodium-chloride water, cooled from a 98°C source, leaves the skin soft. Changing space is basic and screening minimal, so many people wear bathing garments or a wrapped towel; early morning or night is the best time. Combine it with a wander through the 'sedoya' back alleys and, in May–June, the 3,500 carp streamers strung across the river. About 50 minutes by bus from Hita Station.
A Western-style bathhouse on the shore of Lake Suwa, built in 1928 by the Katakura silk dynasty for the welfare of local residents and now an Important Cultural Property. Its famous Sennin-buro is a marble pool 1.1 m deep — you bathe standing, pebbles underfoot, surrounded by stained glass and sculpture — named for the hundred people it can hold at once. It uses Kamisuwa's spring water and also has a sauna and jet bath. Adults ¥750, open 10:00–20:00 (last entry 19:30), closed 2nd and 4th Tuesdays. The 2nd-floor rest room (until 19:00) and canteen (11:00–15:00) are open to bathers, and tours of the hall building are offered. Eight minutes on foot from Kami-Suwa Station, handy for Suwa Taisha shrine and Takashima Castle.
The public bathhouse at the heart of Yamashiro Onsen's 'Yu-no-gawa' square in the Kaga hot-spring region, a spa 1,300 years old. In Kaga communal baths are called 'sōyu', and even ryokan guests walk over in yukata. The entrance reuses the gate of the old Yoshinoya inn; inside is spacious and clean, with one big tub of fresh undiluted water (sodium-calcium sulphate-chloride) flowing freely. Adults ¥500, open 06:00–22:00, closed only on the morning of the 4th Wednesday. A ¥900 combined ticket includes the 'Ko-sōyu' opposite (¥700), a recreation of the Meiji-era bathhouse with Kutani-ware tiles and stained glass — comparing the two is the classic plan. Soap and shampoo are sold, not provided. About 10 minutes by bus from Kaga-Onsen Station.
The oldest of Itō Onsen's 'Seven Lucky Gods' communal baths, a true locals' bathhouse. The spring is said to have been presented to the third shōgun Tokugawa Iemitsu in the Edo period, and today it runs as the ward-operated Wada-yu Kaikan. The layout is simple — a single indoor bath each for men and women — but the clear, simple-type spring flows in freely and the atmosphere is that of an old-fashioned neighbourhood bath full of regulars. Adults ¥400, children ¥200; open 14:00–22:00, closed Wednesdays (with extra days off in even months — check ahead). Soap and towels are sold, so bring your own. About 15 minutes on foot from JR Itō Station; pair it with the Tōkaikan building and Kinema-dōri street as one stop on the Seven Lucky Gods bath circuit. Parking for 11 cars.
One of the two public bathhouses of Tawarayama Onsen in Nagato, Yamaguchi, a cure-spa founded over 1,100 years ago. Most inns here have no bath of their own, so guests still pad through the streets in yukata to the outside baths, and Machi-no-yu is the hub of that life. The silky alkaline simple spring flows in untreated, and there is a drinking fountain. Just a plain indoor bath, but it is open right through from 06:00 to 22:00 and costs only ¥650. A bookable private family bath (¥3,500 for three, 08:00–21:00) is attached. There is no regular closing day — only cleaning breaks in July and December. The other bathhouse, Hakuen-no-yu (¥850, with an open-air bath), closes Tuesday to Thursday, so on weekdays Machi-no-yu is the one to count on. About 25 minutes by bus from JR Nagato-shi Station to 'Tawarayama Onsen', then 3 minutes on foot.
The founding bath of Yunotsu, the port town that once shipped silver from the World Heritage Iwami Ginzan mine, with a history said to go back 1,300 years. It stands in the preserved townscape district and has a legend of a tanuki healing its wounds here. Two pools: the 'hot' one fed directly by the source and a 'cooler' one that is still around 43°C. The strong sodium-calcium-chloride water, thick with rust-brown mineral flakes, is renowned as a therapeutic spring and can be drunk. Adults ¥450, children ¥200; open 06:00–20:00, irregular closures (closed from 15:00 on the 3rd Monday). No soap and no showers — bathe the old way. Comparing it with the other outside bath, Yakushi-yu (¥500), is the classic routine. About 20 minutes on foot or 5 by bus from JR Yunotsu Station.
