Ehime · Minara Onsen, Tōon
Minara Onsen Riraku, Tōon
見奈良天然温泉 利楽（東温）
A large spa complex in Tōon, just east of Matsuyama, whose pride is an open-air bathing area billed as among the biggest in western Japan. About 6 minutes on foot from Minara Station on the Iyotetsu line, with a free daily shuttle from Matsuyama-shi Station — handy for anyone wanting an onsen near Matsuyama other than Dōgo. The underground spring, nicknamed the '200-million-year warming water', fills a garden-like cluster of outdoor baths set with natural boulders, plus indoor baths, sauna and cold plunge, and there are five private family baths. Day use is by course: the standard course is ¥1,480 for adults, ¥1,280 for over-65s and ¥700 for children (including loungewear and the rest lounge), with cheaper simple courses. Open 06:00–24:00 (last entry 23:00; indoor baths only in the early morning; maintenance 09:00–10:00), every day. Japanese and Western restaurants, a café, body care, the adjoining Juraku hotel and a morning farmers' market let you linger for half a day. About 5 minutes by car from Tōon Smart IC.
- Price (adult)
- ¥1,480
- Hours
- 06:00–24:00 (last entry 23:00; maintenance 09:00–10:00)
- Closed
- Open daily
- Access
- About 6 min on foot from Minara Station (Iyotetsu Yokogawara Line); free daily shuttle from Matsuyama-shi Station; about 5 min by car from Tōon Smart IC
- Water type
- Simple spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Standard course: adults ¥1,480 / 65+ ¥1,280 / children (4 to elementary) ¥700 — towels, loungewear and the rest lounge (free drinks, Yogibo beanbags, library) included. 'Light' 60-minute course in books of five for ¥3,500; morning-bath course (enter 6–8 a.m., leave by 9) ¥700. Five family baths extra (10:00–24:00)
- Baths
- 'The largest open-air bath in western Japan' — a garden-style rotenburo set with natural boulders up to 10 tonnes, plus cave bath, kettle bath, rock bath, sauna and more, 11+ kinds in all. Two sources are served separately as a 'moisturising' bath and a 'warming' bath. Atrium lobby renovated in 2021; the 'Asatsuyu Marché' farm market opens daily
- Water
- Sodium chloride-bicarbonate spring (hypotonic, mildly alkaline, about 50°C) — two sources, from 1,500 m (Late Cretaceous strata, 75 million years old) and 2,000 m (200-million-year-old strata). Combines the smoothness of bicarbonate with the heat retention of chloride. Heated and recirculated
- Parking & access
- Free parking for about 2,300 cars (shared with the adjacent shopping mall). 6 min on foot from Minara Station on the Iyotetsu Yokogawara Line. A free shuttle runs daily from Matsuyama-shi Station. About 5 min from Kawauchi IC on the Matsuyama Expressway
- Phone
- 089-955-1126
- Official site
- riraku.jp ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Vast boulder-set outdoor bath garden
- Free shuttle from Matsuyama-shi; 6 min walk from Minara
- 6 am–midnight; standard course ¥1,480
'200-million-year-old water' on the edge of Matsuyama — an all-day onsen with western Japan's largest open-air bath and a beanbag lounge
Minara Natural Hot Spring Riraku is a day-use onsen beside a large shopping mall in the Minara district of Toon, Ehime — twenty-odd minutes from central Matsuyama on the Iyotetsu line — and the polar opposite of Dogo: a modern onsen resort. Its pride is the outdoor zone billed as the largest in western Japan: a broad garden-style rotenburo set with natural boulders of up to ten tonnes, ringed by more than eleven kinds of bath including cave, kettle and rock baths and saunas. The water comes from two sources — one from Late Cretaceous strata 1,500 m down, the other from 200-million-year-old strata at 2,000 m — both sodium chloride-bicarbonate springs of about 50°C, served separately as a 'moisturising' bath and a 'warming' bath. The pricing is distinctive: the standard course (¥1,480) includes towels and loungewear plus the 'Yuyasumi Lounge' with free drinks, Yogibo beanbags and a library, so a half-day stay costs nothing extra, while a 60-minute light course or a ¥700 morning-bath course covers a quick dip. Add five family baths, the daily 'Asatsuyu Marché' farm market and a free shuttle from Matsuyama-shi Station, and for families and long-stayers who value convenience and scale over Dogo's history, it is the best choice in the Matsuyama area.
Tips & notes
① Bathing is suspended daily 9:00–10:00 for maintenance — the morning course means entering 6–8 a.m. and leaving by 9. ② Course prices differ widely, so match your plan: 'Light' (60-minute limit, ticket books) for a quick dip, Standard for a long stay. The ¥380/¥870 figures on old websites are outdated. ③ Weekend prices may differ for members and non-members — check the official price table. ④ The lounge's beanbags and free drinks are for Standard and above only. ⑤ Family baths 10:00–24:00 (last entry 22:30); booking advised. ⑥ Shuttle times from Matsuyama-shi Station are on the official site — miss the last one and it's a 6-min walk to Iyotetsu Minara Station. ⑦ Parking is shared with the mall, so weekend afternoons get crowded.
Getting there
From Matsuyama-shi Station (Iyotetsu), the Yokogawara Line takes about 20 min to Minara, then 6 min on foot; or take the free shuttle from Matsuyama-shi Station (daily; timetable on the official site). From JR Matsuyama Station, ride the tram to Matsuyama-shi and change. By car, about 5 min from Kawauchi IC on the Matsuyama Expressway, about 30 min from central Matsuyama via Route 11, about 35 min from Matsuyama Airport; free parking for 2,300. Ideal for a 'history and modernity' day — Dogo Onsen Honkan in the morning, Riraku in the afternoon and evening — or as a last soak before flying out of Matsuyama.
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
Mood & scenery
Sauna & wellness
Rules & private
Price
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.
More in this area
Dogo Onsen Honkan
Built in 1894 and the first public bathhouse designated an Important Cultural Property, the Honkan is Dogo's symbol. Full operation resumed in 2024 after a five-and-a-half-year restoration. The ground-floor 'Kami no Yu' is ¥700 for bathing only; upper floors add a rest room with tea. Soft alkaline water. Quietest right after the 6 am opening or after 9 pm.
Dogo Onsen Tsubaki-no-Yu
The locals' bath for anyone who wants to skip the Honkan queue. Same source water for ¥500 with almost no wait. Bring or buy soap.
Dogo Onsen Annex Asuka-no-Yu
An annex opened in 2017 in Asuka-period style with Ehime craftwork throughout, plus an open-air bath the Honkan lacks. Upstairs rest rooms and a private special bath limited to five groups a day.
