Shimane · Yunokawa Onsen, Izumo
Yumoto Yunokawa – One of Japan's Three Beauty Springs
日本三美人の湯 湯元 湯の川（日帰り入浴）
About 7 minutes by car from Izumo Enmusubi Airport, Yunokawa Onsen in Hikawa, Izumo, is counted with Kawanaka (Gunma) and Ryūjin (Wakayama) as one of Japan's Three Beauty Springs. Legend says the goddess Yagami-hime soothed her skin here, and the inn Yumoto Yunokawa, founded in 1877, sits at the source. Its sodium-calcium sulfate and chloride water flows straight from the spring without dilution, and the silky bath is famed for leaving skin smooth. Day bathing is 10:00–15:30 (last entry 15:00) for ¥900 per adult and ¥500 per child, free under 3 (day visitors may be turned away when busy). Three private baths can be booked by day guests too – ¥2,500 for 50 minutes plus admission – with reservations from 9 am the day before. Irregular closures, free parking. About 20 minutes on foot from Shōbara Station on the JR San'in Line or 7 minutes from Shinji IC on the San'in Expressway. A perfect soak between Izumo Taisha, Matsue and your flight home.
- Price (adult)
- ¥900
- Hours
- 10:00–15:30
- Closed
- Irregular
- Access
- About 20 min on foot from Shōbara Station (JR San'in Line); about 7 min by car from Shinji IC on the San'in Expressway; about 7 min by car from Izumo Enmusubi Airport
- Water type
- Sulfate spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Day-use bathing adults ¥900, children ¥500, under 3 free (they may decline at busy times). Three private baths (stone, mosaic tile and cypress) cost ¥2,500 for 50 minutes plus bathing for day visitors, reservable from 9 a.m. the day before (free around the clock for overnight guests). Shampoo and body soap provided, towels sold or rented. Cash and cards
- Baths
- In Yunokawa Onsen, in Hikawa, Izumo, some seven minutes by car from Izumo Enmusubi Airport and Shiji IC on the San'in Expressway, this is the source house of the spring. It is one of 'Japan's three beauty springs' alongside Kawanaka in Gunma and Ryūjin in Wakayama, and a long-established inn founded in 1877 draws the source water. There is one modest indoor bath each for men and women, using the water as free-flowing with none added, and three separate private baths reached along a corridor (stone, mosaic tile and cypress) can be hired by day visitors too, which suits families and couples especially
- Spring water
- A sodium and calcium sulphate-chloride spring at 44.3°C, pH 7.9, flowing 50 litres a minute. The source runs as it is with no added water, heating or circulation, and the smooth, soft water leaves a feeling as of a thin film on the skin. Legend has it that Yakami-hime of the Izumo myths healed her skin in this water, so it has long been called a beauty spring, and many say the skin turns sleek and smooth afterwards
- Access & parking
- 15–20 minutes on foot from Shōbara Station on the JR San'in Line. By car about 7 minutes from Shiji IC on the San'in Expressway, about 7 from Izumo Enmusubi Airport, 20 from Izumoshi Station, 40 from Matsue city. Free parking for 60. It sits midway between the Izumo Taisha shrine and Matsue, and being close to the airport it is handy for a bath before or after a flight
- Phone
- 0853-72-0333
- Official site
- yumotoyunokawa.jp ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Source inn (est. 1877) of a 'Three Beauty Springs' spa
- Undiluted free-flowing spring; three private baths
- ¥900 day bathing, 10:00–15:30; 7 min from Izumo Airport
The source house of one of Japan's three beauty springs
Yumoto Yunokawa is a long-established inn in Hikawa, Izumo, Shimane — literally the 'source house' of Yunokawa Onsen. Yunokawa is counted among 'Japan's three beauty springs' with Kawanaka Onsen in Gunma and Ryūjin Onsen in Wakayama, and legend says Yakami-hime of the Izumo myths bathed here and healed her skin. Founded in 1877, the inn draws that source and so occupies the best position in the spa. The water is a sodium and calcium sulphate-chloride spring at 44.3°C, pH 7.9 and 50 litres a minute, running as free-flowing source water with no added water, heating or circulation. Its smooth, soft feel, like a thin film left on the body, earned it the name 'beauty