Chiba · Yoro Valley Onsen
Yoro Valley Goriyaku-no-yu
養老渓谷 ごりやくの湯
A day-use-only onsen on the Otaki side of Yoro Valley on the Boso Peninsula, near Awamata Falls. A rotenburo looking over wooded hills and a timber indoor bath hold the dark-tinted alkaline water typical of Boso. Popular after hikes and waterfall walks; towel and robe rental mean you can come empty-handed. Closes early at 18:00; Wednesdays off.
- Price (adult)
- ¥1,200
- Hours
- 10:00-18:00(last entry 17:00)
- Closed
- Wed (shifted if a holiday)
- Access
- Bus from Yoro-Keikoku Station (Kominato Railway) to Awamata-no-taki, then 10 min walk
- Water type
- Alkaline simple
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults ¥1,200 / elementary ¥800 / infants (3+) ¥600. Rental towel set (bath + face) ¥200, loungewear ¥300. Private rest room ¥3,150 per 2 hours. Goriyaku Shokudo restaurant (11:00–14:00, closed Wed & Thu) known for soba and udon
- Baths
- A day-bathing-only facility in the Takimien Kenko-mura complex near Awamata Falls on the Otaki side of Yoro Gorge. Gender-separated indoor baths, a smallish rotenburo facing the hills and gorge, and a sauna. Changing room and wash basins (three) are cramped. Large tatami lounge; BBQ area next door
- Water
- Yoro Onsen’s characteristic “kuroyu” black water — a sodium bicarbonate spring coloured tea-brown to blackish by plant humus, smooth to the touch. Low source temperature, so heated and partly recirculated
- Parking
- 60 free spaces. Bus for Awamata ~19 min from Yoro-Keikoku Station (Kominato Railway) to “Awamata Goriyaku-no-yu”, right there. ~40 min from Ichihara-Tsurumai IC (Ken-O Expressway)
- Phone
- 0470-85-0056
- Official site
- goriyakunoyu.jp ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Near Awamata Falls
- Boso's dark alkaline water
- Towel and robe rental
Black water after the Awamata Falls walk — a day spa in the Boso gorge
Goriyaku-no-yu is a day-bathing-only spa inside the Takimien Kenko-mura complex near Awamata Falls, on the Otaki side of Yoro Gorge on Chiba’s Boso Peninsula — the closest gorge-and-autumn-colour destination to Tokyo. It offers Yoro Onsen’s trademark “kuroyu”, a sodium bicarbonate spring tinted tea-brown to blackish by dissolved plant humus, in gender-separated indoor baths, a rotenburo facing the hills and a sauna, with a big tatami lounge, a restaurant known for soba and udon and a BBQ area next door — set up for resting after the waterfall walk or a hike. Hours are short, 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00), closed Wednesdays (shifted if a holiday), and at ¥1,200 some find it steep for the size, but it is the only day-use facility in the gorge with a sauna. The changing room and basins are cramped and weekend afternoons in leaf season (late November to early December, the latest colours in Kanto) get crowded, so walk in the morning, bathe at noon, then eat. The Awamata bus from Yoro-Keikoku Station on the Kominato Railway stops at the door but runs rarely — check the timetable — and by car it is about 40 minutes from Ichihara-Tsurumai IC on the Ken-O Expressway.
Tips & cautions
- Short hours, 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00); closed Wednesdays (shifted on holidays). Restaurant 11:00–14:00, closed Wed & Thu.
- Black water can stain towels and swimwear — beware white towels.
- Changing room and dryers (three) are cramped — expect waits when busy.
- Leaf-season weekends (late Nov–early Dec) mean traffic jams and full baths — go on a weekday or in the morning.
- Buses are very infrequent — check your return time first.
- Tattoo policy unconfirmed — ask at reception.
- Pair with the ~2 km Awamata Falls trail; river play in summer.
- Compare with ryokan black baths on the Ichihara side of the gorge (e.g. Sagawa, ¥700).
Getting there
Bus for Awamata ~19 min from Yoro-Keikoku Station (Kominato Railway) to “Awamata Goriyaku-no-yu”, right there (Yashiu 176, Awamata, Otaki, Chiba). ~2 h by train from Tokyo (Uchibo line to Goi, then Kominato Railway). By car ~40 min from Ichihara-Tsurumai IC (Ken-O Expressway); 60 free spaces. Tel. 0470-85-0056.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Mood & scenery
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.
More in this area
Kameyama Onsen Hotel
About 70 minutes from central Tokyo via the Aqua-Line, a hot-spring inn founded in 1950 on the shore of Lake Kameyama in the Boso hills. Its chocolate-brown 'kuroyu' bicarbonate water — billed as Boso's finest beauty bath — flows freely into a large bath with lake and forest views. Day use 11:30–18:00, ¥1,000 on weekdays; no day bathing Thursdays and Fridays. In autumn pair it with a foliage cruise on the lake.
Spa & Resort Kujūkuri Taiyō no Sato
One of the Bōsō peninsula's largest spa resorts, in Shirako on Kujūkuri Beach. Soak in iodine-rich, tea-coloured Chōsei spring water in the open-air bath, with seven rock-bath rooms, saunas, nap lounges, banquet halls and lodging on site. Open straight through from 10:00 to 08:00 the next morning; stays past 01:00 incur a late surcharge. Free shuttle from JR Mobara Station (reservation required). ¥1,600 weekdays, ¥1,900 weekends. Tattoos—including stickers and paint—are strictly refused.
Yoro Valley Onsen Sagawa
A 12-room inn in Yoro Valley, the Boso Peninsula's autumn-colour spot and the last place in the Kanto region to turn, peaking late November to early December. Boso's signature coffee-coloured alkaline 'black water' fills the indoor and open-air baths; day use is a flat ¥700 for ages 3 and up, 11:00–15:00. Eat lunch in the dining room and the bath is free — spring bamboo-shoot dishes are the speciality. Five minutes by bus from Yoro-Keikoku Station on the Kominato Railway to Yorokan-mae. Lunchtime opening can be suspended at short notice, so phone ahead.
