Takaragawa Onsen: Day-Use Hot Spring Baths & Prices

Takaragawa Onsen is a mountain hot spring known for its large open-air baths spreading along a clear mountain stream. You can soak while feeling the murmur of the river close at hand, tasting a sense of openness as if becoming one with nature. Surrounded by lush greenery, the scenery releases visitors from the everyday.

Highlights

The greatest attraction is the spacious open-air baths set along the Takaragawa stream. Bathing surrounded by trees while watching the river flow is an experience hard to find elsewhere, with several large open-air baths arranged along the stream. You can spend relaxed time listening to the sounds of the surrounding nature. In the mixed-gender open-air baths, you can rent a dedicated bathing garment to enter.

Seasonal Enjoyment

In the season of fresh greenery you are wrapped in vivid green, and in autumn the gorge is colored by foliage. The autumn season in particular is beautiful, with the combination of tinted trees and rising steam captivating many people. In winter the open-air baths amid snowy scenery are magical, and you can savor the quiet time of the mountains.

Access and Basic Information

It lies beyond a mountain road from the Minakami Interchange on the Kan-etsu Expressway. Because public transport is limited, access is basically by car. Situated in the mountains further up the Tone River from Minakami Station on the JR Joetsu Line, the surroundings are rich in nature, suiting those who want to enjoy the baths in a quiet setting. The water is a gentle simple spring, blessed with an abundant flow.

Practical Travel Notes

To enjoy the vast open-air baths at leisure, it is best to visit with time to spare. The streamside open-air baths are open and airy, and they grow especially popular during the autumn foliage peak, usually from late October into November. Because the mixed-gender open-air baths can be entered wearing a rented bathing garment, they are easy for families and couples to use. Day-use bathing is also accepted, so you can casually experience the large open-air baths. Because the route follows a mountain road, watch road conditions in winter and set out with time to spare.

A Word of Advice

Because the route follows a mountain road, drive with time to spare. The open-air baths are open and airy, so check the on-site guidance on how to use towels and bathing garments. As nature is abundant, the atmosphere changes greatly with the season and weather, so visiting with an eye on the forecast makes it all the more enjoyable.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Where day visitors check in: Takaragawa Sanso (telephone 0278-75-2614). The open-air baths and the garden are shared with overnight guests, and they are open all year round
• Opening hours: 10:00-16:30 (last reception 16:00). Use is limited to 4 hours. If you want to take your time going round, arriving by about 15:00 is recommended
• Bathing charge: 1,500 yen for adults (junior high school age and above), 1,000 yen for elementary school children, free of charge for preschool children
• Bathing garments: The charge includes a bathing garment for use at Takaragawa Onsen. Bathing garments brought from elsewhere may not be used. Children's sizes are also available
• Spring quality: Simple hot spring
• Indications: Neuralgia, rheumatism, hemorrhoids, recovery after illness, relief of stress, impaired motor function, joint pain, muscle pain, frozen shoulder, digestive complaints, bruises and sensitivity to cold
• Source temperature and flow rate: There are 4 springs on the grounds, ranging from 40 to 68 degrees. The total volume is 1,800 liters per minute
• How the water is used: All the baths are free-flowing. Maka no Yu, Hannya no Yu and the main bathhouse are 100 percent free-flowing spring water. Maya no Yu and Kodakara no Yu have water added during the summer to adjust the temperature
• Open-air baths: There are four: Maka no Yu, Hannya no Yu (50 tatami mats), Kodakara no Yu (200 tatami mats) and Maya no Yu (100 tatami mats), about 470 tatami mats in all
• Indoor bathhouse for day visitors only: One each for men and women
• Rest space: Takaragawa Sanso has a large hall that can seat about 100 people
• Meals: The dining hall is open from 10:00 to 15:30
• No smoking: Smoking has been prohibited throughout the building since May 14, 2019
• Parking: 150 spaces for passenger cars and 10 for large vehicles, free of charge
• Access (by car): From the Minakami Interchange on the Kan-etsu Expressway, take National Route 291 and then the Minakami-Katashina prefectural route for about 18 kilometers. From Tokyo, allow about 2 hours 30 minutes
• Access (by public transport): From Minakami Station on the JR Joetsu Line, take the Kan-etsu Kotsu bus bound for Yunokoya and get off at Takaragawa Iriguchi. The ride takes about 30 minutes and the fare is in the 1,000 yen range. From Jomo-Kogen Station on the Joetsu Shinkansen, Minakami Station is about 20 minutes away by bus and costs 620 yen
• No shuttle service for day visitors: Overnight guests have a free shuttle from Jomo-Kogen Station and Minakami Station (reservation required), but no shuttle is provided for day visitors. As the Takaragawa Iriguchi bus stop is some way from the inn, coming by car is the realistic choice for a day trip
• Winter shuttle (for overnight guests): From December 1 to March 31 the shuttle departs from Roadside Station Minakami-machi Mizu-Kikokan (reservation required; the 520 yen parking fee is at your own expense)
• Roads in winter: The route climbs a mountain road, so anti-skid equipment is essential in winter
• Barrier-free facilities: A portable ramp, a tablet for written communication and handrails for the bath available on loan are provided
• Towels: Bath towels can be rented for 100 yen and face towels are sold for 200 yen
• How long to allow: Allow 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours to go round the four large open-air baths. Arriving by about 15:00 gives you peace of mind
• Address: 1899 Fujiwara, Minakami-machi, Tone-gun, Gunma Prefecture 379-1721

Information Sources

The opening hours and charges for day-use bathing, the rules on bathing garments, the number of parking spaces, the hours of the dining hall, the large rest hall and the date on which the total smoking ban began were confirmed on the Day-Use Hot Spring page of the official website of Takaragawa Onsen Osenkaku. The number and temperature of the springs and the total volume of water, the spring quality and its indications, the size and history of the four open-air baths, and the way the water is used (with water added to Maya no Yu and Kodakara no Yu during the summer) come from the hot spring pages of the same website, while the legend of Yamato Takeru and the white hawk, the copper mine and the origin of the name Takaragawa, the therapeutic bathing resort of the Taisho era and the construction of the main building in Showa 30 come from the Origins of Takaragawa Onsen page. The routes by car and by route bus, the fact that no shuttle is provided for day visitors, and the need for anti-skid equipment in winter along with the shuttle from the roadside station were confirmed on the access page of the same website. The barrier-free facilities are based on the facility guide of the Minakami Town Tourism Association. Opening hours and charges are subject to change, so please check the official information before you set out.