Niigata · Echigo-Yuzawa Onsen
Echigo-Yuzawa Yamano-yu communal bath
越後湯沢 湯元共同浴場 山の湯
The oldest communal bath in Echigo-Yuzawa, near the inn where Kawabata Yasunari wrote Snow Country — he is said to have bathed here himself. The tub fits only five or six people, but the sulphur-scented free-flowing spring is a rarity in Yuzawa and the star of the town's five-bath 'sotoyu' circuit. Adults pay ¥850 including bathing tax (revised 2026); open 10:00–21:00 (last entry 20:30), closed Tuesdays. Soap and shampoo provided, towels sold for ¥200. It sits up a slope 25 minutes' walk from Echigo-Yuzawa Station, or 10 minutes from Gala-Yuzawa Station; only 10 parking spaces.
- Price (adult)
- ¥850
- Hours
- 10:00–21:00
- Closed
- Tue (shifted on holidays, New Year and Obon)
- Access
- 25 min on foot from the west exit of JR Echigo-Yuzawa Station, or 10 min from Gala-Yuzawa Station; 5 min by car from Yuzawa IC
- Water type
- Sulfur spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Phone
- 025-784-2246
- Official site
- www.town.yuzawa.lg.jp ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
Stay in this onsen town
Compare and book stays in Echigo-Yuzawa Onsen. Day bathing itself needs no booking.
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Why go
- Oldest bath, linked to Snow Country
- Sulphur-scented free-flowing spring
- Top of the 5-bath circuit
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- The water runs hot (43–45°C). Don't add cold water; take short repeated dips instead.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Mood & scenery
Price
Who with
Only here
Amenities
✔ Verified operating: 2026-09 湯沢町公式サイト 2026-06-22 更新（大人850円・10–21時 受付20:30・火曜休）
Prices and hours change. Check official sources before visiting.
More in this area
Yuzawa Onsen Egami Public Bath
A locals' public bath three minutes from the east exit of Echigo-Yuzawa Station, tucked into the shopping street. Indoor pool only, but the slightly hot, soft water that clings to the skin gets praise. Shampoo is provided and a towel set costs ¥400, so you can drop in empty-handed while waiting for the shinkansen. ¥600 since December 2025.
Tsukioka Onsen Bijin-no-izumi
Forty minutes by car from Niigata city, the communal bath of Tsukioka Onsen, which bills itself as the spring that 'makes you beautiful'. The emerald-green water has one of the highest sulfur contents in Japan — you smell it the moment you step in. Indoor pool only, ¥600. On the edge of the ryokan street and popular with locals. 25 minutes by bus from Shibata Station. Closed Tuesdays and the third Wednesday.
Tsukioka Onsen Furinya
An hour by car from Niigata city, a ryokan in Tsukioka Onsen, famed for water that 'makes you beautiful'. Its emerald-green spring, among the most sulfur-rich in Japan, fills indoor and open-air baths, and day use runs late — 15:00–23:00 — so you can soak while the garden is lit up. ¥800 on weekdays (¥1,000 with towel), +¥200 on weekends and holidays. Combine with the free footbath and spring-source park in the village.