Ishikawa · Yuwaku Onsen, Kanazawa
Yuwaku Onsen Sōyu Shirasagi-no-Yu
湯涌温泉 総湯 白鷺の湯
The communal bath at the centre of Yuwaku Onsen, Kanazawa's 'back parlour', about 50 minutes by bus from Kanazawa Station. The spa dates back 1,300 years, prospered as the cure resort of the Kaga lords, and is remembered as where the Taishō-era artist Takehisa Yumeji stayed with his lover; the name comes from a legend of an egret healing its wounds here. Inside, the wood-rich building is calm, with clear, smooth sodium-calcium-chloride water served fairly hot in a simple bathroom (no open-air bath or sauna). Cheap at ¥490 for adults and ¥130 for children, and open 07:00–22:00, it suits a bath-hopping circuit from the ryokan or a finish to a Kanazawa day. Closed the third Thursday (plus occasional days). Combine with the Gyokusen Lake path, the Yumeji museum and the inns' restaurants. Known as the setting of the anime 'Hanasaku Iroha', the village holds the Bonbori lantern festival in October. About 30 minutes by car from Kanazawa-Morimoto IC; parking is limited.
- Price (adult)
- ¥490
- Hours
- 7:00–22:00 (last entry 21:30)
- Closed
- 3rd Thu (plus occasional closures)
- Access
- Hokutetsu bus for Yuwaku Onsen from JR Kanazawa Station east exit, about 50 min to the terminus then 3 min on foot; about 30 min by car from Kanazawa-Morimoto IC
- Water type
- Simple spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults (junior-high+) ¥490, elementary ¥130, infants ¥50. No soap or shampoo provided (sold). Lockers. Shop. Free foot bath in the spa street
- Baths
- The public bath at the far end of the spa street. One roomy, stylish indoor pool for each sex (no rotenburo or sauna); a ladle allows drinking. Barrier-free. Rest room. Just above are the Gyokusen lake and Himuro ice-house walking path; the Yumeji Museum and Yuwaku Edo Village are within walking distance
- Water
- Sodium chloride-sulphate spring (hypotonic, mildly alkaline, low-temperature), about 25–28.5°C and pH 8.5 at source. Diluted, heated, recirculated and chlorinated; colourless with a slippery alkaline feel and a faint bittern taste when drunk. Opened some 1,300 years ago (the white-heron legend of 718) and exhibited as a famous Japanese spring at the international mineral-spring exposition in Germany in the early Taisho era. Indicated for arteriosclerosis, cuts, burns and skin disease
- Parking & access
- Free parking for 15 cars (plus the public car park in the spa street). About 50 min by Hokutetsu bus bound for Yuwaku Onsen from the east exit of JR Kanazawa Station to the terminus, then 4 min on foot. About 30 min by car from central Kanazawa or from Kanazawa-Morimoto IC on the Hokuriku Expressway
- Phone
- 076-235-1380
- Official site
- yuwaku.gr.jp ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Kanazawa's 1,300-year-old spa village bath
- 7 am–10 pm; ¥490
- Yumeji's village and Gyokusen Lake walk
Kanazawa's back parlour: a ¥490 public bath in 1,300-year-old Yuwaku
Yuwaku Onsen Soyu Shirasagi-no-yu is the public bath at the far end of the spa street in Yuwaku, a mountain hot-spring village 50 minutes by bus from central Kanazawa. Yuwaku counts 1,300 years since a farmer reputedly saw a white heron healing its wounds here in 718; it served the Kaga clan in the Edo period, was exhibited as one of Japan's famous springs at the international mineral-spring exposition in Germany in the early Taisho era on the Home Ministry's recommendation, and is known as a town beloved of the painter Yumeji Takehisa. The soyu is its symbol: a roomy, stylish indoor bath of colourless, mildly alkaline chloride-sulphate water, open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. for a very fair ¥490.
One indoor bath of slippery alkaline water
Each side has a single roomy indoor pool; there is no rotenburo or sauna. Because the source is a low-temperature spring of about 25–28°C, the water is heated, recirculated and chlorinated — some notice the chlorine — so do not come expecting a wild, free-flowing bath. What you get instead is pH 8.5 mildly alkaline water that glides over the skin and leaves it soft, with a faint bittern taste if you ladle a sip. It runs a little hot. No soap or shampoo is provided, so bring your own or buy at the shop. The classic follow-up is a loop of the Gyokusen lake just above and a walk to the Himuro ice house, where snow stored each January is ceremonially opened on 30 June.
Practical details and a half-day in Yuwaku
Hours are 7:00–22:00 (last entry 21:30), closed the third Thursday of each month (plus occasional closures). Adults ¥490, elementary ¥130, infants ¥50. Parking holds only 15 cars, but the public car park in the spa street can be used too. By public transport, the Hokutetsu bus for Yuwaku Onsen from the east exit of JR Kanazawa Station takes about 50 minutes to the terminus, then 4 minutes on foot — one bus, no changes. A good half-day is the Yumeji Museum, Yuwaku Edo Village (an open-air museum of old farmhouses) and the spa street known as the setting of the anime 'Hanasaku Iroha' with its October Bonbori Festival, finishing at the soyu; it is also a comfortable evening detour after Kenrokuen and the Higashi Chaya district.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- Payment is usually by ticket machine in cash — bring coins.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Baths
Mood & scenery
Price
Who with
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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