Iwate · Oshuku & Tsunagi Onsen
Oshuku Onsen Hotel Uguisu
鶯宿温泉 ホテル鶯
Fifty minutes by bus from Morioka, a family-run hotel in Oshuku Onsen, a 450-year-old spa where legend says a bush warbler healed its wounds. The area is rich in hot water, and the clear alkaline spring flows freely into the indoor and open-air baths — day use just ¥600, 11:00–19:00, half price on the 26th of each month. Easy to add after Koiwai Farm, Shizukuishi ski slopes or Morioka sightseeing.
- Price (adult)
- ¥500
- Hours
- 11:00–19:00 (closes 20:00)
- Closed
- Irregular
- Access
- 50 min by Iwate Kenkotsu bus from JR Morioka to the Oshuku-Onsen terminus, then 10 min walk
- Water type
- Alkaline simple
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Day bathing adults ¥500, children ¥300. Half price on the 26th ('bath day'); book of 12 tickets ¥5,000. Shampoo and body soap provided. Overnight from a modest ¥8,250 with two meals. Cash recommended
- Baths
- A quiet inn (16 Japanese rooms, 70 guests) at the far end of the Ohshuku spa valley, beside the Ohshuku river. Gender-separated indoor baths and a garden rotenburo. Overnight guests bathe 24 hours. No sauna. Mountain-vegetable and river-fish cuisine. Private source welling up behind the inn
- Water
- Ohshuku's simple acidic sulphur spring (hypotonic, acidic, high-temperature), 100% free-flowing. Colourless, faintly sulphurous and hot, a 'beauty water' that smooths the skin. Ohshuku was reputedly discovered some 450 years ago when a wounded bush warbler (uguisu) was seen bathing. Indicated for chronic skin disease, gynaecological complaints, cuts, diabetes, high blood pressure and haemorrhoids
- Parking & access
- Free parking. About 50 min by Iwate Kenkotsu bus bound for Ohshuku Onsen from JR Morioka Station to the terminus, then 10 min on foot. About 40 min by car from central Morioka, 30 min from Morioka IC on the Tohoku Expressway. 20–30 min by car to Koiwai Farm and Shizukuishi ski resort
- Phone
- 019-695-2036
- Official site
- hotel-uguisu.com ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
Find a stay on Trip.com
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Why go
- Free-flowing for ¥600
- Half price on the 26th
- 20 min from Koiwai Farm
At the far end of the Ohshuku valley, a ¥500 garden rotenburo
Hotel Uguisu is a small inn of 16 Japanese rooms at the very top of the Ohshuku Onsen valley in Shizukuishi, Iwate — Morioka's 'back parlour'. Ohshuku takes its name from the legend of a wounded bush warbler (uguisu) seen bathing in the spring some 450 years ago, and nearly twenty lodgings line the street, from large resort hotels to humble inns. Hotel Uguisu uses its own source, welling up behind the building, 100% free-flowing, and opens its gender-separated indoor baths and garden rotenburo to day bathers for a friendly ¥500. Half price on the 26th of each month and overnight stays from ¥8,250 with two meals make it ideal for budget-minded onsen travellers.
Hot, silky sulphur water and a riverside garden bath
The baths comprise gender-separated indoor pools and a rotenburo facing the garden; there is no sauna. The water is a colourless, faintly sulphurous simple acidic sulphur spring; with a high source temperature the indoor bath runs quite hot, while the outdoor one is cooled by the air to a comfortable level. As an acidic sulphur spring it leaves the skin silky — hence 'beauty water' — and tradition credits it with healing cuts and skin complaints. The rotenburo is not large, but you soak to the murmur of the Ohshuku river with the hills' green, autumn colour or snow before you, and at the top of the valley there is hardly any traffic noise. On weekday afternoons with few day visitors you often have it to yourself. Shampoo and body soap are provided, so a towel is all you need.
Practical details and enjoying Ohshuku
Day bathing is 11:00–19:00 (doors close 20:00), with irregular closures for cleaning or group bookings, so a phone check is advised (listings of 9:00–18:00 and ¥300 are outdated). Adults ¥500, children ¥300, half price on the 26th, and a book of 12 tickets for ¥5,000. Take the Ohshuku Onsen bus about 50 minutes from Morioka Station and walk 10 minutes from the terminus, or drive 40 minutes from central Morioka. It fits a day around Koiwai Farm, Shizukuishi ski resort and the Amihari viewpoints, and since every Ohshuku inn has its own patchwork of day-bathing days and hours, these long hours are a dependable choice. The snow-covered garden bath in winter and the spring mountain-vegetable cooking are especially praised.
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
Price
Who with
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.
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