Daigo Onsen: Day-Use Hot Spring Baths & Prices (Ibaraki)

Daigo Onsen springs up beside the clear Kuji River in Daigo Town in northern Ibaraki. Surrounded by the rich nature of the mountain district known as Okukuji, it welcomes travelers with water that feels smooth on the skin. Peaceful farmland and ranges of hills stretch all around.

Highlights

The valley scenery woven by the Okukuji mountains and the Kuji River takes on a fresh character with every season. Nearby, tourist orchards growing the areas famed apples are scattered about, and in autumn you can try harvesting them yourself. Inns and hotels line the riverside, where you can relax to the murmur of the water.

Enjoying the Seasons

Spring offers mountain cherry blossoms, summer river play, and autumn both apple picking and colored leaves. In winter you can quietly savor the warm bath in a snow dusted village. In the depths of winter the Kuji River sometimes shows a rare sight called shiga, when sheets of ice drift across its surface.

Access and Basic Information

The nearest station is Hitachi Daigo on the JR Suigun Line, about a ten minute walk from the spa town. By car, take the Naka interchange on the Joban Expressway and drive north along the Kuji River, roughly an hour away. The water is a sulfate spring said to leave the skin smooth, earning it the nickname the beauty bath. The day use bath house called Mori no Ideyu offers a seasonal apple bath with real apples floating in the water. Day bathing fees and hours vary by facility, so it is wise to check before you visit.

Practical Travel Notes

The best season is late October to mid November, when apple picking overlaps with the autumn colors. Many Okukuji orchards open from around August into November, though the timing shifts by variety, so confirm ahead. From here you can also drive north to Fukuroda Falls, one of Japans three great waterfalls, or to Tsukimachi Falls, about fifteen meters high and viewable from both front and back. Budget wise, day bathing runs from a few hundred to the low thousands of yen, and apple picking from around a thousand yen. Set aside a half day to a full day for an unhurried trip.

A Quick Tip

If you visit in autumn, combining apple picking with the fall colors is recommended. For local flavor, several restaurants in town serve the firm textured Okukuji free range chicken as hotpot or in a rice bowl, well worth trying for lunch.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Spring quality: Mori no Ideyu is an alkaline simple hot spring. At the Yamizo Hotel the spring is named Daigo Onsen and is an alkaline simple spring (hypotonic, alkaline, low-temperature spring), said to be effective for rheumatism, neuralgia, wounds, women's ailments and more
• Source temperature: The spring temperature at Mori no Ideyu is 31.2 degrees C
• Indications (Mori no Ideyu): General indications include chronic pain and stiffness in the muscles and joints, sensitivity to cold, poor peripheral circulation, weakened gastrointestinal function, mild hypertension, impaired glucose tolerance, pain from haemorrhoids, convalescence after illness and recovery from fatigue. The indications specific to this spring quality are autonomic nervous instability, insomnia and depressive states
• Opening hours of Mori no Ideyu: 10:00-19:30 (the building closes at 20:00). Last admission is 19:30
• Closed days: The first and third Wednesday of every month and 31 December (if a closed day falls on a public holiday, it moves to the following day)
• Fees at Mori no Ideyu: On weekdays, 710 yen for adults and 350 yen for children; on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 1,010 yen for adults and 500 yen for children; after 17:00, 500 yen for adults and 250 yen for children. There is a discount on the 26th of every month
• Payment methods: Mori no Ideyu accepts credit cards
• Tattoos: Since 1 April of Reiwa 2 (2020), Mori no Ideyu has refused entry to people with tattoos or body art (tattoos, body paint, stickers and the like). If this becomes apparent after entry, the visitor is asked to leave and the fee is not refunded
• Day-use bathing at the Yamizo Hotel: 11:00-15:00 (last admission 14:00). Every Tuesday it opens from 12:00 because of cleaning and maintenance. Since overnight guests have priority, bathing may be restricted when the hotel is busy or the bath is reserved for private use
• Facilities at the Yamizo Hotel: The large men's and women's bathing halls have a dry sauna, available from 11:00 to 21:00 (until 15:00 for day-use visitors). Both the men's and women's baths are equipped with body soap, conditioner, shampoo and hairdryers, and the women's powder room has a baby cot. From the men's bath you can look out over the flow of the Kuji River
• Access (by train and bus): From Hitachi-Daigo Station on the JR Suigun Line, take the bus bound for Forespa Daigo via Mori no Ideyu and get off at Mori no Ideyu, about 15 minutes. Note that on weekdays there is only one return service, leaving Daigo Station at 10:57 and Mori no Ideyu at 13:35, and all services are suspended on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Services are also suspended on the first and third Wednesdays, when the facility is closed. By taxi it takes about 10 minutes
• Access (by car): About 1 hour from the Naka IC on the Joban Expressway, heading north on National Route 118. Turn left at the Ikeda-kita intersection about 2 km beyond the Daigo roadside station, then cross the Kuji River and continue. From the Koriyama direction, take the Shirakawa IC on the Tohoku Expressway and follow National Routes 4, 289 and 118
• How long to allow: One to two hours if you are just bathing. Allow half a day if you want to relax in the resting room, or a full day if you are combining it with apple picking or Fukuroda Falls
• Address: Mori no Ideyu is at 15-12 Yata, Daigo Town, Kuji District, Ibaraki Prefecture 319-3552; the Yamizo Hotel is at 524-2 Yata, Daigo Town

Information Sources

The spring quality, the spring temperature of 31.2 degrees C, the indications, the opening hours, the closed days, the bathing fees, the acceptance of credit cards, the policy on tattoos, the facilities inside the building, the seasonal speciality baths (apple bath, tea bath and the rose bath in the women's bath on Saturdays) and the address of Mori no Ideyu were confirmed on the official website of Mori no Ideyu. The number of bus services and their times, and the routes by car, are as stated on the access page of the same site. The treatment of closed days that fall on public holidays is based on the facility guide on the official website of Daigo Town. The spring quality and benefits at the Yamizo Hotel, the times for day-use bathing, the arrangements on Tuesdays, the dry sauna hours, the amenities, the baby cot and the periods for the apple bath and the iris bath were confirmed from the facility guide and announcements on the official website of Daigo Onsen Yamizo Hotel. Details are subject to change, so please check the official information before you set out.