Yuya Kotohiki Kairo: Hot Spring Guide, Prices & Access

This natural hot spring facility stands in Kanonji City, Kagawa Prefecture, right beside Ariake Beach facing the Seto Inland Sea. The white sand beach, selected both as one of Japan's 100 finest shores and one of Japan's 100 finest sunsets, spreads out directly in front, and the Hiuchi-nada Sea can be seen from both the indoor baths and the open-air baths. It centers on day-trip bathing, but a restaurant and lodging are also attached, and you may use it for a meal alone. Its open setting, framed by sand and the Seto Inland Sea, is its pride.

Highlights

From the sea-facing open-air baths you can take in the calm horizon of the Seto Inland Sea. A rich lineup of distinctive saunas lets you spend ample time moving between baths and cooling down. Being a chloride spring, it keeps the body warm well after the bath.

Eight Kinds of Bath and Eleven Kinds of Sauna

The water at Kotohiki Kairo is a "calcium-sodium chloride spring." Under inspection based on the Hot Spring Law it is certified as a "therapeutic spring" (a hot spring particularly suited to therapeutic purposes). Because it retains heat well and keeps you from getting cold after bathing, it is also called a "finishing bath for beautiful skin."

The bathing areas comprise eight kinds of bath, counting indoor and open-air together. There is a stone bath indoors using fine black granite, a reclining bath set outdoors (with the massage effect of pressurized bubbles), a medicinal bath blended with rice bran and olive oil, and a bath of fine-bubble immersion in which ultra-fine bubbles envelop the whole body. Most distinctive of all is the "shio-buro" (tide bath), a seawater hot spring using seawater from Ariake Beach in front, filtered through the ground.

There are 11 kinds of sauna and 7 kinds of cold bath. Many were inspired by sauna facilities overseas: the "Setouchi Lemon Sauna" (85 degrees) scented with Setouchi lemons; the "Kama Sauna" (50 degrees), a modern recreation of the "kamaburo," a Japanese steam bath handed down for more than 1,200 years, with a floor laid in waterproof tatami; the "Tuli Sauna" (90 degrees), tuli meaning fire in Finnish; the "Ship Sauna" (100 degrees) commanding a view over Ariake Beach and the Seto Inland Sea; the "Ariake Sauna" (95 degrees), placed facing west to look out on the sunset; and the "Ibuki Sauna" (85 degrees), which frames Ibuki Island. There is also a "Setouchi seawater cold bath" using seawater, but from June to October the seawater temperature rises and it is not suitable for use as a cold bath.

The east and west bathing areas alternate between men and women on odd and even days. The kamaburo is for men on odd days and women on even days.

Knowing How the Water Is Handled

Kotohiki Kairo publishes on its official website the disclosure required under the Enforcement Regulations of the Hot Spring Law. According to it, a filtration system is installed for hygiene management, and heating is performed by a heat exchange system to bring the water to a suitable bathing temperature. On busy days water may be added for operational reasons, and disinfection with chlorine-based agents is also carried out in order to meet the standards of the Kagawa Prefectural ordinance. It is not free-flowing, but the fact that the handling of the water is clearly stated is a helpful basis for choosing with confidence. Cleaning is carried out twice, before opening and after closing.

Enjoying the Seasons

In summer combine a soak with a swim at Ariake Beach, and in autumn and winter enjoy bathing while watching the sunset in crisp air. Pairing it with a look at the nearby Zenigata sand coin design is also recommended.

Access and Basic Information

It is a few minutes by car from JR Kanonji Station. Facing Ariake Beach, it is easy to visit alongside the beach and the sand coin design, with a large car park for those arriving by car.

