Kawarayu Onsen: Day-Use Hot Spring Baths & Prices

Kawarayu Onsen is a historic hot spring that has long welled up beside the Agatsuma Gorge. Because of the construction of the Yamba Dam, the spa town was relocated to higher ground, so a newly built streetscape now coexists with waters handed down through the ages. Surrounded by the nature of the gorge, it is a quiet spa village.

Highlights

The nearby Agatsuma Gorge is known for its scenery of sheer rock faces and clear streams, beloved as a spot for walking and autumn foliage. From the town rebuilt after the relocation, you can look out over the surrounding mountains and Lake Yamba-Agatsuma. Before dawn on January 20 each year, the unusual "Yukake Festival" is held in gratitude for the blessing of the springs, with participants vigorously splashing hot water over one another in a signature winter scene. Bathing here while sensing the passage of history is an experience unique to this place.

Seasonal Enjoyment

Spring brings budding greenery, summer the coolness of the gorge, and autumn colors the Agatsuma Gorge in foliage, so the scenery changes with each season. The autumn colors of the gorge are especially splendid and draw many visitors. Winter is a quiet time in the mountains, ideal for relaxing in the baths in a calm atmosphere.

Access and Basic Information

By public transport, the nearest station is Kawarayu-Onsen Station on the JR Agatsuma Line, about a fifteen-minute walk from the spa town. By car, head toward the Agatsuma area from the Shibukawa-Ikaho Interchange on the Kan-etsu Expressway. The public bathhouse Ou-yu Kaikan continues to operate in the relocated town on higher ground and can be used for a day-trip soak. Sights such as the gorge and the dam lake are scattered nearby and can be enjoyed together with a walk.

Practical Travel Notes

The town rebuilt on higher ground is compact, and a walk combined with a bath can be done in about half a day. Autumn colors are usually at their best from late October into November, and the Agatsuma Gorge grows especially crowded then, so allow plenty of time. Day-use bathing at the public bath generally costs a few hundred yen, and if you wish to see the Yukake Festival, note that it is held in the early morning of midwinter, so warm clothing and an overnight stay are worth considering.

A Word of Advice

Parts of the gorge walking path are uneven, so set out in comfortable walking shoes. The autumn foliage season is especially popular, so it is best to visit with time to spare. Savor a quiet moment here while reflecting on the long history of this spa town.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Spring quality: A sulfur-bearing calcium and sodium chloride and sulfate hot spring. The water is clear with a faint scent of sulfur
• Benefits: Long held to be effective for rheumatism and joint pain, which is why it is known as "the water for joints"
• Opening hours of Ouyu Kaikan: 10:00 to 18:00 (last reception 17:30)
• Closing days of Ouyu Kaikan: January 1 to 3, January 20 (for the Yukake Festival) and the third Thursday of every month
• Bathing fee at Ouyu Kaikan: 500 yen for adults and 300 yen for children
• The baths at Ouyu Kaikan: Separate men's and women's indoor baths, plus open-air baths looking out over Lake Yamba Agatsuma and the surrounding mountains
• Parking: There are 2 public car parks in the hot spring town: the Kawarayu Osawa car park (35 spaces for ordinary cars, 2 priority spaces and 4 for medium buses) and the Uchikoshizawa car park (30 spaces for ordinary cars, 2 priority spaces and 5 for medium buses)
• Walking distances: The town is designed for you to leave the car in a car park and explore on foot, so comfortable walking shoes suit it well
• Access (by train): About a 15-minute walk from Kawarayu Onsen Station on the JR Agatsuma Line
• Access (by car): About 60 minutes from the Shibukawa-Ikaho IC on the Kan-etsu Expressway
• How long to allow: 1 hour if you only take a bath. Half a day if you include a stroll through the hot spring town and a look around the Yamba Dam area
• Inns and places to eat in the hot spring town: Yamakikan, Marukiya, Yamata Ryokan, Yuai Ryokan, Gohachi and Yamakiboshi, among others. For cafes there are Ofuku Marukiya Cafe and Gallery & Cafe Hanakashiwa, and for meals there is Kitchen Akai Entotsu
• Address and phone: Ouyu Kaikan is at 491-6 Kawarayu, Naganohara Town / 0279-83-2591 (Kawarayu Onsen Association)
• Yukake Festival: Held at 5:00 in the morning on January 20 every year. As it takes place before dawn in midwinter, anyone coming to watch should dress warmly and consider staying the night before

📚 Sources

The closing days of Ouyu (January 1 to 3, January 20 and the third Thursday of each month), the concept of "a hot spring town to wander through while taking in the scenery" and the thinking behind the 2 public car parks, the advice to move your joints after bathing, the legend that Minamoto no Yoritomo discovered the spring in 1193 and its nickname as "the finishing bath of Kusatsu Onsen," the relocation in July of Heisei 26, the origins of the Yukake Festival together with its time and conditions for taking part, the account of its links with Kano Jigoro, and the list of inns and places to eat in the hot spring town were all confirmed on the top page of the official website of the Kawarayu Onsen Association and on its "Ouyu," "History of Kawarayu Onsen" and "Yukake Festival" pages. The opening hours of 10:00 to 18:00 (last reception 17:30), the bathing fee, the spring quality, the layout of the open-air baths, the breakdown of parking spaces, and the access details of a 15-minute walk from Kawarayu Onsen Station and about 60 minutes from the Shibukawa-Ikaho IC come from the Ouyu page of the Naganohara Town tourist information site. The address and phone number of Ouyu Kaikan and the description of the Minamoto clan crest "sasarindo" were confirmed on the Ouyu Kaikan page of Gunma Prefecture's "Yamba Tabi Navi." Opening hours, prices, closing days and festival details are subject to change, so please check the official information before you set out.