Hitachi Unomisaki Onsen: Day-Use Hot Spring Prices

Hitachi Unomisaki Onsen springs up on the Pacific facing shore of Hitachi City in northern Ibaraki. Located near the scenic Unomisaki cape (Ishihama coast), it lets you bathe wrapped in the blue sea and the sea breeze. The land offers a travel mood all its own, where ocean views meet the energy of an industrial city.

Highlights

Unomisaki is known for having Japans only officially permitted site for catching the sea cormorants used in cormorant fishing, such as on the Nagara River. Outside the capture seasons (roughly July to September and January to March), the capture site is opened to the public free of charge. The Ishihama coast is famed for its white sand and green pines, and from Kamine Park on the heights above the city you can take in a sweeping view of the Pacific and the streets of Hitachi.

Enjoying the Seasons

Spring brings cherry blossoms in Kamine Park, and summer offers swimming and seaside strolls. Autumn brings clear ocean views, and winter the luxury of watching the sunrise climb from the horizon while in the bath. The charm of a seaside spring is time spent amid the scent of the tide.

Access and Basic Information

The nearest station to Unomisaki (Ishihama coast) is Juo on the JR Joban Line, about five minutes by car or taxi. By car, it is roughly eight minutes from the Hitachi Chuo interchange on the Joban Expressway. Along the shore stand lodgings including the public inn Kokumin Shukusha Unomisaki, and some facilities accept day visitors. Fees and hours vary by facility, so check before you visit.

Practical Travel Notes

Best of all are the early hours as the sun climbs from the horizon, and the clear ocean colors from autumn into winter. Choose summer for swimming, or the open periods of July to September and January to March to add a visit to the cormorant capture site. You can also drive to the view from Hitachi Station, known for its glass fronted design open toward the sea, and to Kamine Park, famed for cherry blossoms. A coastal stroll takes about an hour, and adding a bath makes half a day comfortable. Budget wise, day bathing runs from a few hundred to the low thousands of yen.

A Quick Tip

If you want to watch the sunrise, choose an east facing bath or room. The glass fronted Hitachi Station, open toward the sea, is also worth a look while you are here. The seafront can be windy on some days, so warm layers are reassuring.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Spring quality: Ukiki no Yu Juo is a sodium sulphate-chloride hot spring. It is said to be effective for neuralgia, sensitivity to cold, wounds, recovery from fatigue and more. The neighbouring public lodge U no Misaki has a sodium sulphate hot spring
• Handling of the water: The public lodge U no Misaki states officially that its 47.6 degrees C source water is used with a recirculation and filtration system and with heating
• Day-use bathing (Ukiki no Yu Juo): 10:00-21:00, last admission 20:00
• Fees: On weekdays, 830 yen for adults and 420 yen for children; on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 1,040 yen for adults and 520 yen for children. The evening rate from 16:00 is 520 yen for adults and 260 yen for children. Children means primary school age and younger, and those under 3 are free
• Closed days: Every Tuesday (the following day when Tuesday is a public holiday), 31 December and 1 January. There are also occasional closures for inspections; in 2026 the facility will be closed from Monday 7 September to Friday 11 September for its regular inspection
• Types of bath: In addition to an open-air bath and a large bathing hall, there are jet baths, bubble baths, a reclining bath, a sauna and a cold-water bath
• Payment methods: Credit cards and electronic money can be used
• Barrier-free access: The building has a lift, ramps, automatic doors, wheelchair-accessible (Western-style) toilets, a nappy-changing table and disabled parking spaces, and an AED is installed. The layout makes it easy to move around with a pushchair or wheelchair
• Parking: 100 spaces for ordinary cars
• Access: About 10 minutes by bus from Juo Station on the JR Joban Line. By car it is about 8 minutes from the Hitachi-kita IC on the Joban Expressway via National Route 6
• Address and enquiries: 605 Ishi, Juo-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture (within the Ishihama National Recreation Area), telephone 0294-39-1126
• Bathing at the public lodge U no Misaki: Open only to overnight guests and to those attending day-time banquets and memorial services. For banquet guests and the like the bathing times are noon to 14:00 during the day (13:00-14:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays) and 18:00-21:00 in the evening, with a bathing tax of 150 yen added
• How long to allow: One to two hours if you are just bathing. Allow half a day to be comfortable if you add a walk along the coast or a look at the cormorant-catching site
• Clothing: The coast can be windy on some days, and in winter it feels colder than the temperature suggests. It is reassuring to bring an extra layer

Information Sources

The opening hours, last admission, closed days, fees, address, telephone number and barrier-free facilities of Ukiki no Yu Juo were confirmed on the facility page of the official Hitachi City website and on the facility's own official website. The temporary closure from 7 to 11 September 2026 is from an announcement on the official Hitachi City website (updated 3 August of Reiwa 8). The spring quality, benefits, types of bath, payment methods, number of parking spaces and access details are from the facility information on the official Kanko Ibaraki website. The source temperature at the public lodge U no Misaki, the use of a recirculation and filtration system with heating, the spring quality, who may bathe, the bathing times and the bathing tax are from the frequently asked questions on the official website of the Ibaraki Prefectural public lodge U no Misaki. The season for catching cormorants at the Ishihama coast catching site, viewing it, and its designation as an intangible folk cultural property in Heisei 4 were compiled from the Ishihama Coast page of the official Kanko Ibaraki website. Details are subject to change, so please check the official information before you set out.