Tokushima · Ōboke Onsen
Ōboke Onsen Sunriver Ōboke
大歩危温泉 サンリバー大歩危
A hot-spring hotel on the banks of the Yoshino River in the Ōboke–Koboke gorge, where the water has carved through 200-million-year-old rock. The strongly alkaline simple spring — locals say it makes skin toner unnecessary — leaves skin smooth, and the gorge-facing main bath and open-air bath look out over the Koboke rapids, said to be Japan's wildest, and the mountainsides in their seasonal colours. Day bathing: adults ¥700, children ¥350, 12:00–21:00 (last entry 20:00); open daily, but on Saturdays, holidays and group-booking days it may close from 15:00, so check ahead. A convenient base for the Ōboke sightseeing boats, the yōkai museum and the drive to the Iya vine bridge; about 15 minutes on foot from JR Ōboke Station (pick-up available). Soap provided, towels for a fee.
- Price (adult)
- ¥700
- Hours
- 12:00–21:00 (last entry 20:00)
- Closed
- Irregular (may close after 15:00 on Saturdays, holidays and for group bookings)
- Access
- About 15 min on foot from JR Ōboke Station (pick-up available on request); about 30 min by car from Ikawa-Ikeda IC via Route 32
- Water type
- Alkaline simple
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Day-bath adults ¥700, children ¥350 (per the facility notice; some booking sites list ¥1,000/¥500 'plan' rates with towels). Towels ¥200, bath towels ¥500 to rent, shampoo provided, lockers, sauna, no rotenburo — a top-floor panorama bath. Discounts for Miyoshi residents (ID); hours may be shortened for group bookings. In-house restaurant and shop. Cash and cards
- Baths
- A hotel with a day-use onsen on the Oboke–Koboke gorge, where the upper Yoshino River cuts a towering canyon called 'Japan's most violent rapids', in Miyoshi, Tokushima. Its greatest strength is the view from the top-floor (5th) panorama bath, where the green river and cliffs fill the glass. The water is a colourless but slick, strongly alkaline simple spring known as 'a beauty bath you need no lotion after'. Directly linked to the Oboke Gorge sightseeing boats and Yoshino River rafting; combine with the Iya Valley vine bridge (25 min by car), Ishimatsu Onsen and Shiroyama. 3 min by car from JR Oboke Station
- Spring water
- Oboke Onsen, a strongly alkaline simple spring (high-temperature, the 40°C-range source heated and recirculated, pH around 9–10), colourless and strongly slick, forming a film on the skin — a classic 'beauty bath'. Indicated for muscle and joint pain, bruises, fatigue, poor circulation, dry skin and neuralgia. A waterside onsen on 'one of Japan's three great streams' amid the Yoshino gorge scenery
- Access & parking
- 15 min on foot from Oboke Station on the JR Tokushima Line (downhill along the river) or 3 min by taxi; 1 h 30 min by train from Tokushima; about 2 h by limited express from Takamatsu (change at Awa-Ikeda). By car 20 min from Ikawa-Ikeda IC on the Tokushima Expressway, 1 h 10 min from Tokushima city, 1 h 40 min from Takamatsu, 3 h from Okayama. Free parking. Oboke Gorge sightseeing-boat quay 3 min, the vine bridge 25 min, the Oboke–Koboke roadside station 5 min by car
- Phone
- 0883-84-2111
- Official site
- oobokeonsen.jp ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Bath above the Koboke rapids
- Strongly alkaline 'skin-toner' water
- ¥700; 15 min walk from Ōboke Station
Japan's mightiest rapids, the Yoshino through the glass and a slick alkaline bath
Sunriver Oboke is a hotel and day-use onsen on the water of the Oboke–Koboke gorge in Miyoshi, Tokushima, a great canyon the upper Yoshino River has carved in granite over hundreds of millions of years. Oboke is the wildest stretch of the river called 'Japan's mightiest rapids', where rafting from April to November and sightseeing boats draw visitors from across the country, and the hotel's greatest charm is the panorama bath on its top floor (the 5th). Beyond the full-height glass the emerald river, the cliffs on both sides, spring greenery, autumn colour and winter snow are all in view, so you bathe in a scene that seems to have sealed the whole gorge inside the bathroom; there is no rotenburo, but the view more than fills the gap. The water is colourless and odourless yet clearly slick when stirred — a strongly alkaline simple spring with a pH near 9–10 that softens old keratin, known as 'a beauty bath needing no lotion', with the slickness lingering after you get out. At ¥700 for adults and ¥350 for children it is cheap for a hotel onsen with a gorge view, and open from 12:00 to 21:00 (last entry 20:00) it fits perfectly an afternoon soak after getting drenched by rafting or the boats. Three minutes by car from JR Oboke Station, 1 h 30 min by train from Tokushima, with the boat quay three minutes and the Iya vine bridge twenty-five minutes away, it is a good base for a western Tokushima trip of 'half a day at Oboke, half a day in Iya'. On Saturdays and holidays it may close after 3 p.m. for group bookings, so a call before visiting is advised.
