Tochigi · Kinugawa Onsen
Kinugawa Onsen Hotel – Keikoku-no-Yu wooden bath (day use)
鬼怒川温泉ホテル 木造大浴場「渓谷の湯」（日帰り入浴）
Keikoku-no-Yu, a wooden great bath looking over the Kinugawa gorge. It has five baths — a green-stone bath, a wooden great bath, an open-air rock bath, a half-body bath and a germanium bath — plus a sauna, letting you take in the gorge amid the warmth of timber. Day bathing is 14:00–17:00 at ¥1,650 for adults (tax included, plus ¥50 bathing tax) and ¥880 for children aged 3–12, and may be declined when busy. About 7 minutes by dial bus from Tōbu Kinugawa-Onsen Station, about 25 minutes from Imaichi IC on the Nikkō-Utsunomiya Road, free parking for about 100.
- Price (adult)
- ¥1,650
- Hours
- 14:00–17:00
- Closed
- Open daily (day bathing may be declined when busy)
- Access
- About 7 minutes by dial bus from Kinugawa-Onsen Station on the Tōbu Kinugawa Line; about 25 minutes toward Kinugawa from Imaichi IC on the Nikkō-Utsunomiya Road
- Water type
- Alkaline simple
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults ¥1,650 (tax included, plus ¥50 bathing tax); children aged 3–12 ¥880. Towel rental or sale is confirmed on site. Day bathing may be declined when the hotel is busy, so phoning ahead is the surest way.
- Baths
- The wooden great bath Keikoku-no-Yu comprises five baths: a green-stone bath, a wooden great bath with its timber frame exposed, an open-air rock bath facing the Kinugawa gorge, a shallow half-body bath and a germanium bath, plus a sauna. The scent of timber and the sound of the river come in together.
- Spring water
- Kinugawa Onsen is an alkaline simple spring (pH 8.6–9.6), a 'beautiful-skin water' known for a smooth, soft feel. Its temperature is not extreme, so it suits moving between several baths and staying a while.
- The inn
- This is the onsen of Kinugawa Onsen Hotel, founded in 1931. It now belongs to the Kanaya Hotel Kanko group, and the dining room, lobby and all guest rooms were renewed in 2010. The wooden great bath keeps the feel of an old onsen building, with large windows facing the gorge.
- Access & parking
- About 7 minutes by the circulating dial bus from Tōbu Kinugawa-Onsen Station (5 minutes by car, 18 on foot); about 25 minutes toward Kinugawa from Imaichi IC on the Nikkō-Utsunomiya Road. Free parking for about 100.
- Phone
- 0288-77-0025
- Official site
- kinugawaonsenhotel.com ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
Stay in this onsen town
Compare and book stays in Kinugawa Onsen. Day bathing itself needs no booking.
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Why go
- A wooden great bath with gorge views
- Five baths including green-stone and germanium
- Afternoon day bathing from 2 to 5 p.m.
Three afternoon hours where timber, water and gorge meet
Keikoku-no-Yu, the wooden great bath of Kinugawa Onsen Hotel, is a bathhouse in which timber and gorge are, as the name suggests, the leads. Standing in the great bath with its frame exposed, you take in the rafters overhead and the large gorge-side windows at once; step out to the open-air rock bath and the river sounds right in front of you. Five baths run on — green-stone, half-body, germanium and a sauna among them — so you can alternate temperatures and stay an hour or more. Day bathing is a short 14:00–17:00 window, which is exactly the right time to loosen up after a morning or early afternoon around Nikkō and Ryūzu Falls.
How to use a 14:00 to 17:00 window
Day bathing here is limited to three afternoon hours and is refused when the hotel is busy, so it needs planning. A reliable route is to see Nikkō town (Tōshōgū and Futarasan Shrine) in the morning, pass Lake Chūzenji or Ryūzu Falls and arrive around 14:00. Coming the other way, after the Kinugawa suspension bridge or Tōbu World Square, works too. Since 17:00 is the cut-off, check in by 15:30 at the latest, and if you cannot read how the day will go, phone before setting out to ask whether day bathing is available.
A 1931 inn facing the gorge
Kinugawa Onsen Hotel is a long-established inn founded in 1931, now part of the Kanaya Hotel Kanko group. The dining room, lobby and all guest rooms were renewed in 2010, so the facilities are smart, while the wooden great bath keeps the texture of an old onsen building. Facing the gorge directly, it shows spring greenery, deep summer green, autumn colour and winter snow straight from the bath. The windows get crowded at the height of the foliage season, so for a quiet look, go in at 14:00 soon after opening.
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
Sauna & wellness
Mood & scenery
Convenience
Amenities
✔ Verified operating: 2026-10 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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Kojika-no-yu
A day-use facility on the same source as Shika-no-yu, open every day until 9 pm with an open-air bath and private rooms. Ideal for families or anyone daunted by Shika-no-yu's rituals — the milky water is identical.
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