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
- 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 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
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.
