Ibaraki · Daigo Onsen (Fukuroda)
Daigo Onsen Yamizo Hotel
大子温泉 やみぞホテル
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.
- Price (adult)
- ¥800
- Hours
- 11:00-20:00
- Closed
- Open daily (occasional closures)
- Access
- About 10 min by taxi from JR Hitachi-Daigo Station; about 60 min by car from Naka IC
- Water type
- Simple spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Day bathing adults ¥800 (face towel included), children ¥500, preschoolers free (per reviews). Some sources list ¥600 from February to August (confirm on site). Free valuables locker; changing lockers have no keys. One main bath plus sauna. Private hinoki barrel sauna 90 min ¥3,300, swimsuit rental ¥300. Free rest lounge, mini golf. From September to January the 'apple bath' with apples afloat
- Baths
- A public-lodging-style onsen hotel (22 rooms) in Daigo at the northern tip of Ibaraki, surrounded by the clear Kuji River and the Oku-Kuji hills. The main bath's broad windows look onto hills and river, and the autumn-to-winter 'apple bath' (Daigo is apple country) is the speciality. A barrel sauna of Daigo hinoki (by reservation). Fukuroda Falls, one of Japan's three great waterfalls, is 15 min by car; Daigo is known for Oku-Kuji shamo chicken, apples and tea, November foliage and the frozen falls of winter
- Spring water
- Daigo Onsen, of the sodium sulphate-chloride family (a tepid source heated; check on-site notices for the full analysis), recirculated and disinfected. Colourless, soft and warming, with the scent of apples added in apple-bath season. Indicated for neuralgia, joint pain, poor circulation and fatigue. The Daigo spa area also has the day facility 'Mori-no-ideyu' among others
- Access & parking
- 10 min by taxi (about 3 km, 40 min on foot) from Hitachi-Daigo Station on the JR Suigun Line, about 1 h 20 min from Mito on the Suigun Line. By car about 60 min from Naka IC on the Joban Expressway via Route 118, about 2.5 h from Tokyo. Free parking. Fukuroda Falls 15 min, Oku-Kuji apple orchards (picking September–November) 10 min by car
- Phone
- 0295-72-1511
- Official site
- yamizo.com ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Famous apple bath Sep–Jan
- 15 min from Fukuroda Falls; open daily
- Private barrel sauna
A base for Fukuroda Falls: the apple-bath hotel on the Kuji River
Daigo Onsen Yamizo Hotel is a public-lodging-style onsen hotel beside the clear Kuji River in Daigo, at the northern tip of Ibaraki, fifteen minutes by car from Fukuroda Falls, one of Japan's three great waterfalls. Daigo is a mountain town known for apples, Oku-Kuji shamo chicken and Oku-Kuji tea, and the hotel's speciality is the 'apple bath', with whole local apples afloat from September to January — soaking amid the sweet scent is a hit with children and families. The set-up is modest, a single main bath per gender with a sauna, but broad windows frame the Oku-Kuji hills and river, and the ¥800 day fee includes a face towel so you can drop in empty-handed. A private barrel sauna of Daigo hinoki (90 min, ¥3,300) was added recently, drawing more sauna fans. Open daily 11:00–20:00, it is just right for warming up after the autumn colours at Fukuroda Falls (early to mid-November) or the frozen falls of winter; at 2.5 hours by car from Tokyo or 1 h 20 min from Mito on the Suigun Line, it works better as an overnight base than a day trip. Dinner plans boast roe-laden Kuji River ayu, Hitachi beef sukiyaki and shamo dishes.
An apple-scented main bath and a hinoki barrel sauna
Pay ¥800 for day bathing at the front desk, collect your face towel and follow directions to the main bath (bath towels rented if needed). The changing-room lockers have no keys, so put valuables in the free locker by the entrance. The bath is a single bright indoor hall with big windows; from autumn to winter ten or twenty local apples bob on the water, making for the cheerful sight of bathers cradling apples, and the scent that fills the room is said to moisturise the skin too. The water is clear, soft and 41–42°C, with a sauna and plunge attached; there is no rotenburo, but the view of hills and the Kuji River through the glass makes up for it. For something special, book the outdoor hinoki barrel sauna: 90 minutes for ¥3,300 per person (swimsuits required, rental ¥300), used privately by family or friends, sweating in the cypress scent and cooling off in the open air. Afterwards rest in the free lounge, try the mini golf, or buy Daigo apple juice, Oku-Kuji tea and apple pie in the shop. The dining room caters mainly to overnight guests, so day visitors do better with shamo rice bowls or shamo soba in Daigo town, or salt-grilled ayu on the approach to Fukuroda Falls. Apple-bath season (September–January) and foliage weekends at Fukuroda get crowded, so weekdays or late afternoons are more comfortable.
Practical details and an Oku-Kuji / Fukuroda route
Day bathing is 11:00–20:00, open daily in principle (may vary with hotel occupancy); adults ¥800 (towel included), children ¥500, and some sources list ¥600 from February to August, so confirm on site. The barrel sauna is by reservation, 90 min for ¥3,300. Access is 10 minutes by taxi from Hitachi-Daigo Station on the JR Suigun Line, an hour by car from Naka IC on the Joban Expressway or 2.5 hours from Tokyo, parking free. Suggested routes: (1) the classic overnight — Day 1 Fukuroda Falls (viewing tunnel and lift platform; November foliage, frozen falls in January–February), Tsukimachi Falls, a night at Yamizo Hotel (apple bath, shamo dinner); Day 2 apple picking in Oku-Kuji (September–November) or a tea ceremony at the Oku-Kuji Tea Village park, the Ryujin suspension bridge (bungee), and home; (2) a Suigun Line rail trip — 1 h 20 min from Mito along the Kuji River, the retro streets by Daigo station, a taxi to the hotel for a bath, and back; (3) a bath-hop with Daigo Onsen's day facility 'Mori-no-ideyu'. Seasonal events include the 'Apple Village Daigo' festival (November), the Fukuroda Falls illumination (autumn–winter) and the opening of ayu fishing on the Kuji (June). Restaurants in this mountain town are few and close early, so day visitors should eat before bathing, and watch for icy roads in winter. With no rotenburo and simple facilities, set expectations around 'the view, the apple bath and a base for the falls' and you will leave satisfied.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- Ryokan day-use hours are limited and may be suspended in peak season — phone the same morning.
- Payment is usually by ticket machine in cash — bring coins.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Baths
Sauna & wellness
Mood & scenery
Price
Who with
Rules & private
Amenities
✔ Verified operating: 2026-09 Operating status and rates cross-checked against the official site and onsen guides (full source notes in Japanese on the JA page)
Prices and hours change. Check official sources before visiting.
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