The communal bathhouse of Shikano, a castle town in western Tottori City laid out by the warlord Kamei Korenori. Light pours through glass-block walls into a bright bathroom with a main tub, jacuzzi, sauna, cold plunge and an open-air bath facing Mt Jūbō, all generously filled with clear, gentle simple spring water. Inexpensive at ¥550 for adults and ¥280 for children; open 10:00–22:00 and closed only on the first Thursday of the month (the following week if a holiday). There is no restaurant, but a rest area and souvenir counter, plus a roofed foot bath and the 'Omoshiro Market' soba house next door. Pair it with a stroll around the castle town's canals and paving, Shikano Castle ruins park and the Bird Theatre. About 4 minutes by car from Hamamura-Shikano-Onsen IC on the San'in Expressway, or 10 minutes by bus from JR Hamamura Station to 'Imamachi'. Handy on the way back from the Tottori dunes or Uradome coast.
A cure-bath founded in the Meiji era, tucked in the hills of Misato, Shimane, up a tributary of the Gō River. The spring bubbles up directly through gaps in the wooden floor of the tub — 'footspring' water that onsen devotees rank among the finest sources in western Japan. The carbonated iron-bicarbonate water is tepid at around 34 °C, faintly yellow-brown, and coats the body in tiny bubbles. There is one small wooden tub each for men and women, no washing area, soap and shampoo are forbidden, and bathing is limited to an hour: this is a place purely for soaking. Afterwards you can warm up in a heated goemon iron-kettle bath. Adults ¥500; open 08:00–18:00 April–October (last entry 17:00) and 08:00–17:00 November–March (last entry 16:00), closed Thursdays. Room rest is available. With the Sankō rail line gone, driving is realistic: about 1 hour from JR Gōtsu Station or 50 minutes from Ōasa IC on the Hamada Expressway, with a narrow mountain road at the end. Not for those wanting facilities, but unforgettable for those who care about the water itself.
The communal bath at the centre of Yuwaku Onsen, Kanazawa's 'back parlour', about 50 minutes by bus from Kanazawa Station. The spa dates back 1,300 years, prospered as the cure resort of the Kaga lords, and is remembered as where the Taishō-era artist Takehisa Yumeji stayed with his lover; the name comes from a legend of an egret healing its wounds here. Inside, the wood-rich building is calm, with clear, smooth sodium-calcium-chloride water served fairly hot in a simple bathroom (no open-air bath or sauna). Cheap at ¥490 for adults and ¥130 for children, and open 07:00–22:00, it suits a bath-hopping circuit from the ryokan or a finish to a Kanazawa day. Closed the third Thursday (plus occasional days). Combine with the Gyokusen Lake path, the Yumeji museum and the inns' restaurants. Known as the setting of the anime 'Hanasaku Iroha', the village holds the Bonbori lantern festival in October. About 30 minutes by car from Kanazawa-Morimoto IC; parking is limited.
The oldest naturally rising spring of Hinatayama Onsen, the spa district along the Amori River in Hayato, Kirishima, about 15 minutes by car from Kagoshima Airport. Saigō Takamori is said to have favoured it between hunts, and locals call it 'Segodon's bath'. It is unstaffed — you drop your fee in the box at the entrance — and the price is frozen in the Shōwa era: ¥250 for adults, ¥100 for children. Inside is a simple indoor bathroom with two tubs, hot and moderate, filled free-flowing with clear, slippery bicarbonate water; there is a drinking fountain of the spring too. No open-air bath or restaurant, but it opens 06:00–21:00 (last entry 20:30) and a room-only lodge next door costs ¥1,800 including the bath — a boon for travellers. Closed the fourth Monday. About 5 minutes on foot from JR Hinatayama Station; 10 parking spaces. For anyone wanting an unadorned everyday Kagoshima bath before or after Kirishima Shrine or the airport.
