Awara Onsen: Day-Use Hot Spring Baths & Prices (Fukui)

Awara Onsen is famous for hot water that first sprang from a rice paddy in the Meiji era, and it has since been cherished as one of the leading hot spring resorts of the Hokuriku region. The spring is said to have first gushed from an irrigation well in 1883, and a distinctive feature is that each inn draws from its own individual source. Across the town the sources are said to number seventy-four, so changing inns changes the character of the water, making this a hot spring town rich in the pleasure of bath-hopping.

Highlights

The bath town, lined with dozens of inns, is dotted with free footbaths and public bathhouses. In front of Awara Yunomachi Station on the Echizen Railway is the spacious footbath called Ashiyu, where you can casually enjoy the water while strolling. Walking the lanes that retain traces of geisha culture and the steamy townscape is a rich pleasure.

Enjoying the Seasons

In spring you can enjoy rows of cherry blossoms after your bath, in summer the seafood of the Sea of Japan, from autumn into winter the prized Echizen crab, and in winter open-air baths amid the snow. Echizen crab typically opens for the season in early November, and winter Awara bustles with visitors coming for the flavor.

Access and Basic Information

It is about ten minutes by taxi from Hokuriku Shinkansen and JR Awara Onsen Station, or you can reach the town by Keifuku bus. From Awara Yunomachi Station on the Echizen Railway the hot spring town is within walking distance, and the Ashiyu footbath is right nearby. Many inns also welcome day visitors, with fees typically ranging from several hundred to over a thousand yen depending on the facility.

Practical Travel Notes

The recommended time is late autumn into winter, when Echizen crab opens for the season and you can enjoy both bath and flavor. For a day trip, a weekday afternoon is easier to avoid crowds and enjoy at leisure. In about half a day you can combine footbath-hopping, lane strolling, and a day-use bath. The bath-hopping pass once issued here ended sales in 2018, so for day-use bathing it is surest to check each inns reception hours individually. Nearby sights such as Tojinbo and the Awara town walking paths make this a convenient base.

A Quick Tip

Because the character of the water differs from inn to inn, if staying overnight it is recommended to choose your inn with attention to the water quality. If visiting for the day, skillfully combining the free Ashiyu footbath and each inns day-use bath lets you casually sample a variety of waters.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Spring quality: Calcium, sodium and chloride spring (weakly alkaline, hypotonic, high-temperature spring). Its listed benefits are cuts, burns, chronic skin conditions, arteriosclerosis, neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain and frozen shoulder
• Source temperature: 43.6 degrees, pH 7.8 (Centopia Awara)
• Day-use bathing (Centopia Awara): 10:00 to 23:00 (last admission 22:30). 600 yen for high school students and above, 360 yen for elementary and junior high school students, and 240 yen for children aged 3 and over. There is no accommodation
• Closed: The third Tuesday of each month (the following weekday when that is a public holiday)
• Payment: Cash only. Cashless payment is not accepted. You buy a bathing ticket from the vending machine and hand it in at the front desk
• Tattoos: Guests with tattoos are not admitted
• Provided items: Rinse-in shampoo and body soap in the bathing area, and free hairdryers in the changing rooms. At the front desk, rental bath towels and face towels and single-use shampoo, conditioner and cleanser are sold
• With a baby: A limited number of baby bath chairs (suitable from about 3 months to 2 years old) is available in the bathing area
• Restrictions on mixed bathing: Children 120 cm or taller, or aged 7 and over, must use the bath matching their physical sex
• Bringing in food and drink: Not permitted, under public health centre guidance. You can eat at Awara Chaya Furari on the second floor, which may also be used for a meal alone (meals 11:00 to 14:00, cafe 11:00 to 15:00)
• The "Ashiyu" footbath: 7:00 to 23:00, year-round, free of charge. Towels are sold separately
• Access: From JR Awara-Onsen Station, take the bus (Route 96, Tojinbo Line) and get off at Centopia Awara. From JR Fukui Station, take the Echizen Railway Mikuni Awara Line to Awara-Yunomachi Station, then walk 5 minutes
• Entirely non-smoking: Smoking is not permitted anywhere on the grounds either
• Location: Centopia Awara is at 4-305 Onsen, Awara City, Fukui Prefecture
• How long to allow: About 1 hour for bathing alone, or half a day if you combine it with the Ashiyu footbath and a stroll through the back lanes

Enjoying the Seasons

In spring you can walk beneath the cherry blossoms after your bath, in summer enjoy the seafood of the Sea of Japan, from autumn into winter savour Echizen crab, and in winter bathe while watching the snow, so each season has its own appeal. Tojinbo and Maruoka Castle are also nearby, making this a convenient base.

Information Sources

The spring quality, source temperature, pH, benefits and the facilities of the Ten-no-Yu and Chi-no-Yu baths were confirmed on the "Natural Hot Spring" page of the official Centopia Awara website. The opening hours, fees, closing days, payment methods, policy on tattoos, amenities, baby bath chairs and rules on bringing in food and drink come from the "Visitor Guide" and FAQ on the same site, and the access details and bus stop name from the "Access" page of the same site. The weekly rotation of the Ten-no-Yu and Chi-no-Yu baths, the opening hours of Awara Chaya Furari, and the addition of a sauna in December 2021 come from the facility guide on the official Awara City website, while the Ashiyu footbath's opening hours, free admission, capacity of 34 people and its Shakudani stone and stained glass features were confirmed on the "Awara Onsen Ashiyu" page of the official Awara City website. Details are subject to change, so please check the official information before you set out.