Tochigi · Kawaji Onsen
Kawaji Onsen Yakushi-no-yu
川治温泉 薬師の湯
The communal bath of Kawaji Onsen, upstream of Kinugawa on the clear Ojika River. An old cure spa — 'burns to Kinugawa, wounds to Kawaji' went the saying — it uses its own mildly alkaline spring 100% free-flowing with no chlorination. Besides separate indoor and open-air baths there is a mixed rock bath open to the river, where you soak in lukewarm water facing the stream and hills (bathing garments allowed). A low-temperature sauna, private bath (¥4,000 / 50 min) and rest room complete it. Adults pay ¥1,000 (¥500 for Nikkō residents); open 10:00–20:00 (last entry 19:30), closed Wednesdays (next day if a holiday; open through Golden Week). Fifteen minutes on foot from Kawaji-Yumoto Station on the Yagan Railway, or about 15 minutes by car from Kinugawa-Onsen Station — easy to combine with Kinugawa.
- Price (adult)
- ¥1,000
- Hours
- 10:00–20:00 (last entry 19:30)
- Closed
- Wednesdays (next day if holiday); open daily 30 Dec–5 Jan
- Access
- 15 min on foot from Kawaji-Yumoto Station (Yagan Railway); about 15 min by car from Tōbu Kinugawa-Onsen Station; about 45 min by car from Imaichi IC via Route 121
- Water type
- Alkaline simple
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Non-residents of Nikko: adults ¥1,000, elementary ¥700, under 4 free (raised in 2024–25 from ¥700); residents ¥300 / ¥150. Private bath 50 min ¥4,000 (reservation). Towels sold (about ¥200), shampoo provided. New wing: gender-separated indoor and outdoor baths, lobby lounge. The riverside mixed rotenburo in the annex is open to new-wing bathers; bathing wraps and swimsuits allowed (none for hire — bring your own). Minimal food sales; vending machines
- Baths
- A municipal day-bath (run by Nikko city) in Kawaji Onsen on the upper Kinugawa in Nikko, Tochigi. The symbol of a spa town discovered after a flood in 1723: the mixed open-air 'Yakushi-no-yu' on the rocks beside the Oga River served villagers and travellers as a communal bath for centuries. Now two buildings — a new wing (separate indoor and outdoor baths) and the riverside mixed rotenburo. Said to be good for wounds, per the old saying 'wounds to Kawaji, burns to Taki (Kinugawa)'. One stop from the station at the mouth of Ryuo-kyo gorge (3 km trail), 15 min from Kinugawa-Onsen Station on the Yagan Railway
- Spring water
- Kawaji Onsen, an alkaline simple spring (around pH 8.6–9, about 36–45°C at source); the new wing heats and recirculates, while the riverside bath can be tepid depending on the season. Colourless and odourless, soft and slick, gentle enough for long soaks and older bathers. Indicated for neuralgia, muscle and joint pain, cuts, burns and fatigue. The mixed rotenburo's temperature varies with flow and air temperature, so it can be rather cool in winter
- Access & parking
- 15 min on foot from Kawaji-Yumoto Station on the Yagan Railway (20 min from Kawaji-Onsen Station), 15 min by train from Tobu Kinugawa-Onsen Station. About 2 h 40 min from Asakusa by Revaty Aizu limited express via Kinugawa. By car 40 min via Route 121 from Imaichi IC on the Nikko-Utsunomiya Road, 2.5 h from Tokyo. Free parking (at the bath and roadside). Ryuo-kyo trailhead (Ryuokyo Station) one stop away; Yunishigawa Onsen 30 min by car
- Phone
- 0288-78-0229
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Own spring, 100% free-flowing, no chlorine
- Riverside mixed rock bath (garments OK)
- 15 min by car from Kinugawa-Onsen
A riverside mixed rotenburo since the Edo period — the symbol of Kawaji Onsen
Kawaji Onsen Yakushi-no-yu is the municipal day-bath of Kawaji Onsen, a mountain spa village in Nikko, Tochigi, fifteen minutes further up the line from Kinugawa Onsen. In this town, where hot water is said to have gushed from the riverbank after the great flood of 1723, a bath built on the rocks of the Oga River served villagers and travellers as a shared communal bath for centuries, and the mixed rotenburo 'Yakushi-no-yu' still stands on that spot. Its worth lies precisely in this 'riverside mixed bath as it always was': the clear river runs before you, the gorge breeze blows, and spring greenery, autumn maples and winter snow surround the pool. For those uneasy with mixed bathing, a new wing with separate indoor and outdoor baths was built in the 1990s; its ticket also admits you to the riverside mixed bath, and bathing wraps or swimsuits are allowed, so women and foreign visitors can give it a try. The alkaline simple water is soft, slick and gentle, long used for cures as the old saying 'wounds to Kawaji' attests. Non-residents of Nikko pay ¥1,000 (raised in 2024–25); open 10:00–20:00, closed Wednesdays; 15 minutes on foot from Kawaji-Yumoto Station, it pairs well with the Ryuo-kyo gorge walk or trips toward Yunishigawa and Aizu.
