Shiga · Ogoto Onsen
Ogoto Onsen Biwako Hanakaido
おごと温泉 びわ湖花街道
A ryokan in Ogoto Onsen on the shore of Lake Biwa below Mt. Hiei, 20 minutes by JR from Kyoto Station. Day bathing is accepted 11:30–20:00, with pH-9 alkaline water indoors and in the rotenburo. The free shuttle from Ogoto-Onsen and Hieizan-Sakamoto stations is open to day visitors too. Lunch plans with Omi beef are popular. ¥2,750 plus bathing tax — ryokan pricing.
- Price (adult)
- ¥2,750
- Hours
- 11:30–20:00(Tue from 15:00)
- Closed
- Open daily
- Access
- 5 min by free shuttle from JR Ogoto-Onsen Station
- Water type
- Alkaline simple
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults ¥2,750 (tax incl., ¥50 bathing tax extra) / elementary ¥1,100. Towels, bath towels and amenities included — come empty-handed. Nifty Onsen e-tickets sold with up to ¥750 off (Sept 2026). Day plans with meals available separately
- Baths
- A lakeside ryokan on Lake Biwa. Gender-separated bathhouses with indoor tub, rotenburo (facing garden and lake) and sauna. Cypress and rock tubs; seasonal events such as rose baths in the women’s bath. Private bath “Biidoro-no-yu” (50 min ¥3,300) is for overnight guests only. Day bathers may use the café Hanakomachi and the soba shop
- Water
- Ogoto Onsen — alkaline simple spring (pH about 9), hypotonic low-temperature. Clear and slippery “beauty water”. Ogoto, at the foot of Mt Hiei, is said to have been opened 1,200 years ago by the monk Saicho. Heated and partly recirculated
- Parking
- Free parking, about 100 cars. Free shuttle from JR Ogoto-Onsen Station (call ahead), or ~12 min on foot / 3 min by taxi. ~20 min from Kyoto Station on the JR Kosei Line
- Phone
- 077-578-1075
- Official site
- hanakaido.co.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
- 20 min from Kyoto
- Free shuttle for day guests
- Omi beef lunch plans
Twenty minutes from Kyoto — Ogoto Onsen’s flagship inn, bathing with Lake Biwa in view
Biwako Hanakaido is a hot-spring ryokan at Ogoto Onsen in Otsu, Shiga — the flagship inn of “the closest onsen town to Kyoto”, reached in about 20 minutes from Kyoto Station on the JR Kosei Line. Ogoto, at the foot of Mt Hiei, is said to have been founded by the monk Saicho in the Heian period, yet for a 1,200-year-old spa it is quiet — which makes it ideal for unwinding over the lake after Kyoto sightseeing. Day bathing is offered from 11:30 to 20:00 (from 15:00 on Tuesdays), and the ¥2,750 fee includes towels, bath towels and amenities, so you can drop in empty-handed mid-trip. The gender-separated bathhouses have an indoor tub, a rotenburo and a sauna, and the women’s side hosts seasonal events such as rose baths. The water is an alkaline simple spring of around pH 9 — clear and slippery, the classic “beauty water”. Afterwards, the lobby café Hanakomachi and the soba shop serve local fare including Omi beef, and day plans with meals (reservation required) are available. The private open-air bath Biidoro-no-yu, for four or five, is for overnight guests only. Nearby are the Sakamoto cable car up to Enryaku-ji on Mt Hiei (one JR stop to Sakamoto), Lake Biwa cruise boats and Ogoto Marina — enough to build a “lake day” quite different from Kyoto.
Tips & cautions
- Day bathing 11:30–20:00, from 15:00 on Tuesdays. Open daily, but may be restricted when full or during banquets — phone ahead.
- ¥2,750 plus ¥50 bathing tax on site. Buying the Nifty Onsen e-ticket (up to ¥750 off) in advance pays.
- Towels and amenities included — no luggage needed. Coin lockers available.
- The private bath is for overnight guests only.
- Tattoos: a ryokan facility with no published policy — enquire beforehand.
- Staying in Kyoto? Make it a half-day: Sakamoto (Enryaku-ji) → bath at Ogoto → back to Kyoto.
- Ogoto-Onsen Station to the inn is a 12-minute uphill walk — request the shuttle (phone on arrival).
- The lakeside ryokan area is separate from Ogoto’s red-light district — keep evening strolls to the lake side.
Getting there
~12 min on foot from JR Ogoto-Onsen Station (Kosei Line), or free shuttle on request / 3 min by taxi (Ogoto 1-1-3, Otsu, Shiga). ~20 min by JR from Kyoto Station, ~50 min from Osaka. By car ~20 min from Meishin Kyoto-Higashi IC via the Nishi-Otsu bypass; free parking. Tel. 077-578-1075.
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
Who with
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.
More in this area
Ogoto Onsen Yumotokan
Twenty minutes by train from Kyoto, the flagship ryokan of Ogoto Onsen on Lake Biwa's west shore. The top-floor open-air bath 'Yugen Shoyo' overlooks the lake and the Hiei range, with garden rotenburo and more to hop between. pH 9 'beautifying' water. Day use ¥2,000, 11:00–21:30; entry may be limited when busy. Five minutes by shuttle from Ogoto-Onsen Station — a convenient soak after Kyoto sightseeing.
Nagahama Taiko Onsen Hamakogetsu
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.
Takarabune Onsen Yumoto Kotobuki
A lone inn with its own spring near Ōmi-Shirahama, the pine-fringed white-sand beach on Lake Biwa's west shore. The simple carbonated iron spring (a cold mineral spring, heated) turns tea-brown on contact with air and is locally prized as a skin-beautifying bath that warms to the core. Drop-in bathing 9:00–20:00 (last entry 19:30), a modest ¥700; closed Mondays. The open-air bath is private-hire only (from ¥3,000 per 50 min), good for families and couples. The restaurant (11:00–20:00) serves Ōmi beef and lake fish. Five minutes by car from JR Ōmi-Takashima Station — on the way back from Shirahige Shrine's lake torii or the metasequoia avenue. Day use may be unavailable when groups are staying, so phone ahead.
