Ibaraki · Tsukubasan Onsen
Livemax Tsukubasan Onsen
リブマックス筑波山温泉
About 90 minutes from Akihabara via the Tsukuba Express, a day spa on the slopes of Mt. Tsukuba. The open-air bath opens onto a cliff with the whole Kantō plain below—the classic post-hike or post-cable-car soak. Alkaline simple spring water around pH 9 leaves skin smooth. ¥1,100 weekdays, ¥1,300 weekends; reservable private baths too. Check the calendar for closure days. Rebranded on 25 August 2026 from 'Tsukubasan Onsen Tsukuba-no-Yu' to 'Livemax Tsukubasan Onsen' (prices and hours unchanged).
- Price (adult)
- ¥1,100
- Hours
- Weekdays 12:00–19:00 / weekends & holidays 10:00–19:00 (last entry 18:00)
- Closed
- Irregular (check the official calendar; hours shortened when busy)
- Access
- 36 min by Mt. Tsukuba shuttle bus from Tsukuba Station (TX) to Tsukubasan-Jinja-Iriguchi, then 15 min walk; 40 min by car from Tsuchiura-Kita IC
- Water type
- Alkaline simple
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults (junior high and up) ¥1,100 weekdays, ¥1,300 weekends and holidays; elementary ¥800/¥1,000; preschool ¥500. Towel rental ¥100 each (own towels fine). Private open-air bath ¥2,000 per 45 min (reservation; admission extra). Shampoo and body soap provided. The restaurant closed at the end of May 2026, replaced by a café from June. From 25 August 2026 the operator changed to LiveMax and the facility was rebranded 'LiveMax Tsukubasan Onsen' (same prices and hours)
- Baths
- The only day-spa on Mt Tsukuba, on the mountainside near Tsukubasan Shrine (part of the 'Hotel Ichibo' business founded 1978, rebranded 2026). Gender-separated indoor halls with large pools, a rotenburo opening onto the cliff edge with views of forest and the Kanto plain, a self-löyly sauna (70–80°C), an unchilled natural-temperature cold plunge and an outdoor-air deck with infinity chairs. One private open-air bath. Eight wash stations, so queues when busy. Waiting lobby, private rooms (naps, TV, paid karaoke), manga corner, shop and café. Machine-translated English, Chinese and Korean guidance on site
- Spring water
- Source 'Tsukubasan Onsen Soshin-no-yu', an alkaline simple spring (hypotonic, alkaline, low-temperature) at 27.8°C. The tepid water pumped from 1,500 m is heated and recirculated. Colourless and odourless with a silky 'beauty water' feel. Indicated for joint and muscle pain, poor circulation, fatigue, insomnia and stress. Mt Tsukuba, sacred to the deities Izanagi and Izanami and praised as 'Fuji in the west, Tsukuba in the east', has twin peaks — Nantai (871 m) and Nyotai (877 m) — from which the source name 'Soshin' (two gods) derives
- Access & parking
- Free parking for about 60 cars. By car about 40 min from Tsuchiura-kita IC on the Joban Expressway, about 1.5 h from central Tokyo, 3 min from the Tsukubasan Shrine entrance. By public transport about 40 min on the 'Tsukubasan Shuttle Bus' from Tsukuba Station (Tsukuba Express), then 10 min uphill on foot from 'Tsukubasan Jinja Iriguchi', or alight at 'Tsukuba Fureai-no-Sato Iriguchi (Tsukuba-yu)' right outside. 20 min on foot from the Miyawaki cable-car station
- Phone
- 029-866-2222
- Official site
- livemax-resort.com ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Cliff-top bath over the Kantō plain
- After the Mt. Tsukuba hike
- ~90 min from Akihabara
Mt Tsukuba's only day-spa — a post-hike soak above the Kanto plain
Tsukubasan Onsen Tsukuba-no-Yu is the only day-spa on Mt Tsukuba, the celebrated Kanto peak an hour and a half by car from central Tokyo, sitting partway up the mountainside in Tsukuba, Ibaraki. With its twin summits Nantai and Nyotai enshrining the deities Izanagi and Izanami, Tsukuba has long been praised as 'Fuji in the west, Tsukuba in the east', and thanks to a cable car, ropeway and several trails it is among the most popular day hikes from the capital. Run since 1978 by Hotel Ichibo, the spa passed to the LiveMax group on 25 August 2026 and now trades as 'LiveMax Tsukubasan Onsen' with the same prices and hours. From the rotenburo opening onto the cliff you look over forest to the Kanto plain, and a self-löyly sauna, outdoor-air deck and bookable private open-air bath make it the natural place to wash off a hike or a visit to Tsukubasan Shrine. Opening at noon on weekdays and 10:00 at weekends, it suits a morning climb followed by an afternoon soak.
A cliff-edge rotenburo and a natural-temperature plunge
Pay at the front desk (¥200 more on weekends and holidays) and you find a roomy, clean changing area and an indoor hall with eight wash stations, its large pool filled with heated alkaline simple water pumped from 1,500 m down. Colourless and odourless, it feels silky under the hand; with a tepid 27.8°C source it is recirculated, but chlorine is not strong. The highlight is the rotenburo opening onto the cliff: forest directly ahead, Tsukuba city and the Kanto plain beyond, summer green, autumn colour and, on clear winter days, sometimes even Tokyo Skytree far off. The sauna is a mild 70–80°C self-löyly room where you ladle water on the stones to raise the felt heat, and the plunge is deliberately left at natural temperature, easy for sauna novices and children and sold on its 'curious floating feeling'. Infinity chairs on the wooden deck catch the mountain breeze for a post-hike wind-down. With few wash stations there may be a wait on weekend afternoons, and hours may be shortened when crowded. The private open-air bath (¥2,000 per 45 min plus admission) is popular with families and couples, so book ahead; babies not yet out of nappies may not use the main pools, but baby baths are lent. The restaurant closed at the end of May 2026 and a café opened in June, so eat in the restaurant row at the foot of the mountain.
Practical details, a Mt Tsukuba itinerary and the change of operator
Hours are 12:00–19:00 on weekdays and 10:00–19:00 on weekends and holidays, last entry 18:00. Closures are irregular — check the official calendar — and it may close early when crowded. Adults pay ¥1,100 on weekdays and ¥1,300 at weekends, elementary pupils ¥800/¥1,000, preschoolers ¥500; towels rent for ¥100 or bring your own. Hotel Ichibo's 47-year run as 'Tsukuba-no-Yu' ended on 24 August 2026 and LiveMax Resort has operated it as 'LiveMax Tsukubasan Onsen' since the 25th, so the old website is no longer updated — consult LiveMax's official page (not to be confused with the 'Tsukuba-no-Yu Urban Hotel' in town). Access is 40 minutes by Tsukubasan shuttle bus from Tsukuba Station or 40 minutes by car from Tsuchiura-kita IC, with parking for 60. A recommended day: pray at Tsukubasan Shrine, take the Miyukigahara trail or cable car to Nantai, traverse to Nyotai and descend by ropeway (3–4 hours), soak at Tsukuba-no-Yu, then eat kamaage or Tsukuba udon at the foot of the mountain and catch the night view of the plain from the lookout by the shrine at dusk. The plum festival from late February to March (plum grove 15 min on foot) and November foliage are especially busy, so weekdays are best. Tsukuba Express reaches Tsukuba Station from Akihabara in 45 minutes, making a Tokyo day trip easy.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Sauna & wellness
Rules & private
Mood & scenery
Who with
Price
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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