Yoro Valley Onsen Sagawa

Wild-boar hotpot and black water — lunch and a bath at a small old inn in the Yoro spa street

Sagawa is a small old inn with 12 Japanese rooms in the Yoro Gorge spa street — the cluster of old ryokan on the Ichihara side, five minutes along the Yoro River from Yoro-Keikoku Station on the Kominato Railway — known for the black water that defines Yoro Onsen and for Boso mountain vegetables, river fish and wild-boar dishes. Day bathing is an easy ¥700 between 11:00 and 15:00, but the real recommendation here is to eat: reserve the wild-boar hotpot simmered in house-made miso or a seasonal set lunch and the bath comes free, completing a half-day of gorge walking, lunch and a soak in black water. The baths are modest — gender-separated indoor tubs only — suited to those who want the quiet air of a small inn rather than a big facility, and the deep tea-coloured, slippery water has a reputation as a beauty bath. Daytime service is sometimes suspended depending on the day, so always phone ahead, and confirm details such as whether a rotenburo is available at the same time. Paired with Yoro Gorge’s famous two-storey tunnel, the riverside trail and the Kominato Railway’s open-air trolley train on weekends and in leaf season, it makes a full day trip from Tokyo.

Tips & cautions

- Always phone ahead (official number) — daytime service is sometimes suspended. Bathing 11:00–15:00.

- Bath is free with a lunch reservation; wild-boar hotpot is seasonal (autumn–winter) and by reservation.

- Black water can stain towels — avoid white ones.

- Small baths, no rotenburo (confirm on site) — don’t expect scale.

- Tattoo policy unconfirmed — a small inn, so ask in advance.

- The free footbath in front of Yoro-Keikoku Station is handy too.

- Trains and roads are busy on weekends in leaf season (late Nov–early Dec) and when the trolley train runs.

- Stay overnight to enjoy the black bath at night and the stillness of the gorge.

Getting there

Bus for Awamata 5 min from Yoro-Keikoku Station (Kominato Railway) to “Yorokan-mae”, right there; or ~25 min on foot / 5 min by taxi (Katto 20, Otaki, Chiba). ~2 h from Tokyo (change at Goi on the Uchibo line). By car ~30 min from Ichihara-Tsurumai IC (Ken-O Expressway); inn parking.