The oldest of the communal baths surviving in the spa town of Kaminoyama, a former castle and post town about 10 minutes on foot from Kaminoyama-Onsen Station on the Yamagata Shinkansen. Moved to its present site in 1624, it is said to have been used by the Zen master Takuan. The big tub is split into hot and tepid halves, filled free-flowing with clear sodium-calcium-chloride-sulphate water. With its flagstone washing area and old-style attendant's counter, it charges an astonishing ¥150 for adults and ¥100 for children (hair washing ¥100 extra), and the tatami hall upstairs can be used for a day's rest for ¥300. Open 06:00–22:00 (from 06:30 December–February; last entry 21:30), every day. Take a morning or evening dip with locals while touring Kaminoyama Castle, the samurai-house street and the town's five foot baths. About 25 minutes by car from Yamagata city, 40 minutes from Zaō Onsen. No soap is provided, so bring your own; park in the shopping-street car park opposite.
The public bath at the heart of Yunomine Onsen, one of Japan's oldest springs, where pilgrims purified themselves before Kumano Hongū Taisha. The building, renovated in 2022, also serves as reception for the World Heritage 'Tsuboyu'. There are three bathrooms: the 'Ippan-yu' with hot and tepid tubs (adults ¥400, shampoo provided), the concentrated 'Kusuri-yu' filled with undiluted source water (¥600, no soap allowed) and a 30-minute private family bath (¥700), all sulphur-scented sodium-bicarbonate-chloride water ranging from milky to clear. Tsuboyu (¥800, 30-minute slots) can mean a wait of hours when busy, so the clever order is to take a number and warm up in the public bath first. Open 06:00–21:00 (last entry 20:30), irregular cleaning closures. The village also has the 'Yuzutsu', a 90 °C source where you boil eggs and vegetables, and is the trailhead of the Dainichi-goe section of the Kumano Kodō. About 2 hours by bus from JR Kii-Tanabe or Shingū stations to 'Yunomine Onsen', right by the stop; 46 parking spaces.
About 7 minutes by car from Izumo Enmusubi Airport, Yunokawa Onsen in Hikawa, Izumo, is counted with Kawanaka (Gunma) and Ryūjin (Wakayama) as one of Japan's Three Beauty Springs. Legend says the goddess Yagami-hime soothed her skin here, and the inn Yumoto Yunokawa, founded in 1877, sits at the source. Its sodium-calcium sulfate and chloride water flows straight from the spring without dilution, and the silky bath is famed for leaving skin smooth. Day bathing is 10:00–15:30 (last entry 15:00) for ¥900 per adult and ¥500 per child, free under 3 (day visitors may be turned away when busy). Three private baths can be booked by day guests too – ¥2,500 for 50 minutes plus admission – with reservations from 9 am the day before. Irregular closures, free parking. About 20 minutes on foot from Shōbara Station on the JR San'in Line or 7 minutes from Shinji IC on the San'in Expressway. A perfect soak between Izumo Taisha, Matsue and your flight home.
The communal bathhouse at the heart of Awazu Onsen in Komatsu, Hokuriku's oldest spa, said to have been founded in 718 by the priest Taichō. It stands opposite Hōshi, known as the world's oldest inn, and makes a fitting finale to a tour of the four sōyu public baths of the Kaga spa region (Yamanaka, Yamashiro, Katayamazu and Awazu). The clear, silky sodium sulfate-chloride water (mildly alkaline, high-temperature) runs hot, and soaking shoulder to shoulder with locals warms you to the core. There is no open-air bath or sauna – just an indoor pool – but that simplicity lets the water speak for itself. Adults pay ¥500, elementary pupils ¥150 and infants ¥70; open 8:00–22:00 (last entry 21:30), closed Tuesdays, parking for 10 cars. From JR Awazu Station take the Komatsu Bus for Awazu Onsen to Awazu-Onsen Kitaguchi and walk 2 minutes, or drive about 15 minutes from Kaga IC on the Hokuriku Expressway. Combine with Natadera temple, Yunokuni-no-Mori craft village and Komatsu's aviation museum.
