Tokushima · Naruto
Naruto Natural Onsen Aratae-no-yu
鳴門天然温泉 あらたえの湯
A large day-use onsen next to the Naruto boat-race stadium, 10 minutes by car from the whirlpools and the Ōtsuka Museum of Art. The open-air bath, fed by the site's own natural spring, opens to Naruto's hills and sky; there are also a carbonated bath, pot tubs, a hot sauna, cold plunge and outdoor rest area. Open 8:00–24:00 (last entry 23:00), from early morning to late night; ¥750 weekdays, ¥900 weekends and holidays. The ground-floor restaurant is known for fresh fish — Naruto sea bream and sashimi at fair prices. Walkable from the Konaruto-bashi bus stop on the Tokushima Bus Naruto line. Irregular closures.
- Price (adult)
- ¥800
- Hours
- 08:00–24:00 (last entry 23:00)
- Closed
- Irregular
- Access
- 6 min by Tokushima Bus from JR Naruto Station to Konaruto-bashi, then 7 min on foot; 10 min by car from Naruto-Kita IC
- Water type
- Simple spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Weekdays adults (18+) ¥800, junior/senior high ¥700, elementary (3–12) ¥400; weekends and holidays ¥1,000/¥800/¥500; under 3 free (older sources quote ¥750). Towel set rental extra, shampoo provided. Member card (¥100) discounts. Restaurant (seafood bowls, udon), manga corner, Wi-Fi, rest space. No bedrock bathing. Check tattoo policy on site
- Baths
- A resort-style super-sento on the shore beside the Naruto boat-race stadium in Naruto, the gateway to Shikoku. A panoramic rotenburo over the Seto Inland Sea (Uchinoumi bay) with source, pot and lying baths; indoors a main onsen tub, carbonated bath and jets; an 82°C sauna (auto-loyly) with a 17°C plunge and outdoor rest deck. Sunrise over the sea and views toward the Onaruto Bridge. Restaurant, manga and lounge. The classic stop after the Otsuka Museum of Art and the Naruto whirlpools
- Spring water
- Calcium-sodium chloride cold mineral spring (hypotonic, neutral); a salt-rich cold spring from underground, heated for use, pale yellow to clear and salty, a 'warming bath' with strong heat retention. Heated, recirculated and disinfected. Indicated for joint pain, poor circulation, cuts, chronic gynaecological complaints and fatigue. A fossil-seawater chloride spring born of the Naruto Strait's sea and strata — the experience is soaking in salty water while gazing at the sea
- Access & parking
- Free parking for 170. By car about 10 min from Naruto-Kita IC on the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway, 15 min from Naruto IC, 40 min from Tokushima city, about 1 h 40 min from Sannomiya, Kobe via the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. By public transport 1.9 km from JR Naruto Station (22 min on foot, 5 by taxi) or the Tokushima bus to 'Naruto Kyoteijo-mae' then 3 min on foot. Otsuka Museum of Art 10 min and Uzu-no-Michi 15 min by car
- Phone
- 088-676-2611
- Official site
- aratae.jp ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
Find a stay on Trip.com
Search and book accommodation across Japan on Trip.com. Day-use bathing needs no booking.
Opens partner booking site (affiliate)
Why go
- 10 min from the whirlpools and Ōtsuka Museum
- Open 8:00–24:00, ¥750 weekdays
- Restaurant with fresh Naruto fish
Gazing at the whirlpool sea: a resort bathhouse at Shikoku's gateway
Naruto Natural Onsen Aratae-no-yu is a resort-style super-sento on the shore beside the Naruto boat-race stadium, the first stop in Shikoku after crossing the Onaruto Bridge from Awaji Island, in Naruto, Tokushima. The name 'aratae' refers to the hemp cloth of Awa (Tokushima) presented at the emperor's enthronement rites, a nod to the region's ancient pride in weaving. Its great boast is a panoramic rotenburo over the calm Uchinoumi bay of the Seto Inland Sea: right after the 8 a.m. opening you watch the sun rise from the water, and at night the lights of fishing boats and the bridge. The water is a heated calcium-sodium chloride cold spring, salty and warming, and with a carbonated bath, pot and lying baths, an 82°C sauna, 17°C plunge and outdoor rest deck it is well regarded by sauna fans too. At ¥800 on weekdays and ¥1,000 at weekends, open 8 a.m. to midnight, it is the classic stop after the Otsuka Museum of Art (10 min by car) and the Naruto whirlpools at Uzu-no-Michi (15 min), and at 1 h 40 min from Kobe over the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge it suits a day drive from Kansai.
