Yamagata · Ginzan Onsen
Ginzan Onsen Ginzansō (Day Bath)
銀山温泉 銀山荘（日帰り入浴）
The large ryokan at the entrance to Ginzan. Indoor, open-air and lie-down outdoor baths — far roomier than Shirogane-yu. Day use 11:30 am–2 pm (last 1:30), ¥1,500, closed Thursdays; day bathing has been suspended and resumed repeatedly, so check the website. Cash only.
- Price (adult)
- ¥1,500
- Hours
- 11:30–14:00 (last entry 13:30)
- Closed
- Thursdays and irregular days (suspension periods occur — check official site)
- Access
- Bus from JR Ōishida Station (40 min) to Ginzan Onsen
- Water type
- Simple spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults ¥1,500 / children ¥1,000. Towel ¥200 to buy, bath towel rental ¥300. Cash only. No booking; bathing limited to about one hour from check-in
- Status
- Day bathing has been suspended and resumed repeatedly since the pandemic; resumed on 11 May 2026 (official notice). Numbers may be capped when busy — check the official site before visiting
- Baths
- Per gender: one indoor bath, one rotenburo and one wooden open-air lie-down bath, from which you gaze at a stream and greenery (snow in winter) — unusually spacious for Ginzan. No sauna. Rest in the ground-floor lobby (free drinks)
- Water
- Ginzan sodium-chloride-sulfate spring (source in the 60s °C). The only facility in Ginzan with an open-air lie-down bath
- Parking
- Use the Ginzan Onsen shared car park at the village entrance, right by the inn
- Phone
- 0237-28-2322
- Official site
- ginzanso.jp ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Roomy day bathing in Ginzan
- Lie-down outdoor bath with seasonal views
- Check the website before you go
The one place in Ginzan where day visitors get a proper rotenburo
Ginzan Onsen, famed for its Taisho-era wooden inns, has seen most ryokan stop day bathing amid overtourism; the sure options now are the small communal Shirogane-yu (¥500, entry-limited) and, conditionally, Ginzanso. The largest inn in Ginzan, beside the shared car park at the village entrance, Ginzanso differs from the gorge-squeezed inns in having a spacious rotenburo and a wooden open-air lie-down bath facing a stream and woods — glorious under snow. Day bathing is a short lunchtime window (11:30–14:00) and is often suspended, so even after the 11 May 2026 restart, check the official site just before you go.
Tips & cautions
- Cash only. Bathing is guided to about one hour.
- Closed Thursdays plus irregular days and suspension periods (it once cost ¥1,000 at 10–13; now ¥1,500 at 11:30–14:00).
- In winter (Dec–Mar) car access is restricted and the car park often full — the bus from Oishida Station is safer.
- In the winter lie-down bath keep a towel on your head.
- The iconic street is 5 min away; combine your bath with a stroll and the gas lamps at dusk.
Getting there
Hanagasa bus ~40 min from Oishida Station (Yamagata Shinkansen) to the Ginzan Onsen terminus; the inn is right there (Ginzan-Shinhata 85, village entrance). By car ~50 min from Higashine IC; use the shared car park.
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.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Mood & scenery
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.
More in this area
Zao Onsen Dai-Rotenburo
A terraced open-air bath along a mountain stream that holds 200 people, with bluish-white strongly acidic sulfur water. Open late April to late November only; closed in winter. Summer starlight sessions at night.
Shirogane-yu (Ginzan communal bath)
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.
Zao Onsen Kamiyu Public Bath
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.
