Nukui Onsen: Day-Use Hot Spring Baths & Prices

This is a lone-inn hot spring tucked into the mountains near the scenic Sandankyo gorge and Nukui Dam. A relatively new spring that opened in 1992, it offers day-use bathing as well as lodging. Set on the shore of Lake Ryukihime formed by Nukui Dam, it has a range of baths including an open-air bath and a pour-bath, making it an easy stop during a drive.

Highlights

There are an open-air bath with a pleasant rock-and-green setting, a pour-bath, a bubble bath, a jet bath, and a sauna. The spring is a colorless, clear simple weak-radioactive cold spring, with a notably light, smooth quality. You can soak at a relaxed pace amid the quiet of the mountains overlooking Lake Ryukihime.

Enjoying the Seasons

Spring brings fresh greenery, summer the cool highland air, and autumn the foliage of nearby Sandankyo as a highlight. In winter you can bathe while gazing at quiet, snow-clad scenery. Autumn especially is a season when many people combine a Sandankyo walk with the hot spring.

Access and Basic Information

The inn is in Akiota-cho, Yamagata District, Hiroshima Prefecture, and serves as a base for visiting Sandankyo and Nukui Dam. The inn, long known as Nukui Springs, now operates as Global Resort NUKUI. From 11 May 2026, day-use bathing is offered only on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays for the time being, with reception from 12:00 to 19:30. Day-use fees are subject to revision, so calling 0826-22-2260 before you go is the surest way to confirm. Towels are available to rent or buy for a fee. It is a lone-inn hot spring with an open-air bath, a sauna, and a pour-bath. Hours, fees, and closing days may change, so check the official information before visiting. It is convenient for those arriving by car.

Practical Travel Notes

Stopping by alongside sightseeing at Sandankyo or Nukui Dam is recommended, as rinsing off after a walk eases the fatigue in your body. Bathing alone takes about an hour, while including nearby sightseeing runs half a day to a full day. The budget for day-use bathing and a towel is roughly a thousand yen. With the shore of Lake Ryukihime, the face of Nukui Dam, and the autumn foliage of Sandankyo, the surroundings offer plenty to see, making it an ideal rest stop on a drive. As it lies in the mountains, watch for icy or snowy roads in winter.

A Quick Tip

Visiting alongside sightseeing at Sandankyo or Nukui Dam is recommended. A bath after a walk eases the fatigue in your body. Day-use hours are set, so checking in advance is a good idea.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Spring quality: Radioactive spring
• Indications: Specific to this spring quality, hyperuricaemia (gout), rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. General indications include chronic pain and stiffness in the joints and muscles, sensitivity to cold, weakened gastrointestinal function, mild high blood pressure, recovery from fatigue and general health promotion
• Days for day-trip bathing: Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays only (from May 11, 2026 for the time being)
• Reception hours for day-trip bathing: 12:00-19:30
• Layout of the baths: The large hot-spring bath is on the first floor. There is an open-air bath for both men and women, and the large bath has a jacuzzi, a jet bath and a sauna. The men's and women's baths are not switched over
• How the water is used: Heated hot-spring water comes from the washbasins and bathrooms in the guest rooms, so guests are asked not to drink it. Tap water is drinkable
• Towels: Towels are provided in the guest rooms for overnight stays, and extras can be obtained from the front desk for a charge. Day visitors can also ask at the front desk
• Parking: 70 spaces (free of charge)
• Access (by car): About 15 km and 23 minutes from the Togouchi IC on the Chugoku Expressway, or about 11 km and 16 minutes from the Kake Smart IC. It stands along National Route 186
• Access (by train): About 10 minutes by taxi from Kake Station on the JR Kabe Line
• Road conditions in winter: In the snowy season, visitors are asked to come in vehicles fitted with studless tyres. Cars with normal tyres can find themselves unable to drive on the slopes, so check your tyres before setting out
• Inside the hotel: The shop is open 7:00-21:00. There are vending machines on the first and second floors and microwave ovens in front of the lifts on the third and fourth floors. You may move around the building, including the restaurant, in a yukata and slippers
• Checking the fees: The day-trip bathing fee is subject to revision, so it is safest to call 0826-22-2260 to check before you visit
• Day-trip hot springs nearby: Ikoi no Mura Hiroshima is open 11:00-20:00 (reception until 19:00) and costs 600 yen for adults, 300 yen for elementary school children and 200 yen for infants, while Tsukigase Onsen is open 11:00-21:00 and costs 500 yen for adults and 200 yen for elementary school age and below (closed on the second and fourth Thursdays)
• Time required: About an hour for a bath alone. Half a day to a full day if you combine it with a walk around the Nukui Dam or Sandankyo Gorge
• Address: 4692-7 Oaza Kake, Akiota Town, Yamagata District, Hiroshima Prefecture 731-3501

Information Sources

The change to the days for day-trip bathing (Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays only from May 11, 2026) and the reception hours of 12:00-19:30 were confirmed in a notice on the official website of Global Resort NUKUI. The layout of the large bath, open-air baths and sauna, the fact that the men's and women's baths are not switched, the handling of towels, the 70 parking spaces, the facilities, the distances from the interchanges and the note about tyres in the snowy season come from the visitor information page and top page of the same site. The spring quality, indications, the scale of the Nukui Dam and the travel time from Kake Station come from the hot-spring area information of the Japan Spa Association, while the fact that the Sandankyo Hotel is undergoing renovation work and the hours and fees of nearby day-trip hot spring facilities are based on the day-trip hot spring feature page of the Akiota Town Tourism Association. As details are subject to change, please check the official information before you set out.