Inubosaki Kanko Hotel Shio no Yu Onsen: Day-Use Hot Spring

This is a Shio no Yu hot spring inn at Cape Inubosaki, which juts out into the Pacific at Choshi. Since hot water first welled up here in 1997, it has been cherished as an inn with its own spring source. From the seaside open-air bath, the Pacific spreads out as far as the eye can see.

Highlights

The biggest highlight is the scenic open-air bath that commands the Pacific. Listening to the sound of the waves up close, you soak in warming sodium and calcium chloride strong-salt spring water. Because the inn sits near the eastern edge of Japan, it enjoys an early sunrise.

Enjoying the Seasons

Cape Inubosaki is famous for the New Year first sunrise, and the morning glow seen from the winter bath is exceptional. In summer the open-air bath is comfortable as you catch the cool sea breeze. Throughout the year you can enjoy the changing moods of the sea.

Access and Basic Information

The address is 10293 Inubosaki, Choshi City, Chiba. It is about a seven-to-eight-minute walk from Inubo Station on the Choshi Electric Railway. Day-use bathing is roughly 12:00 to 19:00, with departure by 20:00, and it operates year-round. Bathing fees are 1,500 yen for adults and 900 yen for children, the same on weekdays as on weekends and holidays. There are also time slots that give priority to overnight guests, and a reservation-based private bath for about 3,500 yen per fifty minutes. As it is mainly a lodging facility, reception hours and closed days can change, so be sure to check the latest details on the official site.

Practical Travel Notes

Day-use bathing mainly starts from early afternoon, so a good flow is to explore Inubosaki Lighthouse and the surroundings in the morning, then head to the bath after lunch. Plan on about one to two hours for bathing and a rest. Budget in the low thousands of yen for bathing only, or a few thousand yen if you use the dining area. Within walking distance are Inubosaki Lighthouse, the Earth-round observation hall a few minutes by car, and Wosse 21 with its local seafood, making it a fine match for a half-day plan tasting the sea fare of Choshi. To avoid crowds, a weekday visit is the safer choice.

A Quick Tip

It pairs well with Inubosaki Lighthouse and the observation deck where you can sense the curve of the earth. Arriving by the much-loved Choshi Electric Railway local line will make your Choshi trip feel all the more flavorful. The first-sunrise season is especially crowded, so plan ahead.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Spring quality: Sodium-calcium chloride hot spring (as described officially by the hotel). It is the hotel's own source, which began flowing in the spring of 1997
• Benefits: Neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain, frozen shoulder, motor paralysis, joint stiffness, bruises, sprains, chronic digestive disorders, hemorrhoids, sensitivity to cold, convalescence after illness, recovery from fatigue, health promotion, cuts, burns, chronic skin conditions, frail children and chronic women's ailments
• Baths: Eight in all. The "Hinoki-buro" cypress bath with a view, the "Iwa-buro" open-air rock bath, the European-style open-air bath "Opia," a semi-open-air bath with a view, 2 indoor baths, a footbath and the private hot spring "Miotsukushi." The large bathhouse has 4 open-air baths facing the sea
• How the water is used: The private hot spring "Miotsukushi" is a cypress tub with source water flowing freely without recirculation
• Day-use bathing hours: 12:00-19:00 (finishing at 20:00). Stays are limited to a maximum of 90 minutes including bathing, and slightly less than 90 minutes for those admitted after 18:30
• Day-use bathing fee (including a rental towel set): Weekdays 1,300 yen for adults and 800 yen for children / Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays 1,500 yen for adults and 900 yen for children / special periods such as Golden Week, Obon and the New Year holidays 1,800 yen for adults and 1,000 yen for children
• Private hot spring "Miotsukushi": 11:30-20:00, reservation required. From 4,500 yen (tax included) for 50 minutes for 2 people. Prices vary with the number of guests and the date. Please inquire for groups of 3 or more
• Bathing hours for overnight guests: Until midnight at night and 5:00-9:00 in the morning. Cleaning of the bathing areas begins at 9:00
• Closed days: Irregular. The hotel closes several times a month for inspections, mainly for one or two weekdays a week. Call to confirm before visiting
• Telephone: 0479-23-5111 (9:00-20:00 on open days, 9:00-16:00 on closed days)
• Parking: Free of charge
• Payment: Credit cards are accepted (except for some card companies). Plans explicitly marked as cash only are excluded
• Access (by rail): About 120 minutes from Tokyo Station to Choshi Station on the JR limited express "Shiosai," then about 20 minutes to Inubo Station after changing to the Choshi Electric Railway. The hotel is within walking distance of Inubo Station
• Access (by highway bus): About 120 minutes from the Yaesu exit of Tokyo Station to Inubo
• Access (by car): About 60 minutes from the Itako IC on the Higashi-Kanto Expressway via National Route 124
• Shuttle service: Available from Inubo Station on the Choshi Electric Railway for overnight and banquet guests (call after you arrive). The service runs up to the train arriving at Inubo Station at 21:08
• With children: There is a free kids' space called "Genki Hiroba." At low tide you can also go down the steps in front of the hotel and explore the rock pools on the shore
• Smoking: A smoking room with a sea view was added in September 2010, and the building is now fully divided into smoking and non-smoking areas
• Location: 10293 Inubosaki, Choshi City, Chiba Prefecture
• Time needed: Since day-use stays are capped at 90 minutes, allow an hour and a half for the bath and a rest. Half a day if combined with sightseeing around the cape

📚 Sources

The spring quality, benefits, the make-up of the eight baths, the source that began flowing in the spring of 1997, bathing hours for overnight guests and the alternation of the large bathhouse between men and women were taken from the hot spring page of the official Inubosaki Kanko Hotel website. The day-use bathing hours, length of stay, fees (weekday / weekend and holiday / special period, all including a rental towel set), the price of the private hot spring "Miotsukushi," the frequency of closed days and telephone hours are based on the "Guide to Current Operations" on the same site. That the private hot spring is a bath with a view fed by free-flowing source water, that parking is free, whether credit cards can be used, the walking route from Inubo Station and the eligibility and final time for the shuttle service, the kids' space and the separation of smoking areas inside were taken from the site's "Frequently Asked Questions." Transport options and journey times are based on its transport access page. Operations, prices and closed days are subject to change, so please check official information before you set out.