Yunoyama Onsen Yunoyama Onsenkan: Hot Spring Guide

Set in the mountains of Yuki-cho, Saeki Ward, Hiroshima City, this facility has long been cherished as a bathing spot. Yunoyama Onsen is known, alongside Yuki Onsen, as one of Hiroshima celebrated springs. Its appeal is the chance to enjoy an open-air bath and a famous cascading pour-bath at a modest price.

Highlights

There is a signature cascading pour-bath, rare even within the Chugoku region, drawn from the source spring. The water falling from a rock face about four meters high is reputed to be good for stiff shoulders and nerve pain. Because the source is cool at around 23 degrees, the indoor bath is heated, and a signature routine is to warm up in the indoor bath and then take the cold pour-bath in alternation. The spring is an alkaline simple weak-radioactive cold spring, and there is an open-air bath as well.

Enjoying the Seasons

Surrounded by lush mountains, the area lets you feel the turning of the seasons from spring greenery to autumn foliage. In summer the cool mountain air feels pleasant, and in winter the hot spring warms you from the core. The contrast between the cool pour-bath and the warm bathtub is comfortable in any season.

Access and Basic Information

The bathhouse is in Wada, Yuki-cho, Saeki Ward, Hiroshima City, close to Yuki Onsen as well. Hours are roughly 9:00 to 21:00 (last entry around 20:30), and as closing days are irregular, it is reassuring to check the operating status in the official information before visiting. Admission is affordable at 450 yen for adults and 150 yen for children, with a one-day pass also available. The spring is an alkaline simple weak-radioactive cold spring. Parking is available.

Practical Travel Notes

To enjoy the signature pour-bath, try the alternating routine of warming up in the heated indoor bath and then taking the cold pour-bath, with a stay of about an hour for bathing alone. As admission is affordable, the budget is only a few hundred yen for an easy drop-in. A classic plan is to combine it with nearby Yuki Onsen (Yuki Lodge) for a little hot-spring hopping, and pairing it with a walk through Yuki satoyama hills or a nature experience is recommended too. As it is a distance from the city center, a car is convenient, and in winter watch for icy or snowy roads.

A Quick Tip

Be sure to try the signature cascading pour-bath. Combining it with nearby Yuki Onsen for a little hot-spring hopping is also recommended. As closing days are irregular, checking the operating status before you set out is advised.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Spring quality: Simple weakly radioactive hot spring
• Indications: Rheumatoid arthritis, sensitivity to cold, mild high blood pressure and chronic illnesses, among others
• Source temperature: A cold mineral spring at 23.5 degrees. The indoor bath is heated to 41 degrees. The pouring bath falls straight from the source, so the water is cold
• The bathing area: Separate indoor baths for men and women, plus a pouring bath outside the bathing area that falls from a height of about 4 metres above the ground
• Day-trip bathing hours: There are two seasonal schedules. From June 1 to September 30 it is 9:00-21:00 (last reception 20:30), and from October 1 to May 31 it is 9:00-20:00 (last reception 19:30)
• Bathing fees: Adults (aged 12 and above) 450 yen for one entry or 800 yen for the day; children (aged 4 to under 12) 150 yen for one entry or 400 yen for the day. The bathing tax is included in all cases
• Ticket books: A book of 11 tickets costs 4,300 yen (including bathing tax), which works out one entry cheaper
• Closing days: Irregular. It may close for maintenance and the like, so it is safest to call before you set out
• Amenities provided: Shampoo, rinse, conditioner, body soap, hairdryers and the like are provided
• Lockers: There are free coin lockers
• Parking: 5 dedicated spaces nearby, plus about 40 other spaces
• Access (by car): About 45 minutes from central Hiroshima. About 40 minutes from the Itsukaichi IC on the Sanyo Expressway, or about 40 minutes from the Togouchi IC on the Chugoku Expressway
• Access (public transport): About 15 minutes by train from JR Hiroshima Station to JR Itsukaichi Station, then about 60 minutes by local bus from Itsukaichi Station to the Ohashi bus stop, and about a 20-minute walk from there
• Time required: About an hour for a bath alone. If you plan to alternate slowly between the indoor bath and the pouring bath, the day ticket is the better choice
• Nearby: Yuki Onsen lies about 10 minutes to the east by car, so you can make a round of the baths. In the hot-spring village there is the Turkish restaurant "Andes Yunoyama" (11:00-17:00, closed Monday to Friday) and the "Kinsai Yunoyama Farm Shop" selling vegetables grown in Yuki-cho
• In winter: As it lies in a valley in the mountains, come equipped for icy road surfaces and snow in winter
• Address: 471 Oaza Wada, Yuki-cho, Saeki Ward, Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture (telephone 0829-83-0802)

Information Sources

The spring quality, indications, source temperature and heating of the indoor bath, the two seasonal schedules for day-trip bathing, the fees and ticket books, the amenities, the free coin lockers, the parking and the closing days come from the information on the official website of Yunoyama Onsen-kan. The legend of the spring's opening, the fact that it was a therapeutic bathing place built by Asano Yoshinaga in the third year of Kan'en, and the nearby facilities and access were taken from the Yunoyama Onsen page of the official "Yuki and Yunoyama Hot Spring Area" website. The date of designation of the former Yunoyama Myojin therapeutic bathing place as an Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property and the visits by the feudal lord during the Kan'en era are as stated in the Hiroshima Prefectural Board of Education's "Cultural Properties of Hiroshima Prefecture" and on Cultural Heritage Online. The closure from January 4, 2025 and the reopening on February 11 of the same year were confirmed in a notice on the official Hiroshima City website. As details are subject to change, please check the official information before you set out.