Takeo Onsen is famous for its vermilion gate, a National Important Cultural Property designed by Tatsuno Kingo, architect of Tokyo Station. Beyond the gate lie three public baths – Motoyu, Hōraiyu and Sagi-no-Yu – plus the private Tonosama-yu and Karō-yu, and Sagi-no-Yu is the only one with an open-air bath and sauna. Named for the legend of a white heron (sagi) healing its wounds here, its clear, refreshing mildly alkaline simple spring leaves skin smooth. Alongside the stone indoor bath are a rock-lined outdoor tub, a hot sauna, cold plunge and rest room, and generous hours from 6:30 in the morning to midnight (last entry 23:00) suit travellers. Adults pay ¥740 and children from 3 to elementary age ¥370; open daily except a maintenance break in mid-December. Soap and shampoo are provided, towels sold. About 12 minutes on foot from Takeo-Onsen Station on the Nishi-Kyūshū Shinkansen – a base for Takeo City Library, Mifuneyama Rakuen garden and nearby Ureshino Onsen.
The largest and most storied inn of Ashinomaki Onsen, a spa strung along the Aga (Ōkawa) river gorge south of Aizu-Wakamatsu. Its soaring lobby 'floating stage', where live shamisen echoes each evening, became famous for resembling the bathhouse of a beloved animated film. The star is the 'superb-view open-air bath' cantilevered over the gorge, looking down on the river and the mountainsides through the seasons – spectacular in autumn colour and winter snow. The clear sodium-calcium sulfate-chloride water warms deeply and holds its heat. Day bathing runs 11:00–15:00 (reception until 14:00) for ¥1,800 per adult and ¥900 for ages 3–12, tax and bathing tax included with a face towel, open every day. The 'sky open-air bath' can be booked privately for ¥3,300 per 45 minutes (two slots each at 13:00 and 14:00), and day plans with lunch in a private room from ¥5,500 are popular. Free parking for 150 cars, pick-up from Ashinomaki-Onsen Station on the Aizu Railway, or about 40 minutes by car from Aizu-Wakamatsu IC via Route 118. A natural stop between Ōuchi-juku and the Tō-no-Hetsuri cliffs.
A 400-year-old hot spring inn standing alone deep in the Ogawa river gorge that runs down from the Northern Alps in Asahi, the easternmost town of Toyama. Known as a fertility and therapeutic spa, it offers a circuit of five different baths. The great curiosity is the 'natural cave open-air bath', a dome of travertine built up over centuries from the spring's own mineral deposits and designated a prefectural natural monument – bathing inside it is an experience found nowhere else in Japan. There are also the streamside Renge-no-Yu outdoor bath, a rock bath and a cypress tub, all with free-flowing bicarbonate spring water that keeps you glowing long after. Day bathing runs 9:00–15:00 (reception until 14:30) for ¥1,000 per adult and ¥500 per child, or half price for the outdoor baths only. Irregular closures, and the two outdoor baths shut for winter from 1 December until the mid-April thaw. About 15 minutes by car from Tomari Station on the Ainokaze Toyama Railway, 30 minutes from Kurobe-Unazuki-Onsen Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen (shuttle for overnight guests) or 15 minutes from Asahi IC. A hidden spring to pair with the Jade Coast and Unazuki on a drive along the Niigata border.
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 the annex of Kosekiya, an inn of some 500 years standing beside the Ginzan river in the middle of the Taisho-era streetscape. It resumed on 16 May 2026 and takes day bathers only on Saturdays and Sundays, 11:30–14:00 (last entry 13:30), at ¥1,000 for adults and ¥700 for children; towels are sold for ¥200 and bath towels rented for ¥300. To ease crowding each bath admits six people at a time, bathing runs 30 minutes to an hour from check-in, and payment is cash only. The indoor baths draw straight from the source.