A gorge soak in front of the fifth-floor glass, and a bath after rafting
Follow the large sign on Route 32 (before Oboke Bridge) into the hotel's front car park and tell reception you want the day bath; staff will take you up to the 5th-floor bath by lift (towels ¥200, bath towels ¥500 to rent, shampoo provided). The bathroom is spacious and bright as a hotel's great bath should be, and with a wall of glass, sitting in the tub puts the Yoshino River flowing beneath your feet and the cliffs opposite hung like a picture — new green or maple red. The water is colourless, but your hands slipping from the moment you wash is proof of the strong alkalinity; ten minutes in the main tub at about 41–42°C brings the 'slick' all over, as if a thin film had formed. There are a sauna and plunge, jet and electric baths; no rotenburo, but the 'window seats' before the glass are the best places, so claim one (weekend afternoons mean a wait). After washing, do not rinse off all the soap — a light splash of water keeps the slickness longer and the skin moist. The classic way to use it is an afternoon visit after rafting, the sightseeing boats or buying onsen manju at the Oboke–Koboke roadside station: 'a bath after playing in the river'. The gorge is at its best in spring (April–May greenery) and autumn (mid-November colour), and the white cliffs in winter snow are first rate too. The in-house restaurant has soba, udon, Tokushima ramen, salt-grilled amago river fish and Miyoshi specialities such as Iya soba and 'boke' croquettes, and there are sights like the Oboke Gorge Yokai House near the station. Crowds peak weekend afternoons from 1 to 3 (tour groups); the quietest time is just after noon on a weekday. Check the tattoo policy; after 20:00 it thins out and is quiet.
Practical details and an Oboke–Iya route
Hours are 12:00–21:00 (last entry 20:00); it may close after 15:00 on Saturdays, holidays and for group bookings, so confirming by phone (0883-84-2111) is advised; adults ¥700, children ¥350 (towels ¥200, bath towels ¥500), parking free. Access is 3 minutes by car or 15 on foot from JR Oboke Station, 1 h 30 min by train from Tokushima, 20 minutes by car from Ikeda IC. Suggested routes: (1) a day at Oboke and Iya — the Oboke Gorge sightseeing boat in the morning (30 minutes, best in spring greenery and autumn colour), a bath and lunch at Sunriver, then the Iya valley in the afternoon for the vine bridge (an Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property) and the Oboke–Iya Skyline drive to the stone bridges of Ochiai village and a night at Iya Onsen; (2) summer activity — Yoshino River rafting in the morning (half a day, the Oboke–Koboke stretch), a bath, soba lunch at the roadside station, a drive along the Koboke gorge; (3) a rail journey — Tokushima, Oboke (Tokushima Line), then limited expresses via Awa-Ikeda to Takamatsu or Okayama, with the Yokai House at Oboke Station and the Koboku Fudo lookout (superb river views) before bathing; (4) autumn colour — the Iya foliage peaks mid to late November, so move early as it gets busy; (5) winter — the gorge in snow and the tub before snowy glass. Notes: no rotenburo (it is a panorama bath); possible afternoon closures on Saturdays and holidays; Route 32 and the Iya road ice in winter (chains); rafting requires booking (April–November); cash and cards accepted. Oboke is a flagship of 'scenic onsen', combining gorge views, a slick beauty bath and river sports in a single day — well worth making the highlight of a western Shikoku journey.
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.
- Payment is usually by ticket machine in cash — bring coins.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Mood & scenery
Sauna & wellness
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.
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