Ishikawa · Katayamazu Onsen, Kaga
Katayamazu Onsen Sōyu
片山津温泉 総湯
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.
- Price (adult)
- ¥500
- Hours
- 06:00–22:00
- Closed
- Open daily (occasional maintenance closures; 2F café closed Thu)
- Access
- About 10 min by bus from JR Kaga-Onsen Station to Katayamazu Onsen Sōyu-mae; 5 min by car from Katayamazu IC
- Water type
- Simple spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults (12+) ¥500, children 6–11 ¥150, ages 3–5 ¥70, under 3 free (raised 1 May 2025 in line with Ishikawa's public-bath tariff). Ages 3–5 free on the 26th, 'bath day'. No soap or shampoo provided (sold); shoe and clothes lockers free. Second-floor 'Machi Café' (about 11:00–16:00, closed Thu)
- Baths
- An all-glass building by architect Yoshio Taniguchi (opened 2012). Two bathrooms — 'Kata-no-yu', where the tub's surface seems to merge with Lake Shibayama, and the green-fringed 'Mori-no-yu' — swap between men and women on odd and even days. One indoor pool each (no rotenburo or sauna). Second-floor lounge and Machi Café. Views of the Hakusan range across the lake; the lake fountain plays at set times
- Water
- Sodium-calcium chloride spring (hypertonic, neutral, high-temperature). Opened in 1882; the spring originally welled up from the bed of Lake Shibayama. Its heavy salt content is said to keep you warm long after bathing. Colourless and clear. Indicated for joint pain, poor circulation, cuts and gynaecological complaints. Heated, with recirculation and filtration
- Parking & access
- Free parking for 50–80 cars (often full on weekend evenings). About 10 min by Hokutetsu Kaga bus (Onsen Katayamazu line) from Kaga-Onsen Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen to 'Soyu'. The CAN BUS lakeside loop also stops here. 3.2 km from JR Iburihashi Station. About 10 min from Kaga IC on the Hokuriku Expressway
- Phone
- 0761-74-0550
- Official site
- hot-ishikawa.jp ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Glass bathhouse by Yoshio Taniguchi
- Lake and Hakusan views from Kata-no-yu
- ¥500, open from 6:00
A glass box by Yoshio Taniguchi: a ¥500 bath that melts into the lake
Katayamazu Onsen Soyu is the public bath of Katayamazu, one of the Kaga hot-spring towns in Ishikawa, designed by Yoshio Taniguchi — architect of the Museum of Modern Art expansion in New York — and opened in 2012. The all-glass building on the shore of Lake Shibayama looks more like a gallery than a bath house, and in the 'Kata-no-yu' bathroom the surface of the tub lines up with the lake beyond the window like a horizon, so you feel as if you are soaking in the lake itself. It uses the strong chloride water discovered on the lake bed in 1882, and because all this costs adults just ¥500 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., it serves as the town's living room, shared by locals and travellers.
Kata-no-yu and Mori-no-yu, swapped on odd and even days
There are just two bathrooms, each with a single indoor pool, no rotenburo and no sauna. Lakeside 'Kata-no-yu' is a view bath facing the water and fountain of Lake Shibayama with the Hakusan range behind; 'Mori-no-yu' on the other side is a calmer room looking onto garden greenery through glass. The two swap between men and women on odd and even days, so check the date if you want the lake side. The water is a colourless sodium-calcium chloride spring, salty to taste and long-warming, and, as befits a heated, recirculated public bath, it runs hot. No soap or shampoo is provided — bring your own or buy at the shop — and the second-floor lounge and Machi Café let you rest with a lake view.
Practical details and enjoying Katayamazu
Hours are 6:00–22:00, open daily (occasional maintenance closures; the second-floor café closes Thursdays). Since Ishikawa's public-bath tariff revision on 1 May 2025, prices are ¥500 for adults, ¥150 for ages 6–11 and ¥70 for 3–5. Weekend evenings are so busy that cars queue for parking, so early mornings and weekday afternoons are more comfortable — and a morning soak followed by a walk along the lakeside path is ideal. The big lake fountain, the summer fireworks over the water, the adjacent Yunomoto Park and the Nakaya Ukichiro Museum of Snow and Ice (by Tadao Ando) make it easy to combine with an architecture tour. Ten minutes by bus from Kaga-Onsen Station, and one stop on the 'Kaga soyu circuit' with the Yamashiro and Yamanaka public baths.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- As a communal bath there is no soap or shampoo — bring your own or buy at the shop.
- Payment is usually by ticket machine in cash — bring coins.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Baths
Mood & scenery
Price
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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Yamashiro Onsen Ko-Sōyu
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Yamanaka Onsen Kiku-no-yu (Sōyu)
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