Tochigi · Nasu Onsen
Moto-yu Shika-no-yu
元湯 鹿の湯
The 1,300-year-old birthplace of Nasu Onsen. Inside the wooden bathhouse, tubs are graded from 41 to 48°C, all fed with milky, strongly acidic sulfur water. No showers, no soap — start with the traditional head-dousing ritual.
- Price (adult)
- ¥500
- Hours
- 08:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30)
- Closed
- Open daily (winter maintenance closures)
- Access
- Bus from JR Kuroiso Station (35 min) to Nasu-Yumoto Onsen, 3 min walk
- Water type
- Sulfur spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults (junior-high+) ¥500 / elementary ¥300 / infants free. Half-day cure pass ¥1,200 weekdays / ¥1,500 weekends. 5-ticket book ¥2,000. ¥50-off advance tickets at the tourist office. Lockers ¥200 large / ¥100 small
- Baths
- Wooden bathhouse built in 1936. Men’s side: six tubs at 41, 42, 43, 44, 46 and 48 °C; women’s: five tubs 41–46 °C (no 48). A “kaburi-yu” ladling station at the entrance. No washing area; soap and shampoo forbidden
- Water
- Simple acidic sulfur spring (hydrogen-sulfide type), ~63 °C at source, strongly acidic around pH 2.5. Milky white with a powerful sulfur smell; the master source supplying dozens of inns in Nasu-Yumoto
- Traditional method
- ① Kaburi-yu: ladle water over your head and nape about 200 times (children 100) to prevent dizziness and blood-pressure spikes. ② In your chosen tub: waist-deep 1 min → chest 1 min → neck 1 min. ③ Repeat. Keep total soaking short (under 15 min). Once supervised by a “yucho” bath master
- Parking
- Free, 50 cars. Sulfur fumes have discoloured car paint — avoid long stays
- Phone
- 0287-76-3098
- Official site
- http://www.shikanoyu.jp ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
Stay in this onsen town
Compare and book stays in Nasu Onsen. Day bathing itself needs no booking.
Opens partner booking site (affiliate)
Why go
- Nasu's 1,300-year-old source bath
- Tubs graded from 41 to 48°C
- Milky, strongly acidic sulfur water
1,300 years of cure culture: six temperatures and the kaburi-yu
Shika-no-yu (“deer bath”) is Tochigi’s oldest spring, discovered around 630 when a hunter saw a wounded deer healing itself in the water, and ranks with Atami, Kusatsu and Ikaho among Kanto’s ancient baths. Inside the 1936 wooden bathhouse the tubs rise in 1–2 °C steps from 41 to 48 °C (up to 46 on the women’s side). Bathers first ladle hot water over their heads 200 times at the entrance “kaburi-yu”, then dip briefly and repeatedly in the tub that suits them. There is no washing area and soap and shampoo are banned — this is a place to bathe, not wash. The strongly acidic (pH ~2.5) sulfur water is the master source feeding the whole Nasu-Yumoto village, overwhelming in both strength and smell.
Tips & cautions
- Reception until 17:30. Right after 8:00 the water is freshest and quietest; weekend middays see queues.
- Strongly acidic: agony if it gets in your eyes, instantly tarnishes silver/copper, keep it short if you have sensitive skin. No rinse shower — the smell lingers for days.
- 46 and 48 °C are scalding; start at 41–42. Kaburi-yu is essential for anyone with high blood pressure or heart conditions.
- Lockers cost ¥100/200; bring a towel (also sold). Soap is banned even if you bring it.
- Advance tickets ¥450 at the tourist office. Kojika-no-yu, 3 min away, offers the same water at gentler temperatures with showers.
Getting there
Kanto Jidosha bus ~35 min from JR Kuroiso Station toward Nasu-Yumoto/Nasu Ropeway to “Nasu-Yumoto Onsen”, then 3 min on foot (Yumoto 181). ~20 min from Nasu IC via the Nasu highway. Free parking for 50.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- As a communal bath there is no soap or shampoo — bring your own or buy at the shop.
- The water runs hot (43–45°C). Don't add cold water; take short repeated dips instead.
- Payment is usually by ticket machine in cash — bring coins.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Price
Mood & scenery
Convenience
Amenities
✔ Verified operating: 2026-09 鹿の湯公式・湯道百選・Yahoo!トラベル
Prices and hours change. Check official sources before visiting.
More in this area
Kojika-no-yu
A day-use facility on the same source as Shika-no-yu, open every day until 9 pm with an open-air bath and private rooms. Ideal for families or anyone daunted by Shika-no-yu's rituals — the milky water is identical.
Kinugawa Onsen Niouson Plaza (day bathing)
A small riverside hotel on the south side of Kinugawa Onsen, five minutes from Tobu World Square Station. While the big hotels stop day bathing around 15:00, this one welcomes walk-ins 9:00–21:00 for ¥700. Its own alkaline sulfur spring (43.6 °C) flows 100% free into a quirky set of baths: a rotenburo made from an actual Kinugawa river-cruise boat, a rock rotenburo, indoor baths and a swimsuit mixed bath. The slightly cool, silky water is highly rated by onsen fans.
Ōmaru Onsen Ryokan, Oku-Nasu (River Bath)
A lone inn at 1,300 m, the last stop in the Nasu hot-spring range. Spring water gushes out behind the building in such volume that it forms a river, dammed into the vast outdoor 'Kawa-no-yu' — nothing else like it in Japan. Mixed bathing since the inn's founding, but bathing wear is included so beginners can relax. Day use is limited to three hours (reception 11:30–14:30), ¥1,300 with face towel and bathing wear. The outdoor bath closes in bad weather or for cleaning, so phone ahead. Autumn colour and snow seasons are the draw.