Kuzuryu Onsen Heisei no Yu: Day-Use Hot Spring Prices

Springing up among the Kuzuryu mountains of deep Ono, Kuzuryu Onsen Heisei no Yu has been cherished as a day-trip bath where you could enjoy an alkaline simple spring, one of the rare few in the whole country. It was characterized by water with a soft touch on the skin, but following the withdrawal of the designated manager it has remained closed since April 2022, so it is important to always check the latest operating status before visiting.

Highlights

The greatest appeal was the open-air bath facing the rugged peaks of the deep Ono region, and it also had indoor baths, a sauna, and a cold-water bath. With the soft touch unique to an alkaline simple spring, it drew popularity as a gentle bath among the day-trip hot springs of deep Ono.

Enjoying the Seasons

The snowy scenery unique to this heavy-snow region, the fresh greenery of spring, the coolness of summer, and the autumn foliage by Lake Kuzuryu make the passing of the seasons vivid in the deep mountains of Ono. Regardless of the baths reopening status, the surrounding natural beauty fascinates visitors throughout the year.

Access and Basic Information

It lies along the JR Etsumi-Hoku Line, within walking distance of Echizen Shimoyama Station. By car, access to deep Ono has improved thanks to the development of the Chubu Jukan Expressway. Although this is an area that serves as a base for nearby sightseeing such as Lake Kuzuryu, Heisei no Yu itself is currently closed, so if day-use bathing is your aim, advance confirmation is essential.

Practical Travel Notes

Because Heisei no Yu has been closed since April 2022, if you want to be certain of bathing, it is reassuring to check whether it has reopened via Ono City tourism information. The deep Ono area is dotted with sights such as Lake Kuzuryu, the Kuzuryu Dam, and Michi no Eki Kuzuryu, and the autumn foliage is especially splendid. For a drive, using the developed sections of the Chubu Jukan Expressway makes travel easier. Even if the hot spring has not reopened, combining a visit with the surrounding nature sightseeing lets you fully enjoy a day in deep Ono.

A Quick Tip

Because it is currently closed, if you visit with the aim of bathing at Kuzuryu Onsen Heisei no Yu, always check the operating status in advance. In autumn, combining a visit with nearby Lake Kuzuryu and famous foliage spots lets you fully savor the nature of deep Ono in a single day.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Spring quality: Alkaline simple hot spring. The source is named Kuzuryu Onsen
• Source temperature: 26 degrees C, and 42 degrees C at the point of use
• How the water is used: 100 percent naturally flowing spring water. Because the source is low in temperature it is heated before being fed into the baths
• Reputed benefits: Relief of fatigue, neuralgia and sensitivity to cold, among others
• Opening hours: Weekdays 14:00-21:00, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays 10:00-21:00. In both cases last admission is 1 hour before closing. In the winter season from December to March closing is 1 hour earlier, at 20:00
• Closed days: Every Tuesday and Wednesday and New Year's Day. If a Tuesday or Wednesday falls on a public holiday, the nearest weekday is taken as the closing day instead
• Bathing fees: 800 yen for adults (junior high school students and older) and 400 yen for children (aged 3 and over). Ono City residents pay 700 yen, residents aged 65 and over 600 yen, resident children 350 yen, visitors with disabilities and their carers 500 yen, and children with disabilities 250 yen. All prices include tax, and to use the resident rates you must show something that confirms your address
• Multi-ticket books: A book of 6 admissions costs 4,000 yen for general visitors, 3,500 yen for residents, 3,000 yen for residents aged 65 and over, 2,000 yen for children (general) and 1,750 yen for children (residents)
• Open-air bath: Yes. The men's bath is shaped like an ammonite and the women's like a dinosaur footprint, with locally found fossils embedded in the walls
• Other baths: A Goemon iron bath, an indoor bath with large windows, and a sauna. Ono City's facility description also lists a cold-water bath
• If you want a bath on a closing day: Even when Heisei no Yu is closed, you can take a day-trip bath at the adjoining Kuzuryu Hotel Frear Izumi. It uses the same source as Heisei no Yu and was renovated in 2023 into a large bath with the fragrance of hinoki cypress
• Access (by car): About 20 minutes from the Ono IC on the Chubu-Jukan Expressway. The Shimoyama IC and Kuzuryu IC are also nearby
• Access (by rail): About 10 minutes by car from Kuzuryuko Station, the terminus of the JR Etsumi-Hoku Line
• Telephone: 0779-78-2910. However, the line is out of service, and Ono City directs urgent enquiries to the city's Tourism and Exchange Division (0779-64-4817)
• How long to allow: About 1 hour if you only take a bath, or half a day if you combine it with Roadside Station Kuzuryu and Lake Kuzuryu
• Nearby: Roadside Station Kuzuryu, Lake Kuzuryu and the Hakogase Bridge (the Bridge of Dreams), the Kuzuryu National Recreation Area, and the HOROSSA! fossil excavation experience centre. The autumn leaves around Lake Kuzuryu and along National Route 158 are at their best from mid-October to early November
• Winter: The area gets heavy snowfall, so in winter you need equipment prepared for snow and icy road surfaces
• Address: 63-2-24 Shimoyama, Ono City, Fukui Prefecture

Information Sources

The spring quality, the name and temperature of the source and the temperature at the point of use, the fact that it is 100 percent naturally flowing spring water, the line-up of the Goemon bath, indoor bath and sauna, the bathing fees and multi-ticket price structure, the opening hours and closing days, the travel time from Kuzuryuko Station and the address are based on the visitor information on the official website of Kuzuryu Onsen Heisei no Yu. The opening hours and closing days, and the fact that the telephone line is out of service, were confirmed on the facility page of the Ono City official website. The fossils embedded in the open-air bath and the shapes of the tubs, the fact that day-trip bathing is available at the adjoining Frear Izumi on closing days, the travel time from the Ono IC, and the attractions nearby and the best time for the autumn leaves come from the text of the Notices from Heisei no Yu published by Ono City. Details are subject to change, so please check the official information before you set out.