Miyagi · Sakunami Onsen, Sendai
Sakunami Onsen Miyako-no-Yu
作並温泉 都の湯
A day bath at the entrance to Sakunami Onsen, 'Sendai's back parlour' up the Hirose River about 40 minutes by car from Sendai Station. Among Sakunami's large ryokan it is a rare place to drop in without staying, though it has lodging too. The bathroom is compact, but the clear, soft water is 100 % natural spring, free-flowing and quietly overflowing. A set with the natural-stone bedrock bath costs ¥2,000, and the women's powder room stocks cosmetics and even face masks, which guests appreciate. Day bathing: adults ¥800, children ¥600 (a ¥500 rate for under an hour); open 10:00–19:00 (last entry 17:00), closed Wednesdays and Thursdays. Bath towels can be hired. About 5 minutes by car from Sakunami Station on the Senzan Line, or by Sendai city bus to 'Sakunami Onsen Iriguchi', right by the stop. Combine with a tour of the Nikka Miyagikyo whisky distillery or the autumn colours of the Hōmei Forty-eight Falls.
- Price (adult)
- ¥800
- Hours
- 10:00–19:00 (reception until 17:00)
- Closed
- Wed & Thu (even if a holiday)
- Access
- About 5 min by car from Sakunami Station (JR Senzan Line); Sendai city bus for Sakunami Onsen from Sendai Station, about 70 min to 'Sakunami Onsen Iriguchi', right by the stop; about 35 min by car from Sendai-Miyagi IC via Route 48
- Water type
- Simple spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults ¥800 (¥500 for under an hour), children ¥600, JAF members ¥700. All-day use ¥1,800 / ¥1,200 (with rest area). Bedrock bath (medicinal stones such as maifan) extra; onsen-plus-bedrock set from ¥2,000. Towel and bedrock-wear rental sets. Powder room stocked with cosmetics and face masks
- Baths
- A day-spa behind the Hotel Green Green. A bright indoor bath for each sex (no rotenburo), nine wash stations. Natural-stone bedrock bath room at extra charge. Locker room, after-bath lounge, rest room, restaurant. Free-flowing water with no chlorine smell
- Water
- Alkaline simple hot spring (hypotonic, mildly alkaline, high-temperature) from the private source 'Sazo-no-yu'. Heated only — no dilution, recirculation, disinfectant or additives — and free-flowing, the overflow draining into a pebble channel. Colourless, tasteless, faintly scented; gentle, promoted for skin beauty. Indicated for neuralgia, muscle pain, poor circulation and fatigue
- Parking & access
- Free parking for 20–100 cars. About 5 min by car from Sakunami Station on the JR Senzan Line (2.6 km; shuttles are for hotel guests, confirm). About 40 min via Route 48 from Sendai Station; about 20 km (25 min) from Sendai-Miyagi IC. Miyagi Kotsu bus to 'Sakunami Onsen Iriguchi', then 2 min on foot. 5 min by car to the Nikka Whisky Miyagikyo Distillery
- Phone
- 022-796-8026
- Official site
- miyakonoyu.jp ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Drop-in free-flowing bath at Sakunami
- Bedrock-bath set; well-stocked powder room
- ¥800 (¥500 under 1 h); closed Wed/Thu
Bedrock baths plus free-flowing water at a day-spa behind a Sakunami hotel
Sakunami Onsen Miyako-no-yu is a day-spa behind the Hotel Green Green at Sakunami Onsen, on Route 48 between Sendai and Yamagata in Sendai's Aoba ward. Sakunami, said to date from 1796 and called Sendai's 'back parlour', is dominated by big inns and short on casual day facilities. Miyako-no-yu fills that gap: the alkaline simple water of its private source 'Sazo-no-yu' is heated only and run free-flowing without dilution, recirculation or disinfectant, and it adds a natural-stone bedrock bath room laid with medicinal stones such as maifan and a powder room stocked with cosmetics, making it popular with those who want 'onsen plus bedrock bath' as a set. Pay ¥500 for up to an hour or ¥800 for longer, according to how long you stay.
A heated-only free-flowing bath and a medicinal-stone bedrock room
Each side has a single bright indoor bath, no rotenburo, with nine wash stations equipped with showers, shampoo and conditioner. The water is a colourless, tasteless alkaline simple spring with a faint onsen scent — non-irritating and gentle, fine for children and the elderly — and regulars single out the complete absence of chlorine smell. Watching the overflow stream endlessly into the pebble channel beside the tub confirms it is free-flowing. The extra-charge bedrock room is paved with several medicinal stones such as maifan to draw a good sweat; you hire a bedrock-wear and towel set and follow the suggested sequence. The powder room afterwards, with assorted cosmetics, perfumes and even face masks, is well regarded by women.
Practical details and enjoying Sakunami
Hours are 10:00–19:00 (reception until 17:00), closed Wednesdays and Thursdays even when they fall on holidays. Adults ¥800 (¥500 for under an hour), children ¥600, JAF members ¥700, sets with the bedrock bath from ¥2,000, and an all-day option (¥1,800). Parking is ample; it is 5 minutes by car from JR Sakunami Station and 40 minutes from Sendai Station via Route 48. Sakunami sits midway on the Senzan Line drive that takes in the Nikka Whisky Miyagikyo Distillery (free tours, reservation, 5 minutes away), Sakunami kokeshi, the Homei Shijuhachi waterfalls and, further on, Yamadera temple — so a distillery tour followed by a sweat in the bedrock room and a soak works well. If a rotenburo is essential, compare day bathing at other Sakunami inns.
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
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
Taki-no-Yu, Naruko
A communal bath with over a thousand years of history as the shrine's sacred spring. Milky acidic sulfur water pours like a waterfall from log flumes into cypress tubs. ¥300; bring your own soap.
Naruko Waseda Sajiki-yu
A communal bath using a spring that Waseda University students struck during fieldwork in 1948. Architect Osamu Ishiyama's yellow avant-garde building is unmistakable; descend the stepped 'sajiki' gallery to the bathroom. The modern counterpart to Taki-no-yu.
Akiu Onsen Public Bath
The only communal bath in Akiu Onsen, Sendai's classic hot-spring retreat. Among upscale ryokan charging ¥1,000-plus for day use, this humble bathhouse offers free-flowing chloride spring water for ¥300. Near the Yakushi-do temple at the source, it has a single tub and a mostly local crowd; soap is sold, not provided, and a sign asks for 40-minute stays. About 55 minutes by bus from Sendai Station, right by the Yumoto stop.