One of the three public baths of Zao Onsen, set quietly up the Yu-no-Ka lane. It is a 'foot-of-the-spring' bath where water rises directly beneath the slatted floor, with no added water and no recirculation — a full flow-through. Open 6:00–22:00 with no closing day, it is unmanned: you put ¥300 (¥100 for children) in the box at the entrance. There are no showers or taps, only a rinse before entering, but the strongly acidic sulphur spring is exactly as it comes from the ground. It is run by the Zao Onsen tourist association, and inns in Zao sometimes hand out free bathing vouchers.
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 long-established inn of Misasa Onsen whose 1929 building is almost entirely registered as a national tangible cultural property. The water comes from its own spring and a self-flowing source, running full flow-through, and is a simple weakly radioactive radon spring. The famous cave bath switches between men and women by hour, so during the day-bath window there are times when men cannot enter it. Day bathing is 1,500 yen for adults (tax included), accepted from 16:00 to 20:00, paid in cash. It stands at the entrance to the spa street, a pleasant walk past the Mitoku river and its bridge.
One of the two public baths in the Togatta spa street, in a building raised by a shrine carpenter to recreate an Edo-period bath house. The source rises at 68 degrees, so water is added, and the bath runs flow-through with the water spilling constantly over the rim. It costs 400 yen for adults and 150 yen for elementary pupils and under, and is open 12:00 to 20:30 with last entry at 20:00. Soap and shampoo are not provided, so bring your own, and Kaminoyu is a short walk away, which makes it easy to do both.
A leading toji spa of Japan, where a strongly acidic spring of pH 1.2 rises. Hokutolite, a mineral found nowhere else in the country, sits here along with outdoor rock bathing, a nature study path and the steam vent called Obuki, so the culture of curative bathing comes through intact. Day bathing is 1,000 yen for adults and 500 yen for children, accepted 10:00 to 15:00 with last entry at 14:30, and the large rest hall is 1,500 yen. Being a snowy highland, it opens only from mid-April to late November.
A source-spring inn of Shimobe Onsen, the spa said to have healed the wounds of Takeda Shingen. The spa street runs along a river, and the water is an alkaline simple spring known for leaving the skin smooth. Day bathing is 1,000 yen between 10:00 and 16:00 for a stay of up to two hours, and a longer visit with a rest room is 2,000 yen. It keeps the plain feel of a curative spa, which makes it a good place to settle in and rest.
A public bath of Bessho Onsen named after the monk Ennin, known as Jikaku Daishi, who is said to have bathed here. It draws source no. 3 straight through with no recirculation and opens at 6:00 in the morning, so it is good for an early soak. It costs 300 yen for adults and closes on Thursdays. Standing in the middle of the spa street, it is a convenient base for walking the three outer baths with the Kannon temple and the great gate.
One of the three outer baths of Arifuku Onsen, a spa called the Ikaho of the Sanin coast. Its timber front suits the plain spa street, and the water runs a little cooler than at Gozenyu. The source is 46.2 degrees and the tub sits around 40 to 42. It costs 400 yen from junior high age and 200 yen for elementary pupils, closes on Thursdays, and on Tuesdays, when Gozenyu is closed, it opens from 7:00 in the morning to 10:00 at night.
The coolest of the three outer baths at Arifuku Onsen. The source is 42.5 degrees and the tub sits around 39 to 40, which suits a long, unhurried soak. The bath is shallow and there is no shower, keeping the shape of an old public bath. It costs 400 yen from junior high age and 200 yen for elementary pupils, and closes on Fridays. It stands up a lane of stone steps, easy to reach as part of a walk around the spa street.
