Niigata · Tsukioka Onsen
Tsukioka Onsen Bijin-no-izumi
月岡温泉 共同浴場 美人の泉
Forty minutes by car from Niigata city, the communal bath of Tsukioka Onsen, which bills itself as the spring that 'makes you beautiful'. The emerald-green water has one of the highest sulfur contents in Japan — you smell it the moment you step in. Indoor pool only, ¥600. On the edge of the ryokan street and popular with locals. 25 minutes by bus from Shibata Station. Closed Tuesdays and the third Wednesday.
- Price (adult)
- ¥600
- Hours
- 10:00–21:30 (last entry 20:30)
- Closed
- Closed Tue & 3rd Wed
- Access
- 25 min by bus from JR Shibata Station to Tsukioka Onsen, then 5 min walk
- Water type
- Sulfur spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults ¥600 / age 3 to elementary ¥350. Ticket machine outside the entrance (¥1,000 notes and coins only). Soap, shampoo and dryers provided; towels sold ¥150, bath towels ¥500. Private rest room ¥1,000/hour
- Baths
- Tsukioka Onsen’s only communal bath. One large tiled indoor tub per gender; no rotenburo or sauna. Retro exterior, free large rest room. Within walking distance of the free “Gensen-no-mori” spring park and the “Yutabi” footbath in the town centre
- Water
- Sulphur-bearing sodium chloride spring with one of Japan’s highest sulphur contents (total sulphur about 40 mg/kg or more) — emerald-green water and a distinct sulphur smell. Partly recirculated for hygiene, but almost no chlorine odour. The basis of the town’s slogan “bathe and become even more beautiful”
- Parking
- Free, 40 cars. ~10 min by shuttle from JR Tsukioka Station (Hakushin Line) — ryokan pick-up by reservation or the “Tsukioka Onsen Shuttle”; ~50 min by car from Niigata Station
- Phone
- 0254-32-1365
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Emerald-green sulfur water
- Among Japan's most sulfurous
- ¥600 locals' bath
Emerald-green sulphur water for ¥600 — the communal bath of the town that makes you “even more beautiful”
Tsukioka Onsen in Shibata, Niigata, is the prefecture’s signature spa town, born in 1915 when hot water gushed up during oil drilling. Its hallmark is sulphur: total sulphur above 40 mg/kg, among the highest in Japan, giving the water an emerald-green glow and the whole street a sulphur scent — hence the slogan “bathe and become even more beautiful”. Among the big ryokan, Bijin-no-izumi (“Spring of Beauties”) is the town’s only communal bath. It is a plain place — a retro façade and one large tiled indoor tub per gender — but the green sulphur water is as strong as at any inn, and admission is ¥600, far below ryokan day rates of ¥1,000–1,500. It is partly recirculated for hygiene, yet there is almost no chlorine smell, and with both sulphur and salt in the water your skin comes out silky and stays warm for a long time. A free rest hall and hourly private rooms draw locals who come from Niigata city for the day. The town itself was transformed by a 2010s regeneration project: the source is now the Gensen-no-mori park, the free Yutabi footbath is decked with colourful paper umbrellas, and the “Shibata Premium Shopping Street” offers tastings of Niigata sake, rice crackers and premium cider, all an easy walk apart. Closed Tuesdays and the third Wednesday; open 10:00–21:30. It is 50 minutes by car from Niigata Station or a 10-minute shuttle from JR Tsukioka Station, and pairs well with a Niigata sake trip or Shibata Castle.
Tips & cautions
- Closed Tuesdays (next day if a holiday) plus the third Wednesday. 10:00–21:30, last entry 20:30.
- Ticket machine takes ¥1,000 notes and coins only — bring change.
- Strong sulphur water — remove silver jewellery; swimwear and towels will pick up the smell. No rotenburo, so sulphur vapour builds indoors — take breaks.
- Partly recirculated, so not fully free-flowing; to see the raw source, visit Gensen-no-mori.
- Tattoos: communal bath, policy unconfirmed — ask at the desk.
- At night combine with the illuminated spa street and the free Yutabi footbath (8:00–21:00).
- Shuttles between Tsukioka Station and the town are limited — check times; taxi about ¥2,000.
- Heavy snow December–March — rental cars from Niigata need studless tyres.
Getting there
~10 min by shuttle or taxi from JR Tsukioka Station (Hakushin Line), Tsukioka 403-8, Shibata, Niigata. From Niigata Station ~30 min by JR plus shuttle, or ~50 min by car; ~40 min from Niigata Airport. By car ~15 min from Seiro-Shibata IC on the Nihonkai-Tohoku Expressway; free parking, 40 cars. Tel. 0254-32-1365.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- The water runs hot (43–45°C). Don't add cold water; take short repeated dips instead.
- Payment is usually by ticket machine in cash — bring coins.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Convenience
Price
Who with
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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An hour by car from Niigata city, a ryokan in Tsukioka Onsen, famed for water that 'makes you beautiful'. Its emerald-green spring, among the most sulfur-rich in Japan, fills indoor and open-air baths, and day use runs late — 15:00–23:00 — so you can soak while the garden is lit up. ¥800 on weekdays (¥1,000 with towel), +¥200 on weekends and holidays. Combine with the free footbath and spring-source park in the village.
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