Kagawa · Konpira Onsen (Kotohira)
Konpira Onsen Yumoto Yachiyo
こんぴら温泉 湯元八千代
A hot-spring ryokan in the heart of the temple town below Kotohira-gū, close to the foot of the famous stone steps. Perfect for easing your legs with a day soak (¥750, 11:00–16:00) after climbing the 785 steps; the open-air bath looks out on the Konpira hills. Bicarbonate spring. About 10 minutes on foot from Kotohira Station and easy to pair with udon-shop hopping. Baths are occasionally closed for maintenance—check ahead.
- Price (adult)
- ¥800
- Hours
- 11:00–14:30 (last entry 14:00) — some sources say until 16:00; confirm
- Closed
- Irregular (maintenance days; confirm in advance)
- Access
- About 10 min walk from JR / Kotoden Kotohira Station; 15 min by car from Zentsūji IC
- Water type
- Bicarbonate spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults ¥800 (including ¥150 bath tax; formerly ¥750), elementary and under ¥600 (¥400 in some sources), under 3 free. Pay at the front desk. Small towel ¥100, bath-towel rental ¥300. Shampoo, conditioner, body soap and dryers provided. Private bath about ¥2,100 per 40 min (admission extra; same-day reservation required). Day plans with lunch (11:00–14:30). Overnight guests may bathe 6:00–23:00
- Baths
- A long-established inn (89 rooms) founded in 1725, in the heart of the temple town on the Konpira approach near the Kanamaru-za kabuki theatre. Gender-separated main baths 'Ryu-no-yu' and 'Shinmei-no-yu' on the ground floor (about 25 bathers each, no sauna), a rooftop rotenburo 'Tengu-no-yu' with 360° views (alternating between men and women, 15 bathers, over the Sanuki plain, Mt Zozu and 'Sanuki Fuji') and one private bath (4 people, reservation). Taisho-style parlour in the lobby; Seto Inland Sea seafood kaiseki in the dining room. Modern Japanese rooms in Towada stone and cypress
- Spring water
- Sodium chloride cold mineral spring (hypotonic, neutral), about 17°C at source — the inn describes it as a 'bicarbonated earthy spring (earthy saline spring)'. Colourless with a faint saltiness, heated and recirculated. A therapeutic spring said to help gout, rheumatism, chronic digestive complaints, atopic eczema, poor circulation and cuts. Konpira Onsen is a relatively young spa, created when wells were drilled in the temple town in the 1990s; Yachiyo was the first inn to pipe in the water some 35 years ago and is known as 'the birthplace of Konpira Onsen'
- Access & parking
- Free parking (overnight guests first; confirm when day-bathing). About 10 min on foot from JR Kotohira Station (Dosan Line), 5 min from Kotoden-Kotohira Station on the Kotoden line. About 15 min by car from Zentsuji IC on the Takamatsu Expressway, 1 h from Takamatsu city. 3 min on foot to the first step of the Kotohira-gu approach, 3 min to Kanamaru-za
- Phone
- 0877-75-3261
- Official site
- yachiyo.co.jp ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- At the foot of Konpira's steps
- ¥750 soak after 785 steps
- ~10 min walk from Kotohira Sta.
After the Konpira pilgrimage: a rooftop rotenburo at an inn founded in 1725
Konpira Onsen Yumoto Yachiyo is a venerable inn founded in 1725 in the middle of the temple town below Kotohira-gu — 'Konpira-san' — the shrine famed for its 785 stone steps in Kotohira, Kagawa. In the Edo period commoners across Japan dreamed of 'a Konpira pilgrimage once in a lifetime' to this guardian of seafarers, and the approach is still lined with Sanuki udon shops, souvenir stalls and Kanamaru-za, Japan's oldest surviving kabuki playhouse. Yachiyo has welcomed pilgrims for nearly three centuries and, having been the first in the town to pipe in hot-spring water some 35 years ago, is called 'the birthplace of Konpira Onsen'; two main baths on the ground floor and the rooftop 'Tengu-no-yu' rotenburo with 360° views take in the Sanuki plain, Mt Zozu and 'Sanuki Fuji'. Day bathing is a short window from 11:00 into the early afternoon, but at an easy ¥800 it fits perfectly between a morning on the steps and a bowl of udon afterwards.
Ryu-no-yu, Shinmei-no-yu and the rooftop Tengu-no-yu
Pay ¥800 at reception and you are directed to the ground-floor baths 'Ryu-no-yu' and 'Shinmei-no-yu', each a large indoor pool for about 25 bathers with shampoo and dryers provided. The water is a sodium chloride cold mineral spring (the inn calls it a 'bicarbonated earthy spring'); at 17°C from the source it is heated and recirculated, colourless with a faint saltiness that warms the body well. Non-irritating and easy on children and the elderly, it was long known as a therapeutic spring for eczema, atopic skin and gout. The inn's jewel is the rooftop rotenburo 'Tengu-no-yu', reached by lift: sink into the roofless tub and beyond the tiled roofs of the temple town rises Mt Zozu, home of Kotohira-gu, with the conical 'Sanuki Fuji' (Mt Iino) on the plain and, on clear days, the direction of the Seto Inland Sea in a 360° sweep. It alternates between men and women, so check which side is open on the day and whether it is available during day-bathing hours. There is no sauna; the private bath (4 people, 40 min) can be booked on the day for families. The Taisho-style parlour in the lobby and the Seto Inland Sea seafood kaiseki in the dining room (day plan with lunch) are further pleasures of an old inn.
A short day-bathing window and a Kotohira itinerary
Day bathing is normally 11:00–14:30 (last entry 14:00), though some listings say until 16:00 (entry by 15:00), so phoning ahead (0877-75-3261) is wise. There is no fixed closing day, but maintenance, full houses or groups can rule out day visitors. Adults ¥800 (bath tax included), children ¥600; towels are charged and the rooftop bath alternates by sex. It is 10 minutes on foot from JR Kotohira Station or 5 from Kotoden-Kotohira, under an hour by train from Takamatsu, or 15 minutes by car from Zentsuji IC. A recommended day: climb early to the main shrine of Kotohira-gu (785 steps, 1.5–2 hours return; 1,368 to the inner shrine), admire the tall lantern and Kanamaru-za on the approach, bathe at Yachiyo around 11:00, then try a celebrated Sanuki udon shop or make your own at the 'Nakano Udon School', and in the afternoon continue to Zentsuji (birthplace of Kobo Daishi, 20 min by train) or Marugame Castle (25 min by car). To bathe before the climb, stay the night — guests may use the baths 6:00–23:00 — and note rooms fill early for the April kabuki season at Kanamaru-za and the October Konpira Grand Festival. What sets Yachiyo apart from the other hotel baths in town is that rooftop rotenburo.
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.
- Payment is usually by ticket machine in cash — bring coins.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Rules & private
Mood & scenery
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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