An inn known for a main bath that keeps the feel of the Showa era. The washing area is built of shakudani stone, called Fukui blue, and the water is praised as milder than much of Awara Onsen. Day bathing is received from 15:00 to 21:00 on a 60-minute basis at 800 yen for adults and 500 yen for children of elementary age and under. No reservation is needed, though the free station pickup must be requested by phone by the day before.
An inn whose emblem is a thatched bath hut some 150 years old, keeping the form it had when the inn opened. The water is drawn 100 percent from the source and released in full flow, with no added water and no heating. Day bathing is 1,000 yen for adults and 600 yen for children, consumption and bathing tax included, split into two sittings of 11:00 to 14:00, last entry 13:30, and 16:00 to 20:00, last entry 19:30. Only the midday sitting closes on Wednesdays. The garden holds open rock baths, a women-only open-air bath and a foot bath.
An old inn with 1,300 years behind the spring and more than 140 behind the house, whose open-air bath faces the Fushimigataki falls. Day bathing is received on weekends and holidays from 13:00 to 15:00, leaving by 16:00, at 1,200 yen for adults with a face towel included. A reservation by email is needed by the day before, giving the date, the number of guests and how you will arrive, and same-day visits are not accepted. Those with tattoos cannot enter.
A member inn of the society that guards Japan's hidden springs, standing in Motoyu, the innermost part of Shiobara Onsen. Eight of its own sources fill eight baths, all run 100 percent flow-through, and the water is known as a spring you may also drink. The signature Sumi-no-yu, black with iron, is a mixed bath, reserved for women from 2:00 to 3:00 in the afternoon and 7:00 to 8:30 at night. Day bathing is received from 10:00 to 14:00, for use until 16:00, at 1,000 yen for adults and 500 yen for children.
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.
An old inn in Shimobe Onsen where the healing-stay culture survives, taking not only overnight guests but bathers by the hour, true to a toji resort. Day bathing is 500 yen from 10:00 to 16:00, the cheapest in the spa street, while a course with rest costs 2,000 yen. It is not received on some days, so a call ahead is needed. The water is a mild alkaline simple spring suited to long healing stays.
A long-established inn of 350 years at the foot of Mt Omine, whose baths were renewed in 2023. Day bathing needs no reservation and is received from 8:00 to 9:30 and 13:00 to 21:00, at 1,000 yen from junior high age, 700 yen for children and free under three. From 16:30 to 18:00 it may be refused in favour of overnight guests. The water is varied, with the stone-built Genroku-no-yu and the Dharani-no-yu using the herbal ingredient obaku. The dedicated car park costs 500 yen for two hours and 1,000 yen beyond three.
An inn at Sakakibara Onsen, which carries a legend beloved of Sei Shonagon. Day bathing is received from 3:00 to 7:00 in the afternoon, last entry 6:00, at 1,000 yen for adults and 500 yen for children. The water is an alkaline simple spring that leaves the skin smooth, long known as a beauty bath. The hours are short, so checking before a visit is needed.
An inn of more than a hundred years at Asamushi Onsen, where you bathe looking at a garden with a falling stream. Day bathing is from noon to 4:00, reception until 3:00, at 500 yen for adults and 300 yen for children. The water is a sodium-calcium sulphate-chloride spring running straight from the source. It is easy to reach, about 20 minutes from Aomori Station by the Aoimori Railway.
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.
A long-established inn at Kawatana Onsen in Shimonoseki, where the great bath Santoka takes day bathers for 950 yen on weekdays from 8:00 in the morning until 11:00 at night. Reception runs until 22:00, so a day can be used at length. It has open-air and indoor baths, a sauna and a cold bath, and there are meal sets with the local kawara-soba.
A century-old inn registered as a tangible cultural property. Its Kagi-yu and Tate-yu baths sit directly over the source, with 247 litres a minute flowing free, neither heated nor diluted. Day bathing is ¥1,000.
A healing-spring inn some 400 years old, set deep in the Hakkoda mountains and counted among Japan's three great hidden onsen. It has two baths fed by springs that well up from the bath floor: a clear 38°C 'lower bath' and a milky, sulphur-clouded 42°C 'upper bath'. Alternating between them suits both cool-soak and hot-soak bathers. Day use is 800 yen for adults.