A sea-facing rotenburo and an auto-loyly sauna
Stow your shoes in a locker, register at the front desk (a member card earns discounts) and head to the baths. Indoors are the main onsen tub, a high-concentration carbonated bath and jet baths, with ample wash stations and shampoo provided. Outside, the sea-facing panoramic rotenburo is the main event: sink into the pale-yellow salty source bath and the calm surface of Uchinoumi, oyster rafts and the islands toward the Onaruto Bridge spread before you, while pot and lying baths let you rest under the sky. Being a chloride spring it heats you through in ten minutes, so take several short dips. The 82°C sauna with regular auto-loyly feels hotter than its number, and with a 17°C plunge and outdoor chairs in the sea breeze it rates highly in the sauna community as a place to 'totonou'. The best time is 8–9 a.m., when you greet the sunrise over the water from the bath with few people about; afternoons on boat-race days and weekend evenings are very busy. The restaurant offers local fare — Naruto sea bream and seafood bowls, Tokushima ramen, Awa-odori soft-serve — and you can rest with Wi-Fi in the manga corner and lounge. There is no bedrock bathing, and in winter the seaside rotenburo is windy, so alternate with the indoor baths.
Practical details and a Naruto–Awaji itinerary
Hours are 8:00–24:00 (last entry 23:00), with irregular closures (maintenance days are announced on official social media). Prices were recently raised to ¥800 for adults, ¥700 for junior/senior high and ¥400 for elementary on weekdays, and ¥1,000/¥800/¥500 at weekends and holidays, so do not be misled by older ¥750 listings. Shampoo is provided; towels are rented for a fee. Driving is the norm — 10 minutes from Naruto-Kita IC with 170 free spaces — or a 5-minute taxi from JR Naruto Station. A suggested day: the Otsuka Museum of Art in the morning (ceramic reproductions of the world's masterpieces; allow three hours), Naruto sea bream for lunch, then Uzu-no-Michi (the glass-floored walkway under the Onaruto Bridge) and a sightseeing boat to the whirlpools (best within an hour of low or high tide, biggest at spring tides in spring and autumn), a sunset-to-night soak at Aratae-no-yu, and a night in Tokushima or on Awaji Island. From Kansai, express buses reach Naruto from Sannomiya, Kobe in about 90 minutes, so rail travellers can manage with bus plus taxi, while a two-day drive combining Awaji's Highway Oasis and Yumebutai is the common pattern. Accommodation is scarce during the Awa Odori festival in Tokushima city in mid August. Expect a resort-style super-sento — sea views, sauna and convenience rather than old-inn atmosphere.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Sauna & wellness
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.
More in this area
Hotel Iya Onsen (cable-car bath)
A five-minute ride down a 42-degree cable car to the bottom of the Iya gorge, where a self-flowing bath sits beside the river. Day use 7:30–17:00, cable car included. A member of the Secret Onsen Preservation Society.
Iyakei Onsen Hotel Hikyo-no-yu
Five minutes by car from the Kazurabashi vine bridge, the day-use bath of a large hotel at the mouth of the Iya Valley — the biggest bathhouse in Iya, with a rotenburo facing the green gorge, indoor pool and sauna. At ¥1,100 it's a cheaper, later-opening alternative to Hotel Iya Onsen's cable-car bath (¥1,900). 20 minutes by car from Oboke Station. Closed Tuesdays.
Hotel Kazurabashi – Sky Open-Air Bath
Five minutes by car from the Kazurabashi vine bridge, this popular Iya inn is famous for its 'sky open-air bath' reached by private cable car. Day bathing (¥1,200) runs 10:30–16:00; the goemon cauldron baths are for overnight guests only. A free sky footbath on the viewing deck is spectacular on mornings with a sea of clouds. With Hotel Iya Onsen it forms Iya's pair of 'cable-car onsen', ideal for a break while touring the valley.
