Shiga · Nagahama Taiko Onsen
Nagahama Taiko Onsen Hamakogetsu
長浜太閤温泉 浜湖月
A lakeside ryokan drawing 'Taiko Onsen' water from the site of Hideyoshi's Nagahama Castle. The rust-red iron-rich spring keeps you warm long after, and the rotenburo looks out over Lake Biwa to Chikubu Island. Day use 11:00–14:30 and 15:00–20:00, ¥1,500 including bath and face towels. Seven minutes' walk from Nagahama Station — easy to pair with the Kurokabe Square old town. About an hour from Kyoto by rapid train.
- Price (adult)
- ¥1,500
- Hours
- 11:00–14:30 and 15:00–20:00 (cleaning 14:30–15:00)
- Closed
- Irregular (a closing day each month — enquire)
- Access
- 7 min walk from JR Nagahama Station
- Water type
- Iron spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults ¥1,500, elementary ¥750, infants (1 to preschool) ¥500 (bath tax, bath and face towels included — come empty-handed). Private bath: admission per person plus ¥1,500 per 50 min (reservation required; day visitors may start 11:00–16:00, guests-only after 17:00; not on the lake side, so no view). Lunch (11:30–14:30) and dinner (17:00–21:00) by reservation
- Baths
- An eight-room ryotei inn on the shore of Lake Biwa beside Ho Park. Gender-separated main indoor baths and a rotenburo in Shigaraki-ware ceramic tubs look over the lake — the sunset is the showpiece. Sauna and cold plunge (per Nifty listing). One private bath (away from the lake). Omi beef and lake-fish cuisine in the dining room. Lake views from the lobby
- Spring water
- Nagahama Taiko Onsen is an iron-bearing (carbonated total-iron) spring, tinted brown by its iron. It rises near the site of Nagahama Castle, seat of Toyotomi Hideyoshi — hence 'Taiko', his title. The iron warms you to the core so you stay warm long after, with little odour or irritation, fine for children. A low-temperature spring, heated and recirculated. Indicated for fatigue, neuralgia, muscle pain, stiff shoulders, gynaecological complaints and anaemia. May stain towels brown
- Access & parking
- Free parking (overnight guests first; day visitors too — check). About 7–10 min on foot (500 m) from the west exit of Nagahama Station on the JR Biwako Line. By car about 15 min from Nagahama IC on the Hokuriku Expressway. About 1 h 5 min from Kyoto by special rapid train, 1 h 10 min from Nagoya. Nagahama Castle museum and Ho Park 3 min on foot, Kurokabe Square 15 min
- Phone
- 0749-62-1111
- Official site
- hamakogetsu.co.jp ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Iron spring from Hideyoshi's castle site
- Lake Biwa and Chikubu Island views
- 7 min from Nagahama Station
Brown iron water from Hideyoshi's castle grounds, with Lake Biwa sunsets
Nagahama Taiko Onsen Hamakogetsu is an eight-room ryotei inn facing the lake in Nagahama, the castle town on the north-eastern shore of Lake Biwa in Shiga — one of the few lakeside hot-spring inns that admit day bathers. Nagahama Taiko Onsen is an iron-rich spring rising near the site of Nagahama Castle, the first castle Toyotomi Hideyoshi held as lord, and takes its name from his title 'Taiko'; its brown water warms you to the core and keeps you warm. Hamakogetsu's pride is the view of Lake Biwa from its rotenburo of Shigaraki-ware ceramic tubs, at its finest when the sun sets beyond the water. Day bathing runs 11:00–14:30 and 15:00–20:00 at ¥1,500 for adults, towels included, and with the inn a 10-minute walk from JR Nagahama Station it is an easy stop after the Kurokabe old quarter on a day trip from Kyoto or Nagoya.
Shigaraki-ware rotenburo, ryotei meals and the private-bath rules
The baths are gender-separated main indoor pools and a rotenburo whose tubs are made of Shigaraki ware, Shiga's famous ceramic, smooth and warm to the touch. The iron-bearing water is a pale brown without any particular smell, and its iron heats the body deeply — especially welcome in winter. Though a low-temperature spring that is heated and recirculated, it is non-irritating and fine for children; white towels may stain, so use the ones provided. From the rotenburo you see the lake, Chikubushima island and the distant Hira range, and on clear evenings the sunset between about 17:00 and 19:00 is the chief reason to come. As a ryotei inn it serves Omi beef and Lake Biwa fish in a lake-view dining room by reservation at lunch (11:30–14:30) and dinner (17:00–21:00), and a half-day of bathing plus a meal is a popular plan. There is only one private bath, so booking ahead is essential; day visitors may start between 11:00 and 16:00, and note it faces away from the lake with no view.
Practical details and a Nagahama stroll
Day bathing is 11:00–14:30 and 15:00–20:00 (cleaning 14:30–15:00), last entry 20:00. There is a closing day each month, and the inn may decline day visitors when full or during banquets, so phone ahead (0749-62-1111). Adults ¥1,500, elementary ¥750, infants ¥500, bath tax and towels included — nothing to bring. It is a 7–10-minute walk towards the lake from the west exit of JR Nagahama Station, or 15 minutes by car from Nagahama IC, with parking. Nagahama offers the glass crafts and retro streets of 'Kurokabe Square' in a Meiji-era bank building (15 min on foot), the Nagahama Castle museum with its Hideyoshi exhibits (3 min), the bonsai plum exhibition from mid-January to March, the Nagahama Hikiyama Festival in mid-April (UNESCO intangible heritage) and the big lake fireworks in late July, and pairs well with the cruise to Chikubushima, Lake Biwa's largest island, from Nagahama port 5 minutes away. Just over an hour from Kyoto, it suits an overnight or day-trip soak en route to Hokuriku; for the sunset, enter after 15:00.
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
Convenience
Rules & private
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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