Mikata Onsen Kirara no Yu: Day-Use Hot Spring Prices

Located in Wakasa near the scenic Mikata Five Lakes, Mikata Onsen Kirara no Yu is a day-trip bath surrounded by the peaceful nature of the lakeside. Cherished as a place of rest for local people, it is prized as a bath easy to stop at during a Wakasa road drive or sightseeing.

Highlights

The gentle quality of the water is soothing, and you can relax at leisure in the indoor and open-air baths. Nearby spread the Rainbow Line touring the Mikata Five Lakes and the Ramsar-registered lakes where waterfowl gather, and the great appeal is being able to combine bathing with nature sightseeing.

Enjoying the Seasons

In spring the seafood of Wakasa, in summer leisure on the lakes, in autumn the quiet lakeside foliage, and in winter the arrival of migratory birds, it can be enjoyed alongside the seasonal charms of the Wakasa road. The Mikata Five Lakes are a Ramsar-registered wetland, and the winter lakeside where diverse waterfowl can be seen is also a highlight.

Access and Basic Information

Situated a few minutes by car from JR Mikata Station, it also has good access from the Maizuru Wakasa Expressway. Along the national route is Michi no Eki Mikata Goko, making it convenient as a stop along a Wakasa road drive. The day-use bathing fee is around a few hundred yen, so you can enjoy the hot spring casually.

Practical Travel Notes

The recommendation is to visit combined with the superb views of the Mikata Five Lakes Rainbow Line. The Rainbow Line was opened toll-free in 2022, and from the summit park on Mount Baijodake you can take in all five lakes and the Sea of Japan. The summit park also has a footbath, and soothing your fatigue at Kirara no Yu after the scenic sightseeing is the classic course. Nearby are the Fukui Prefectural Varve Museum and the Jomon Museum, so in half a day to a full day you can savor the nature and history of Wakasa. To avoid crowds, weekdays are a good target.

A Quick Tip

After enjoying the superb views of the summit park on the Mikata Five Lakes Rainbow Line, slowly soothing your fatigue in this bath is the royal way to tour. Together with the peaceful lakeside scenery, you can round off a Wakasa road day at leisure.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Spring quality: Sodium chloride strong salt spring (isotonic, weakly alkaline, low-temperature spring). pH 7.7, dissolved substances 9.792 g/kg
• Reputed benefits: Neuralgia, joint pain, muscle pain, frozen shoulder, bruises, sprains, chronic digestive complaints, cuts, burns, chronic skin conditions, weak constitution, chronic gynaecological complaints and more
• Source temperature and flow rate: 33 degrees, 190 liters per minute
• Bathing fee: 700 yen for adults (junior high school age and above), 300 yen for children (elementary school age and below), free of charge for children under 3. A book of 11 tickets costs 7,000 yen for adults and 3,000 yen for children
• Opening hours: Normally 10:00-22:00 (last admission 21:30), but at present the hours are shortened, closing at 20:00 (last admission 19:30)
• Closed: The 1st Wednesday of each month (the following Wednesday when that falls on a public holiday)
• Open-air baths: Both the Jomon no Yu (a wooden open-air bath) and the Niji no Yu (a rock-built open-air bath) have them
• Sauna: The Jomon no Yu has a far-infrared sauna of about 80 degrees and the Niji no Yu a salt sauna of about 67 degrees. The shop sells sauna mats at 550 yen and sauna hats at 780 yen
• Tattoos: Bathing is not permitted with tattoos. Visitors are asked to remove painted-on stickers before entering as well
• Payment: Cash only. Credit cards and gift vouchers cannot be used
• Amenities: Shampoo, conditioner and body soap are provided at the washing stations. Face towels are sold at 150 yen (200 yen with the logo), logo bath towels at 550 yen, nylon wash towels at 100 yen and lotion sets at 160 yen, and there is also a rental set of face towel and bath towel, so you can come empty-handed
• Rest areas: The large tatami room is free of charge. Private rest rooms cost 1,000 yen per hour for the single 8-mat room (500 yen for each additional hour) and 2,000 yen per hour for the two-room 16-mat space (1,000 yen for each additional hour)
• Parking: 50 spaces, free of charge
• Access (car): About 3 minutes from the Mikatagoko Smart IC on the Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway and about 5 minutes from the Wakasa-Mikata IC. From the Tsuruga IC on the Hokuriku Expressway it is about 30 minutes
• Access (train): About a 10-minute walk from Mikata Station on the JR Obama Line
• Driving times to nearby spots: Mikatagoko (Five Lakes of Mikata) about 11 minutes, Rainbow Line Summit Park about 17 minutes, the Wakasa-cho sightseeing lake cruise about 15 minutes, Uriwari no Taki falls about 25 minutes, the Wakasa Kumagawa-juku roadside station about 24 minutes, and Suishohama Beach about 30 minutes
• Address and enquiries: 1-6-1 Chuo, Wakasa-cho, Mikatakaminaka-gun, Fukui Prefecture / telephone 0770-45-1126 (calls taken 10:00-20:00)

Information Sources

The bathing fees, multi-ticket books, items such as towels for sale, opening hours and closing days were checked on the Rates and Opening Information page of the official website of Mikata Onsen Kirara no Yu. The spring quality, pH, dissolved substances, flow rate, source temperature and reputed benefits, and the sauna temperatures of the Jomon no Yu and Niji no Yu, come from the Hot Spring page of the same site; the private rest room rates and the details of the acupuncture and moxibustion clinic from the Facility Guide page; and the number of parking spaces and the times from the interchanges from the Access page. Whether tattoos are allowed, the cash-only payment policy and the availability of rental towels are based on the answers in the Frequently Asked Questions section of the same site. The description of the spring as a warming bath was checked on Wakasa-cho's facility guide page, and the timing of the abolition of tolls on the Mikatagoko Rainbow Line on Fukui Prefecture's road information page. Details are subject to change, so please check the official information before you set out.