Gunma · Kusatsu Onsen
Otakinoyu
大滝乃湯
A large day facility where you can try Kusatsu's traditional 'awase-yu' — a row of wooden tubs at rising temperatures, entered in order. Indoor baths, rotenburo, sauna, plus rest and dining areas make it good for half a day. About 10 minutes' walk from the Yubatake, or a short bus ride. Admission ¥1,200 (2026); three-bath pass with Gozanoyu and Sainokawara ¥2,100.
- Price (adult)
- ¥1,200
- Hours
- 09:00–21:00 (last entry 20:00)
- Closed
- Open daily (closes for maintenance)
- Access
- 10 min walk from Yubatake
- Water type
- Acidic spring
- Tattoos
- Not allowed
- Admission
- Adults ¥1,200 / children (3–elementary) ¥600 (revised Sep 2025). 3-bath pass (Otakinoyu, Gozanoyu, Sainokawara) ¥2,100
- Spring / water
- Two sources: Nikawa (sulfur, pH 2.1) and Bandaiko (pH 1.7); free-flowing, cooled naturally without dilution
- Baths
- Indoor, open-air, waterfall bath, sauna, cold plunge, 4-tub awase-yu, reservable private bath, rest room, restaurant, café
- Parking
- About 100 cars, free
- Special days
- 2nd & 4th Saturdays: “Milky-White Day” with cloudier water
- Phone
- 0279-88-2600
- Official site
- ohtakinoyu.com ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
Stay in this onsen town
Compare and book stays in Kusatsu Onsen. Day bathing itself needs no booking.
Opens partner booking site (affiliate)
Why go
- Traditional 'awase-yu' tubs
- Rotenburo, sauna and dining
- Three-bath pass available
Awase-yu — Kusatsu’s traditional graduated bathing
The heart of Otakinoyu is awase-yu: four tubs at gradually rising temperatures, entered in order from No. 1 (coolest) to No. 4 (hottest) so your body adapts to the highly acidic hot water. Many visitors cannot last a minute in the last tub — do not force it.
This is practically the only facility where visitors can reliably bathe in the Nikawa source, nicknamed the “beauty bath”. The water is neither diluted, recirculated nor chlorinated; it is cooled only by natural exposure.
Tips & cautions
- Lockers free; towel set ¥250.
- At pH ~2 soap barely lathers and the water stings eyes; remove silver jewellery (it tarnishes).
- 2nd & 4th Saturdays are “Milky-White Days” with richer sulfur.
- About 10 min on foot from Yubatake. If you will visit all three paid baths, the 3-bath pass (¥2,100, no expiry) saves money.
- Closed for maintenance in June 2026; reopened 22 June 2026.
Getting there
About 15 min on foot from Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal, 10 min from Yubatake (uphill). Free parking for ~100 cars. From Tokyo: JR Limited Express Kusatsu-Shima to Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi, then JR bus ~25 min.
Before you go
- Tattoos are explicitly not allowed, even if covered.
- Strongly acidic water — rinse off afterwards, avoid long soaks, and remove silver jewellery.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Convenience
Mood & scenery
✔ 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
Sainokawara Open-Air Bath
A 10-minute walk west of Kusatsu's Yubatake, at the far end of Sainokawara Park, lies one of Japan's largest open-air baths. Around 500 m² of pool brims with strongly acidic water, open to the surrounding forest. Snow in winter, fresh green in summer, illuminations at night. There are no washing stations — this is purely for soaking.
Gozanoyu
Right in front of the Yubatake, a wooden recreation of the Edo–Meiji communal baths. Wood and stone bath halls alternate between men and women daily, with two sources (Yubatake and Bandaiko). The upstairs hall looks down on the Yubatake.
Manza Onsen Nisshinkan
At 1,800 m, one of Japan's highest onsen. Milky water with some of the country's highest sulfur content, across nine tubs. Day use 10:00–17:00; prices rise in peak season.