A long-established inn at the heart of Iwai Onsen, said to be the oldest hot spring in the Sanin region. Its signature Chosei-no-Yu is a deep bath reaching the chest, fed by spring water rising from directly beneath pine boards laid on the tub floor, so the water is used exactly as it emerges. Day bathing is 12:00-14:00 Friday to Monday, 1,000 yen for adults.
A municipal day-bath at the far end of the Yuki-Yunoyama onsen valley in Saeki ward, Hiroshima. The spring was found some 1,200 years ago and the bathing ground was built in 1750 by the lord of Hiroshima; its signature is a cold, free-flowing falling bath from a rock four metres up, taken in turns with the heated indoor 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.
A small eight-room riverside inn on the Itashikigawa in Yuya Onsen, Shinshiro, Aichi. Its signature is a mountain-lodge-style open-air rock bath paved with Tenryu blue stones, overlooking the mountain stream. The spring is a sodium-calcium chloride spring, and day bathing is accepted.
A nine-room family-run inn in Nuruyu Onsen, Kuroishi, Aomori, opened in the Meiji era. Its signature is a spout shaped like a bandit's face, and the free-flowing natural-spring indoor bath overlooks the Asaseishi River. The communal bath Tsuru no Meiyu is right across the way, and day bathing is a bargain at 250 yen.
A long-established inn in Matsunoyama Onsen, Tokamachi, Niigata, one of Japan's Three Great Medicinal Springs. The three-story wooden main building is a nationally registered tangible cultural property, lined with Shōwa-retro guest rooms. Its hot, salty 'fossil seawater' spring awaits, and day bathing is accepted.
A communal bath in Sekigane Onsen, Kurayoshi, Tottori, loved by locals since 1903 as the resort's original bath. Jointly run by residents, its wooden tub is filled with a simple weak-radon spring, free-flowing with no added water, heating, or disinfection. A humble single-tub bathhouse for just 200 yen.
A scenic-view inn with roots dating to 1910, standing amid the historic streets of Tomonoura in Fukuyama, Hiroshima. The Seto Inland Sea and its islands unfold right before you, and from the sixth-floor panoramic bath hall you gaze at the seascape from a boat-shaped open-air bath and a cypress-barrel open-air bath. The spring is a simple weak-radioactive (radium) cold mineral spring, heated for bathing - colourless water said to ease neuralgia, cold sensitivity and fatigue. Day bathing runs 11:00-14:30 at 1,430 yen for adults (some sources list 800 yen for elementary students). A bath-hopping service lets guests also use the onsen of its sister inn, Hotel Ofutei - two inns' baths in the old healing-spa town of Tomonoura. 27 rooms, stays from 18,700 yen a night, with reserved shuttle buses from Fukuyama Station.
A venue dedicated to Kusatsu's signature traditional art - the Yumomi & Dance show - standing right in front of the onsen town's symbol, the Yubatake. To cool the roughly 50°C spring water without diluting it, boards about 1.8 m long are used to stir the bath: this yumomi technique is a Kusatsu tradition, performed by women in matching costumes singing Kusatsu-bushi folk songs and dancing. Shows run six times daily (9:30, 10:00, 10:30, 15:30, 16:00, 16:30), each about 20 minutes; admission is 600 yen for adults and 300 yen for elementary students (some sources list 700 yen - confirm locally). On Sundays and Mondays you can join the hands-on yumomi experience (from 300 yen). This is a show venue, not a bathing facility - pair your visit with the nearby Sainokawara open-air bath or Otaki-no-Yu. About 5 minutes on foot from the Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal.
