Bandai Atami Onsen: Day-Use Hot Spring Baths & Prices

A hot spring resort that opens out in the valley of the Gohyakugawa River, west of Koriyama City in Fukushima Prefecture. The spring is said to have been opened about 800 years ago, and according to Koriyama City's guidance about 27 hot spring inns still stand side by side here today. Thanks to excellent transport connections — about 13 minutes from Koriyama Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen via the JR Banetsu West Line, with Bandai-Atami IC on the Ban-etsu Expressway right nearby — it has long been loved as the "inner parlor of Koriyama." It is also counted, alongside Tsukioka and Iwaki Yumoto, among the Three Beauty Springs of the Banetsu region.

The Name "Atami" and the Legend of Princess Hagi

Although this is an inland area with no sea, the reason it bears the name "Atami" is said to be that more than 800 years ago, in the Kamakura period, the lord who governed this land, Ito Sukenaga, named it in memory of Atami in his native Izu Province. Place names such as "Kami-Izushima" and "Shimo-Izushima" also survive in Atami-machi.

The hot spring's other name, "Hagihime no Yu" (Princess Hagi's Bath), comes from a legend of the Nanboku-cho period. When Princess Hagi, the only daughter of the Kyoto court noble Madenokoji Fujifusa, fell ill, her lady-in-waiting Yukie shut herself away on Mount Hiei to pray for her recovery. On the day her vows were fulfilled, Fudo Myoo appeared and told her, "Head northeast; on the bank of the five-hundredth river you count, there is a sacred spring." The two set out from Kyoto and at last found hot water welling up beside the five-hundredth river. When Princess Hagi soaked in that water her illness is said to have been healed at once, and she returned to her former beauty. The river flowing through the hot spring town is called the "Gohyakugawa" (Five Hundred River) after this legend.

The Truth behind the "Silky" Feel Is pH 9.1

The water at Bandai Atami is often said to feel "silky," but the water itself is not viscous. According to the tourism association's explanation, that distinctive feel is born when the water reacts with old keratin on the skin. The pH is 9.1, roughly the same value as ordinary soap. The secret to beautiful skin is said to be not rinsing off with fresh water after your bath, leaving the hot spring's minerals on the skin.

Enjoying the Seasons

Cherry blossoms in spring, cool riverside air in summer, and foliage in autumn each show a different face. In winter its location pairs well with ski resorts and nearby sights. Around the town are attractions such as the Japan Kimono Culture Museum and the Omine Fudo Falls.

