Wakayama · Ryujin Onsen
Ryujin Onsen Kirari Ryujin
龍神温泉 季楽里龍神
A large inn of Ryujin Onsen, counted among the three beauty springs of Japan. The hinoki-lined baths serve a sodium bicarbonate spring, and both sides have a sauna. Day bathing is 1,000 yen for adults and 500 yen for elementary pupils, and for the time being is received from 11:00 to 15:00. Bathing gowns rent for 300 yen. There are a few closing days in winter.
- Price (adult)
- ¥1,000
- Hours
- 11:00–15:00 (for the time being)
- Closed
- Irregular closing (a few closing days in winter)
- Access
- About 80 minutes by Ryujin bus from Kii-Tanabe Station on the JR Kisei Line, stepping off at Ryujin Onsen. By car it is roughly 90 minutes from Arida IC on the Hanwa Expressway, with parking for 58 cars.
- Water type
- Bicarbonate spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- 1,000 yen for adults and 500 yen for elementary pupils. A bathing gown rents for 300 yen, tax included, and can also be bought.
- Baths
- A main bath and an open-air bath built richly of hinoki, with a sauna on each side. Overnight guests may use them from 11:00 to 24:00 and 5:30 to 9:30.
- Spring water
- A sodium bicarbonate spring, presented as a beauty bath said to leave no need for make-up. Ryujin is counted with Ureshino, Kitsuregawa and Yunokawa among the three beauty springs of Japan.
- Access & parking
- About 80 minutes by Ryujin bus from Kii-Tanabe Station. By car it is roughly 90 minutes from Arida IC on the Hanwa Expressway, with parking for 58 cars.
- Day bathing
- For the time being it is received only from 11:00 to 15:00. There are a few closing days in winter, so a winter visit needs checking in advance.
- Tattoos
- No tattoo policy is published. Bathing gowns are available to rent, and an enquiry by phone is the safe course.
- Phone
- 0739-79-0331
- Official site
- kirari-ryujin.com ↗
- 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
- A spring counted among Japan's three beauty waters
- Hinoki baths and saunas on both sides
- Gowns to rent for an easy visit
A large bath of one of Japan's three beauty springs
Ryujin Onsen is a spa in the deep mountains of Wakayama, with a legend that a monk of the Heian period found it. Kirari Ryujin is a large inn opened in 2004, marked by a lobby and baths built of local hinoki. The water is a sodium bicarbonate spring that leaves a slippery, soap-like feel on the skin, which is why it is called a bath that leaves no need for make-up.
A spa street reached by mountain road
The road from Kii-Tanabe Station to Ryujin Onsen takes more than an hour and twenty minutes by bus and winds through the mountains. The route along the Hidaka river has good views, so the journey itself becomes part of the trip. Day bathing is received only in the daytime, so an early bus out, with the bath and a meal together, leaves more room. In winter there is snow and there are closing days, so check before setting out.
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
Sauna & wellness
Mood & scenery
Price
Convenience
Amenities
✔ Verified operating: 2026-10 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
Saki-no-Yu
An open-air-only bath at the edge of the Pacific. One of Japan's oldest springs, mentioned in the 8th-century Nihon Shoki; on rough days sea spray reaches the tubs. No roof, no wash stations.
Shirahama Onsen Muro-no-yu
Shirahama's other classic public bath, on the Yuzaki seafront near Saki-no-yu. Its draw: two distinct springs — Mabuyu and Miyukiyu — under one roof. 7 am to 10 pm, ¥420.
Ryujin Onsen Motoyu
The source bath of Ryujin Onsen, counted with Yunokawa and Kawanaka among Japan's 'three beauty baths'. It stands on the Hidaka River deep in the Kii mountains, with a cypress indoor bath and a rock rotenburo overlooking the stream. The silky bicarbonate water is famous for leaving skin smooth. ¥800, 7:00–21:00, open daily. An hour by car from Koyasan via the Koya-Ryujin Skyline, or about 80 minutes by bus from Kii-Tanabe.
