Ikaho Onsen: Day-Use Hot Spring Baths & Prices (Gunma)

Set on the slopes of Mount Haruna, Ikaho Onsen is a historic hot spring town famous for its stone stairway of 365 steps. Souvenir shops, old-fashioned shooting galleries, and long-established inns line both sides of the steps, preserving the nostalgic atmosphere of a traditional spa town. Its signature "Kogane no Yu" (golden water) is a reddish-brown spring rich in iron.

Highlights

The main attraction is the long stone stairway, at the top of which stands Ikaho Shrine. Along the way you will find footbaths and drinking-water spouts where you can rest while strolling. Continuing beyond the top of the steps brings you to Kajika Bridge, a red arched bridge known for its beautiful view against the greenery and autumn foliage of the valley. The local "yu-no-hana manju," a steamed bun named after the brown color of the spring, is a classic souvenir sold steaming hot throughout the town.

Seasonal Enjoyment

Spring brings fresh greenery, summer offers a cool escape from the heat, and autumn colors the area around Kajika Bridge in brilliant foliage. The illuminated autumn leaves are especially popular. In winter the air is crystal clear, and lanterns glowing along the snow-dusted stone stairway deepen the charm of the journey.

Access and Basic Information

By public transport, take a local bus from Shibukawa Station on the JR Joetsu Line, a ride of about thirty minutes. By car, the usual route climbs the mountain road from the Shibukawa-Ikaho Interchange on the Kan-etsu Expressway. There are two kinds of water here: the iron-rich, reddish-brown "Kogane no Yu," a sulfate spring, and the clear, gentle "Shirogane no Yu," letting visitors enjoy two contrasting spring types. Free footbaths and drinking-water spouts are also set along the stone stairway.

Practical Travel Notes

Allow roughly thirty minutes one way to walk the stone stairway at a relaxed pace while taking photographs. To avoid crowds, skip the busy midday hours when day-trippers gather and instead walk the steps early in the morning or toward evening. Nearby spots such as Mizusawa Kannon, celebrated for Mizusawa udon noodles, and Ikaho Green Farm, where you can meet animals, are easy to reach, and with a car you can combine them in about half a day. Some inns and public baths offer day-use bathing, with prices generally ranging from a few hundred to just over a thousand yen.

A Word of Advice

The steps are numerous and steep, so comfortable walking shoes are recommended. Do not overexert yourself on the climb; rest at the footbaths and shops along the way. Keep in mind that the deeply colored golden water can transfer its tint to towels.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Spring quality (Kogon no Yu, the golden water): A calcium and sodium sulfate, bicarbonate and chloride hot spring (neutral, hypotonic)
• Spring quality (Shirogane no Yu, the silver water): A neutral, hypotonic cold mineral spring containing metasilicic acid above the level set by the Hot Spring Act
• Public bathhouse "Ishidan no Yu": Open 10:00 to 20:00 (last entry 19:30). Closed on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month (the following day when Tuesday is a public holiday), plus occasional closures for inspections
• Prices at Ishidan no Yu: 800 yen for adults (junior high school students and above) and 400 yen for children (elementary school students), visitors with disabilities and those aged 65 and over; preschool children free. Residents of Shibukawa City pay 500 yen for adults and 250 yen for children, visitors with disabilities and older visitors
• Payment: Ishidan no Yu uses a ticket machine that takes cash as well as credit cards (VISA, Mastercard, JCB, AMERICAN EXPRESS, Diners Club, DISCOVER), electronic money including transport IC cards, and QR code payments such as PayPay, Rakuten Pay, d Barai, au PAY and Alipay
• Public bathhouse "Ikaho Rotenburo": It uses the golden water free-flowing straight from the source and has a drinking fountain for the spring water. It is open 9:00 to 18:00 from April to September and 10:00 to 18:00 from October to March (last entry 17:30 in both cases). It is closed on the first and third Thursday (open when that is a public holiday, and open every day in August)
• Prices at Ikaho Rotenburo: 600 yen for adults, 300 yen for elementary school students and younger, and 150 yen for visitors with disabilities. Towels cost 400 yen and bath towels 1,200 yen. Infants under 1 year old may not bathe
• Washing areas: Ikaho Rotenburo has no washing area (you cannot wash your body there). Ishidan no Yu does have washing areas
• The open-air bath: Ikaho Rotenburo is an outdoor public bathhouse completed in Showa 25 (1950) beside the source of the golden water
• Footing and slopes: The stone stairway street has 365 steps and the climb keeps going. Ishidan no Yu stands partway up the steps, and Ikaho Rotenburo lies further on up a slope beyond the top of the stairway street, so comfortable walking shoes are a must for both
• Parking: Ikaho Rotenburo is a 5-minute walk from the Kajikabashi car park (free, about 20 spaces). No dedicated car park is listed for Ishidan no Yu, but you can find nearby car parks in Shibukawa City's "Ikaho Parking Guide"
• Access: 30 minutes by Kan-etsu Kotsu bus bound for Ikaho Onsen from Shibukawa Station on the JR Joetsu Line and Agatsuma Line, getting off at the final stop, Ikaho Onsen. From JR Takasaki Station it is 1 hour 10 minutes on a Gunma Bus service bound for Ikaho Onsen, also to the final stop. By car it is about 10 kilometers from the Shibukawa-Ikaho IC on the Kan-etsu Expressway via the Shibukawa-Matsuida prefectural road
• Addresses: Ishidan no Yu is at 36 Ikaho, Ikaho-machi, Shibukawa City, and Ikaho Rotenburo at 581 Ikaho, Ikaho-machi, Shibukawa City
• How long to allow: About 1 hour for bathing alone, or half a day if you combine it with a stroll along the stone stairway street
• To avoid the crowds: Skip the early afternoon when day visitors converge, and walk the steps in the morning or toward evening for a calmer visit
• A word on what to bring: The golden water is deeply colored and can stain towels

📚 Sources

The opening hours, closing days, prices and payment methods of Ishidan no Yu and the access to Ikaho Onsen by bus and car were confirmed on the relevant pages of Shibukawa City's official website. The spring quality and indications of the golden and silver waters come from the city's "Benefits and bathing methods of Ikaho Onsen," while the opening hours, closing days, prices, towel charges, free-flowing water and lack of a washing area at Ikaho Rotenburo and the Kajikabashi car park come from the facility page of the Shibukawa Ikaho Onsen Tourism Association, and the number of steps and the history of the stairway, along with the dates connected with Takeda Katsuyori and Tokutomi Roka, follow the association's "The Stone Steps of Ikaho" and "History of Ikaho Onsen." Details are subject to change, so please check the official information before you set out.