Practical Information

• Spring quality: alkaline simple spring. The sources are Koriyama Municipal Source No. 1, No. 4 and No. 7. Colorless, transparent, odorless and tasteless
• Source temperature: 53.0 degrees C. pH 9.1
• Indications: the indications specific to this spring are cuts and burns. The general indications are neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain, frozen shoulder, motor paralysis, joint stiffness, bruises, sprains, chronic digestive disease, hemorrhoids, sensitivity to cold, recovery after illness, fatigue recovery and health promotion
• Day-use bathing (public bath "Reisen" Motoyu): 6:00 to 20:00 (reception until 19:30). Free-flowing source water. Fees vary by time band: from 6:00 adults 600 yen and children 300 yen; from 14:00 adults 400 yen and children 200 yen; from 16:00 to 20:00 adults 300 yen and children 150 yen
• Motoyu's large-hall plan: use of the second-floor large hall plus the bathing fee, 8:00 to 16:00, adults 1,100 yen and children 550 yen. You may bring in your own food and drink
• Motoyu's address: 4-22 Atami, Atami-machi, Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture (TEL 024-984-2690). One minute on foot from JR Bandai-Atami Station. Parking available
• Koriyama Yurakkusu Atami: reopened on July 20, 2026 after renovation work. The health hot spring is open 9:00 to 21:00 (last reception 20:00), and the heated pool 9:30 to 20:30 (last reception 19:30). Closed on the first Tuesday of each month except May, August and January
• Yurakkusu's baths: two bathing areas, "Hagi no Yu" and "Iwa no Yu," with a full-body bath, pressure-jet bath, reclining bath (Iwa no Yu only), sauna, open-air bath, cold-water bath, kaburi-yu, jar bath and bubble bath. In the renovation the sauna was rebuilt in cypress and the floors were replaced with a slip-resistant material
• Yurakkusu's fees: a one-day pass is 1,000 yen for adults, 600 yen for junior high school students and 400 yen for elementary school age and younger; a single-use ticket is 400 yen for adults, 300 yen for junior high school students and 200 yen for elementary school age and younger (under 4 free). The "After 5" one-day pass used from 17:00 is 600 yen for adults, 400 yen for junior high school students and 300 yen for elementary school age and younger. Coupon books come in sets of 12
• Yurakkusu's supplies and rest room: shampoo, conditioner, body soap and hair dryers are always provided. Towels are sold. The large-hall rest room, holding about 250 people, may be used only with a one-day pass. The provision of yukata and the tea service have ended
• Visitors with disabilities: at Yurakkusu, showing a physical disability certificate, rehabilitation certificate or mental disability health and welfare certificate at reception makes use free of charge
• With children: at Yurakkusu's health hot spring, mixed bathing with children is allowed up to age 6. The heated pool is limited to those aged 3 and over who are completely out of diapers
• Day-use facilities with open-air baths: Koyokan Kirakuya, Hagihime no Yu Eirakukan, Hakkeien, Yamashiroya, Yu no Yado Rakuzan, Hotel Hana no Yu and others. Motoyu has indoor baths only
• Private baths: the private open-air bath at Yu no Yado Rakuzan (2,000 yen for 45 minutes, reservation required; the private bath is free-flowing), the private Goemon bath at Miyamaso (50 minutes, 2,000 yen for a pair and 3,000 yen for up to four, reservation required), and the private bath at Hotel Hana no Yu (3,000 yen for 45 minutes plus the bathing fee per person). Hakkeien's private bath is suspended for the time being
• Midday maintenance closures: bathing is suspended from 12:00 to 13:00 at Hagihime no Yu Eirakukan, and from 12:30 to 13:00 at Hotel Hana no Yu
• Free foot baths: the foot bath in front of Bandai-Atami Station is open 9:30 to 17:00 with no closing days, free to use, with parking available. The "Keyaki no Mori Foot Bath" in the Oku-Atami hot spring area is free from 9:00 until sunset, and there is a hand bath next to it
• Parking: Koriyama Yurakkusu Atami has 547 free parking spaces (520 standard cars, 10 medium and 17 large vehicles)
• Access (rail): Bandai-Atami Station on the JR Banetsu West Line. About 13 minutes from Koriyama Station. Motoyu is 1 minute on foot from the station, and Yurakkusu Atami is 8 minutes
• Access (car): about 5 minutes by car from Bandai-Atami IC on the Ban-etsu Expressway to Yurakkusu Atami
• Time to allow: about an hour for a bath at Motoyu alone, or half a day if you rest in the large hall
• Winter road conditions: the foot baths may freeze in winter, so if you visit by car, come with winter equipment such as studless tires

From 16:00 in the evening, Motoyu costs 300 yen for adults. If you are dropping in to round off a stroll through town, this is the time band to aim for.

A Quick Tip

Because access is so easy, even a day-trip bath fits neatly into a travel itinerary. Start by resting at the free foot bath by the station, then enjoy a stroll through town. To avoid crowds, aim for weekdays or mornings. Combined with central Koriyama or the Lake Inawashiro area, it makes an easy full-day plan.

📚 Sources

The spring quality "alkaline simple spring" and the source names (Koriyama Municipal Source No. 1, No. 4 and No. 7), the spring temperature of 53.0 degrees C, the pH of 9.1, the results of the sensory tests, the lists of specific and general indications, the reason for the "silky" feel and the practice of not rinsing off afterward, the origin of the place name in Ito Sukenaga naming it after Atami in Izu Province, and the legend of Princess Hagi and the origin of the Gohyakugawa's name were confirmed on the Bandai Atami Onsen Tourism Association's official site, "Welcome to 'Hagihime no Yu' Bandai Atami Onsen." The bathing hours, time-band fees, large-hall plan, address, parking and 1-minute walk from the station for the public bath "Reisen" Motoyu, the presence of open-air baths and free-flowing notices at each day-use facility, the private bath fees and the suspension of Hakkeien's private bath, the midday maintenance closures, and the hours and fees of the two foot baths come from the day-use hot spring, Motoyu detail and sightseeing spot pages of the same site. The scale of about 800 years since the spring opened and about 27 hot spring inns was confirmed on the Bandai Atami Onsen page of Koriyama City's official website. Koriyama Yurakkusu Atami's reopening on July 20, 2026, its hours, closing days, fees, bath layout, provided supplies, rest room, conditions for children's use, fee exemption for visitors with disabilities, 547 parking spaces, and journey times from the interchange and station come from the announcements, facility overview and fee table pages of Koriyama Yurakkusu Atami's official site.

*Details are subject to change, so please check official sources before visiting.*