A legendary ryokan founded in 718 in Awazu Onsen, one of the Kaga onsen villages in Komatsu, Ishikawa. According to its opening legend, the monk Taicho discovered the spring on a divine oracle from Hakusan Gongen; for roughly 1,300 years the same family has carried on the inn, making it the oldest in Hokuriku and often introduced as the oldest surviving hotel in the world. The water is a sodium sulfate-chloride spring praised for easing neuralgia and beautifying the skin. The main bath features tubs of Shakudani stone and Indian sandstone, with indoor and open-air baths plus a sauna and private baths - the tatami-floored Taicho-no-Yu and granite Garyo-no-Yu. Day bathing runs 13:30-18:00 (last entry 17:00) at 1,700 yen with a face towel (except on busy days; calling ahead is recommended). About 7 minutes by taxi from Awazu Station on the IR Ishikawa Railway; reserved shuttle available from Kagaonsen Station.
A free public bath in Jizo Square, about a 3-minute walk along narrow lanes from the Yubatake, the landmark of Kusatsu Onsen in Gunma. Beside it stand a small yubatake where the spring wells up and the eye-washing Jizo, said to grant relief for eye ailments; at night the footbath and mini yubatake are lit up for a dreamlike scene. The current building is a modern wooden hall rebuilt in 2006, with modest gender-separated indoor tubs that fill up at five or six bathers. Alongside Shirahata-no-Yu and Chiyo-no-Yu it is one of the three Kusatsu public baths open to visitors - said to be the hottest of the three. The water is a free-flowing sulfur-bearing aluminum sulfate-chloride spring (hydrogen sulfide type), and bathing is free. Open 8:00-22:00 year-round (occasional maintenance closures). Locals use it heavily at certain hours, so bathe courteously.
A ryokan founded in the Hoei era (around 1710), just 50 metres from Ikaho Onsen's iconic stone staircase in Shibukawa, Gunma. One of only a handful of inns in Ikaho holding its own spring rights, it fills every bath with 100% free-flowing Kogane-no-Yu - the iron-rich, tea-brown famous water - with no added water. The two main baths, Gekko-no-Yu and Orizuru-no-Yu, alternate between genders, and there are private family baths too. Day bathing is weekdays only, 15:00-19:00 (last entry 18:00), 1,130 yen for adults and 756 yen for children. The 40-room inn blends Taisho-era charm with modern comfort, making it a convenient base for strolling the stone steps. A shuttle runs between the dedicated parking lot and the inn. Ikaho Ropeway's Miharashi Station is within walking distance, with views over the Haruna foothills.
A historic ryokan in Kita Ward, Kobe - said to be the oldest inn in Arima Onsen, founded in the Kamakura period. Beloved by literary figures including Junichiro Tanizaki, the interior retains a retro Showa-era atmosphere. The bath uses a distinctive semi-mixed style: changing rooms are separate, but the tubs connect, letting couples talk without seeing one another (the turbid gold water hides the body). The water is Arima's famous iron-rich, reddish-brown kinsen spring, enjoyed 100% free-flowing with no heating or added water. Day bathing runs 11:00-14:00 at 2,250 yen (face towel included; bath towel rental 300 yen), closed Mondays and on facility closure days. About 4-5 minutes on foot from Arima Onsen Station on the Kobe Electric Railway. Pair it with the Kin-no-Yu and Gin-no-Yu public baths to touch 1,300 years of Arima history.
A long-established inn in the heart of the Yudanaka Onsen district, Yamanouchi, Nagano. Just a 6-minute walk from the Yudanaka Station-front bath Kaede-no-Yu, it is a popular base for visiting the Snow Monkeys of Jigokudani. The inn's bath is open to day bathers too: reception 10:00-17:00 at 500 yen for adults and 250 yen for children - as affordable as the station-front bath. Its appeal is soaking in softly flowing spring water in a quiet inn bathroom, away from the crowds of the station facility. Day bathing may be unavailable with groups or on occasion, so calling ahead (0269-33-2151) is recommended. Combine it with the Shibu Onsen outer-bath tour (Kuban-yu, Oyu and more) for a full day of hopping around the Yudanaka-Shibu spa area.