Nagano · Yudanaka-Shibu Onsen
Shibu Onsen Ō-yu (Bath No. 9)
渋温泉 大湯（九番湯）
Of Shibu's nine communal baths along the cobbled street, No. 9 'Ō-yu' is the only one open to non-guests. Hot rusty-brown water plus a steam room fed by the source; a footbath on the roof. Buy a ¥800 ticket at the tourist office or nearby inns and have the door unlocked for you.
- Price (adult)
- ¥800
- Hours
- 10:00–17:00 (overnight guests 06:00–22:00)
- Closed
- Occasional closures (cleaning etc.)
- Access
- Bus from Yudanaka Station (5 min) to Shibu Onsen, 3 min walk
- Water type
- Sulfate spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Non-guests: adults ¥800 / children ¥500 — guests staying in Shibu use all nine baths free (key lent by the inn). Buy the ticket at a nearby inn (Ikariya, Kanaguya, Hishiya Torazo, Ichinoyu, Yumoto, Matsuya etc.) or the inn-association office/car park and they unlock the door. ¥500 in older sources is outdated
- Baths
- The largest of the nine public baths and the only one open to non-guests (“bath No. 9”). Wooden indoor baths per gender, hot and mild tubs plus a steam bath. No washing area or soap. Free foot bath above
- Water
- Sodium-calcium chloride-sulfate spring, iron-rich brown cloudy water, hot (43 °C+). Said to help fertility, rheumatism and neuralgia. Traditionally the last of the nine baths, “washing away the nine (ku = suffering) hardships”
- Nine-bath tour
- Guests only, 6:00–22:00, free. Buy a “prayer towel” (~¥400) at your inn, stamp it at each bath and finish by praying at Shibu Takayakushi temple. Baths 1–8 cannot be entered without the key
- Phone
- 0269-33-2921
- Official site
- shibuonsen.net ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
Stay in this onsen town
Compare and book stays in Yudanaka-Shibu Onsen. Day bathing itself needs no booking.
Opens partner booking site (affiliate)
Why go
- The only one of nine open to day visitors
- Steam room fed by the spring
- Pair with the snow-monkey park
Bath No. 9 on the cobbled street: the only public bath open to visitors
Shibu Onsen is the heart of Nagano’s Yudanaka-Shibu spa area, a cobbled street lined with three- and four-storey wooden inns steeped in Taisho and Showa atmosphere. Its signature is the “nine-bath tour”: residents’ nine public baths opened free to overnight guests, who borrow a key from their inn, work through baths 1 to 8 stamping a prayer towel, finish in bath No. 9 — the O-yu — and pray at Takayakushi temple to shed bad luck. The O-yu alone admits non-guests for ¥800 (10:00–17:00), making it the one way for day-trippers combining Shibu with the Jigokudani snow monkeys to taste the town’s water. The iron-rich brown bath is hot and strong, with a steam room alongside and a free foot bath above.
Tips & cautions
- Non-guests 10:00–17:00 only; occasional closures for cleaning or events. The inn where you buy the ticket unlocks the door — no ticket, no entry.
- No washing area, showers or soap. Bring a towel. If too hot you may add a little cold water, but local etiquette frowns on overdoing it.
- To do all nine baths you must stay overnight (then free). Day-trippers: O-yu plus the foot bath.
- Vehicles are restricted in the old street — park at the paid Shibu Onsen car park and walk.
- ~30 min on foot to the Jigokudani monkey park (snowy in winter). 7 min by bus from Yudanaka Station.
Getting there
Nagaden bus (toward Kanbayashi Onsen) ~7 min from Yudanaka Station to “Shibu Onsen” or “Shibu Wagobashi”, then 3 min on foot (Yamanouchi, Hirao 2115). ~45 min by limited express from Nagano plus bus. ~15 min from Shinshu-Nakano IC. Use the paid Shibu Onsen car park.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- As a communal bath there is no soap or shampoo — bring your own or buy at the shop.
- 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
Jigokudani Onsen Korakukan
A Meiji-era inn at the entrance to the Jigokudani Monkey Park, famous worldwide for wild macaques that climb into its rotenburo in winter. Day bathing is only 12:00–15:00, so most visitors combine it with the monkey park. It's a 30-minute mountain trail from Shibu Onsen — wear grippy shoes in winter.
O-yu (Nozawa outer bath)
The centerpiece of Nozawa's 13 public baths, a traditional bathhouse in the middle of the village. Local 'yunakama' associations have cleaned it daily since the Edo period; payment is a donation in the box at the door. Two pools, hot and 'mild' — though even the mild one exceeds 42°C. Adding cold water is bad manners: rinse first, then keep soaks short. No soap or shampoo.
Shirahone Onsen Awanoyu
The signature inn of Shirahone, famous for milky-white water. Its highlight is a large mixed-gender open-air bath — the water is so opaque that women find it comfortable. Day use at midday only.