Separate baths in the new wing and the riverside mixed pool — try it in a bathing wrap
A fifteen-minute walk along the river from Kawaji-Yumoto Station brings you to the riverside new wing. Pay the ¥1,000 non-resident fee at reception (residence is checked) and head first to the new wing's separate baths — an indoor pool and a small rotenburo from which you hear the Oga River and see the mountain opposite. The water is slick and soft, non-irritating, and kept at around 42°C. The highlight is the mixed riverside pool 'Yakushi-no-yu', down a flight of steps outside the new wing: a rock-rimmed bath right beside the river, close enough almost to touch the current, with no roof so the whole sky and gorge are in view. Though mixed, bathing wraps and swimsuits are allowed (none for hire, so bring your own; wrapping a large towel may not be permitted — check the notice), making it comparatively easy for women and couples, and on weekday afternoons it is often empty enough to feel private. As the spring rises naturally at the riverbank, its temperature shifts with season and flow — just right in summer, sometimes tepid in winter — so finish in the new wing's indoor bath on cold days. The changing area is little more than a screen, so leave valuables in the new-wing lockers; photography is prohibited. Families or groups uneasy with mixed bathing can book the 50-minute private bath for ¥4,000. Rest in the lobby lounge afterwards, and eat at a soba shop in Kawaji's spa street or in Kinugawa Onsen. Cherry blossom (mid-April) and autumn colour (late October to early November) are the riverside bath's finest seasons.
Practical details and a Kinugawa–Kawaji route
Hours are 10:00–20:00 (last entry 19:30), closed Wednesdays (next day if a holiday) but open daily from 30 December to 5 January. Non-residents: adults ¥1,000, elementary ¥700 (residents ¥300/¥150); private bath 50 min ¥4,000 (reserve); towels sold, parking free. Access: about 2 hours by Tobu limited express from Asakusa to Kinugawa-Onsen Station, change to the Yagan Railway for 15 minutes to Kawaji-Yumoto, then 15 minutes on foot; 2.5 hours by car from Tokyo. Suggested routes: (1) an upper-Kinugawa day — Kinugawa-Onsen Station, the gorge trail from Ryuokyo Station (1 hour return to Musasabi Bridge, Nijimi Falls and Ryuo Shrine), walk or ride to Kawaji-Yumoto, a bath at Yakushi-no-yu, soba lunch in Kawaji's spa street, back to Kinugawa for the night or on to Tokyo; (2) through to Aizu — Asakusa, Kawaji (bath), Yunishigawa Onsen (thatched-house village, winter kamakura festival), then north to Aizu-Tajima, Ouchi-juku and Aizu-Wakamatsu on the 'Revaty Aizu' route; (3) two days in Nikko — day one the World Heritage sites and Yashio-no-yu, day two the Kinugawa river-boat ride (May–November), Ryuo-kyo and Yakushi-no-yu. Kawaji's spa street is very quiet, with only a few inns and a soba shop, so stock up on meals and snacks in Kinugawa; check in advance that the riverside bath may be tepid in winter and the mixed-bathing and bathing-wrap rules (bring your own), and nothing will go wrong.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- There is a mixed-gender area. Check the description for bathing garments and women-only hours.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Sauna & wellness
Rules & private
Mood & scenery
Price
Who with
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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