Fukui · Echizen Coast
Echizen Onsen Isaribi Open-Air Bath
越前温泉露天風呂 漁火（道の駅越前）
A town-run day spa attached to the Echizen roadside station on the coast famous for Echizen crab. The open-air bath juts toward the Sea of Japan, facing sunsets over the horizon and, after dark, the squid-boat lanterns ('isaribi') that give it its name. Silky 'beauty water', an indoor bath and sauna for a wallet-friendly ¥520. Busy in winter with visitors pairing a soak with a crab lunch.
- Price (adult)
- ¥520
- Hours
- 11:00–21:00 (from 10:00 weekends & holidays; last entry 30 min before closing)
- Closed
- Tuesdays (next day if a holiday; open daily in summer holidays; Nov–Mar 2nd & 4th Tue only)
- Access
- About 60 min by bus from JR Takefu Station to Michi-no-Eki Echizen; 60 min by car from Tsuruga IC
- Water type
- Simple spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults (junior high+) ¥520 / elementary ¥310 / age 3+ ¥200. Shampoo and body soap provided; towel ¥150, bath-towel rental ¥150. Private family bath (sea-view balcony, towels included) ¥1,040 adult / ¥620 child / ¥410 infant per hour, reservation required. Private rest room ¥1,670 per 3 h (¥2,300 weekends)
- Baths
- An onsen attached to the 'Echizen' roadside station. Three bathrooms of differing character and two rotenburo ('Isaribi-no-yu' and 'Yuhi-no-yu') face the Sea of Japan head-on — the sea is visible from the main bath, the outdoor baths and even the hot sauna; sides swap every half month. Two indoor tubs, jacuzzi lie-down bath, cold plunge, gas sauna (no TV)
- Water
- Echizen No. 2 spring — sodium chloride (hypertonic, mildly alkaline, source 40.1°C, pH 8.2, 11 g/kg dissolved solids; older analyses classed it as sodium bicarbonate-sulphate). Colourless, skin-smoothing 'beauty bath' type, kept lukewarm around 40°C for long soaks. Diluted, heated, recirculated and chlorinated
- Parking & access
- Free parking for about 170–220 cars (shared with the roadside station). About 1 h from Takefu Station (Hapi-Line Fukui) on the Fukutetsu bus for Kareizaki to 'Michi-no-eki Echizen', right at the stop. About 50 min from Tsuruga IC on the Hokuriku Expressway via Routes 8 and 305; about 45 min from Sabae IC
- Phone
- 0778-37-2360
- Official site
- jalan.net ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Sunset over the Sea of Japan
- ¥520 with sauna
- At Echizen roadside station
Even the sauna looks out to sea — a roadside-station onsen in Echizen crab country, a ¥520 rotenburo over the Sea of Japan
Echizen Onsen Rotenburo Isaribi is a public onsen attached to the 'Echizen' roadside station on coastal Route 305 in Echizen, Fukui — a fishing town famous for Echizen crab. Its three differently styled bathrooms and two rotenburo were all designed to face the Sea of Japan head-on, so the sea is in view from the main bath, the outdoor baths and even inside the hot sauna. True to its name ('fishing fires'), at night the lights of squid boats dot the offing, and at dusk the sun sinking to the horizon colours the 'Yuhi-no-yu' outdoor bath. The water is the Echizen No. 2 spring (sodium chloride, 40.1°C, pH 8.2), colourless and skin-smoothing, and kept lukewarm around 40°C — perfect for a long soak to the sound of the waves. At a sento-level ¥520 with shampoo and body soap provided, and a private family bath with a sea-view balcony at ¥1,040 per adult per hour, it is popular with families, and the roadside station's restaurants and farm shop fill out a half day. In crab season (November–March) it is the finishing soak after an Echizen crab feast; in summer, the place to rinse off the salt after swimming — the easiest 'seaside onsen' on a Fukui coastal drive.
Tips & notes
① The regular closure is Tuesday, but there are none during the summer holidays and only the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays from November to March — it varies by season, so check. Some sources give a 10:00 opening on weekends. ② Men's and women's sides swap every half month — whether you get 'Isaribi' or 'Yuhi' is luck of the day. ③ The rotenburo faces west: arrive 30 min before sunset (around 17:00 in winter, 19:00 in summer); fishing fires appear on squid-season nights (summer–autumn). ④ Recirculated and chlorinated, so not free-flowing source water — come for the view rather than the water. ⑤ The family bath must be booked (0778-37-2360) and fills fast on crab-season weekends. ⑥ The roadside station's crab and seafood set meals are mainly at lunch; in the evening head to the town's restaurants. ⑦ In winter, waves sometimes reach Route 305 — drive with care.
Getting there
From Takefu Station on the Hapi-Line Fukui (about 20 min from JR Fukui, about 30 min from Tsuruga), the Fukutetsu bus for Kareizaki takes about an hour to 'Michi-no-eki Echizen', right at the stop — few buses, so check the timetable. By car, about 50 min from Tsuruga IC on the Hokuriku Expressway via Route 8 and then north along coastal Route 305; about 45 min from Sabae IC, about 1 h from central Fukui; free parking for 170+. A natural stop on a coastal drive with the Echizen coast (Cape Echizen daffodil park, Tojinbo direction), the Echizen Crab Museum next door and Echizen Pottery Village. Base yourself in Fukui city or a minshuku in Echizen.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- Payment is usually by ticket machine in cash — bring coins.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Sauna & wellness
Mood & scenery
Rules & private
Price
Who with
Convenience
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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