spring', and many do find their skin sleek and smooth afterwards. The great bath is one for each sex, modest in scale, but it is open around the clock to overnight guests, while day visitors may use it from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (last entry 3 p.m.). The real charm of a day visit is the private baths. Three of them stand separately at the end of a corridor — stone, mosaic tile and cypress, each with its own atmosphere — and day visitors can hire one for ¥2,500 per 50 minutes (bathing charged separately), reservable from 9 a.m. the day before; they are particularly good for anyone who wants to enjoy a beauty spring alone or as a couple without other eyes. Rates are ¥900 for adults and ¥500 for children (under 3 free), and closures are irregular (it operates through Golden Week, Obon and the New Year). The location is a major advantage: seven minutes by car from Izumo Enmusubi Airport and Shiji IC on the San'in Expressway, and 15–20 minutes on foot from JR Shōbara Station, making it ideal for a soak in the middle of a visit to the Izumo Taisha shrine or Matsue, or before and after a flight. Free parking for 60.
Three private baths and practical tips for a day visit
Day-use bathing runs only 10:00–15:30 (last entry 15:00), so arriving before 1 p.m. is the safe plan. Park (60 free spaces), pay at the entrance (¥900 for adults) and, if you want a private bath, ask at the same time — reservations are normally taken from 9 a.m. the day before, but a same-day slot can be used if one is free. A recommended order: first wash and soak 10 minutes in the great bath; then 50 minutes in a private bath (stone, mosaic tile or cypress), where you have the water to yourself or as a couple and satisfaction is highest; and finish in the great bath. The water is free-flowing sodium and calcium sulphate-chloride spring water, slick and soft, and it is said that rinsing only lightly on the way out and not wiping leaves the beneficial minerals on the skin (rinse gently if the sensation bothers you). The three private baths differ completely in atmosphere, so if you go with others you might take different rooms in turn; the cypress room smells good and is popular with first-timers. Notes: day bathing may be declined when busy; private baths cost extra and need a reservation; no bathing after 3:30 p.m.; irregular closures (confirm by phone); cash and cards accepted. The sequence Izumo Taisha, a bath at Yunokawa, then the airport works especially well as a 'last beauty spring' timed to a flight.
Practical details and an Izumo and Matsue route
Day-use bathing is 10:00–15:30 (last entry 15:00), closures are irregular (confirm by phone), rates are ¥900 for adults, ¥500 for children, under 3 free, private baths ¥2,500 for 50 minutes (bathing extra, reserve from 9 a.m. the day before), free parking for 60. Access is 15–20 minutes on foot from Shōbara Station and 7 minutes from Shiji IC or Izumo Airport. Suggested routes: (1) a day in Izumo — the Izumo Taisha shrine, Shirasagi-no-Yu, a bath at Yunokawa, then Izumo Airport; (2) Matsue and Izumo — Matsue Castle and the Adachi Museum, a bath at Yunokawa, then overnight; (3) combined with the airport — the Izumo Taisha in the morning, a reserved private bath at Yunokawa, then an evening flight; (4) a three-beauty-spring pilgrimage — Kawanaka (Gunma), Ryūjin (Wakayama) and Yunokawa (Shimane) as the theme of a journey; (5) staying — overnight at Yumoto Yunokawa and the great bath around the clock plus three private baths are free. Notes: day bathing ends at 3:30 p.m.; irregular closures; private baths need a reservation; day bathing may be declined when busy; cash and cards accepted. Among 'Japan's three beauty springs', Yunokawa is the easiest to reach and fits neatly before or after a trip to Izumo.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- Ryokan day-use hours are limited and may be suspended in peak season — phone the same morning.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Rules & private
Mood & scenery
Price
Who with
Amenities
✔ Verified operating: 2026-10 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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