Practical Information

• Spring quality: Calcium-sodium chloride spring. Certified as a "therapeutic spring" under inspection based on the Hot Spring Law
• Indications: Chronic-phase pain and stiffness such as rheumatoid arthritis, neuralgia, frozen shoulder and sprains; sensitivity to cold; peripheral circulatory disorders; reduced gastrointestinal function; mild hypertension; impaired glucose tolerance; mild hypercholesterolemia; mild asthma or emphysema; autonomic nervous instability; symptoms caused by stress; convalescence after illness; recovery from fatigue; and health promotion
• Handling of the water: Circulation via a filtration system and heating by a heat exchange system. Water may be added on busy days. Disinfected with chlorine-based agents
• Open-air baths: Yes. Baths overlooking the sea, including the outdoor reclining bath and the tide bath
• Hours: 11:00-23:00 (reception until 22:00)
• Closed days: Open year-round. However, it may close for equipment maintenance and the like, in which case notice is given in advance on the official website
• Bathing fee (weekdays): Adults (junior high school age and above) 950 yen, elementary school students 550 yen, young children (preschool age) 350 yen
• Bathing fee (weekends, holidays and other days): Adults 1,100 yen, elementary school students 650 yen, young children 450 yen
• Coupon book: 11 tickets for 10,000 yen
• Dining only: No bathing fee required. Speak to the front desk staff
• Private / family baths: None
• Tattoos: Persons with tattoos may not enter the facility
• Soap etc.: Rinse-in shampoo and body soap are provided. You can use the facility empty-handed
• Towels etc.: Rental of a towel and bath towel set is 300 yen, indoor wear only 300 yen, and a set of towel, bath towel and indoor wear 550 yen. For sale: towel 300 yen, toothbrush 50 yen
• Children: Under the Kagawa Prefecture public bathhouse ordinance, mixed bathing of males and females aged 10 and over is not permitted. Infants must be under the supervision of a guardian
• Diapers: Bathing is declined for elderly persons and persons requiring care who use diapers
• Wheelchairs: The facility can be used by wheelchair from the car park to inside the building. Wheelchair rental is also available. Persons unable to use the facility alone need an accompanying person
• Payment: Various credit cards are accepted. Electronic money can also be used (d-barai is not accepted)
• Rest spaces: "Suwari-gumo," a tatami and sofa rest area (with a wood stove in winter), and "Nagisa no Koshikake," a terrace overlooking the sea
• Dining: 11:00-15:00 (last order 14:30) and 17:00-22:00 (last order 21:30). Reservations are recommended in busy periods
• Lodging: Check-in 15:00-22:00, check-out 10:00. No smoking throughout, Wi-Fi available. Each room has a washing machine and simple cooking equipment, so self-catering is possible (detergent and seasonings are not provided)
• Pick-up service: Basically not available (groups of 10 or more should consult the facility)
• Access (rail): About 5 minutes by taxi from JR Kanonji Station. From Takamatsu Station, about 50 minutes to Kanonji Station by Yosan Line limited express; about 1 hour from Okayama Station; about 1 hour 45 minutes from Matsuyama Station
• Access (car): About 14 minutes from Sanuki-Toyonaka IC via Prefectural Route 49, or about 12 minutes from Onohara IC via Prefectural Route 21
• Combining with sights: Chichibugahama, the Zenigata sand coin design, Takaya Shrine and the Honen-ike Dam are all around 10 minutes from an interchange
• Address: 6-6 Ariake-cho, Kanonji City, Kagawa Prefecture (Tel. 0875-24-4567)

Practical Travel Notes

The facility faces Ariake Beach, famous for its sunsets, so the way to enjoy this place as only here allows is to enter the west-facing baths and saunas timed to sunset. During the fireworks of the Zenigata Festival in July, the terrace "Nagisa no Koshikake" makes an excellent viewpoint.

A Quick Tip

Dusk is the loveliest hour, when the sun sinks into the sea, so time your visit to sunset for the finest open-air view. If you plan to use the saunas, avoiding the busiest hours makes for a more relaxed stay.

📚 Sources

The spring quality "calcium-sodium chloride spring" and the therapeutic spring certification, the list of indications, the contents of the baths including the tide bath, reclining bath, medicinal bath, fine-bubble bath and stone bath, the bathing fees (weekday and weekend/holiday) and coupon book, the rental fees for towels and indoor wear, the no-tattoo policy, the refusal of bathing for persons using diapers, the treatment of infants, the hours and reception times, and the disclosure based on the Enforcement Regulations of the Hot Spring Law (filtration system and heating by heat exchange system, addition of water on busy days, disinfection with chlorine-based agents, cleaning before opening and after closing) were confirmed on the hot spring page and the facility guide and fees pages of the official Kotohiki Kairo website. The composition of 11 saunas and 7 cold baths and the temperature of each sauna, the alternation of the kamaburo between men and women, and the fact that the seawater cold bath is unsuitable as a cold bath from June to October are based on the sauna page of the same site. That it is open year-round, that there are no private or family baths, that mixed bathing of those aged 10 and over is not permitted, wheelchair use and rental, the acceptance of credit cards and electronic money, the availability of pick-up service, and the lodging check-in times and facilities are based on the FAQ page of the same site; the travel times from Kanonji Station and the interchanges are based on the access page.

Details are subject to change, so please check official information before setting out.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Spring quality: Calcium and sodium chloride spring. Certified as a therapeutic spring under inspection based on the Hot Spring Act
• Indications: Pain and stiffness in the chronic phase of conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, neuralgia, frozen shoulder and sprains, as well as sensitivity to cold, poor peripheral circulation, weakened gastrointestinal function, mild high blood pressure, impaired glucose tolerance, mild high cholesterol, mild asthma or emphysema, autonomic nervous instability, various stress-related symptoms, convalescence after illness, recovery from fatigue and general health promotion
• Water management: The water is recirculated through a filtration system and heated with a heat exchange system. It may be diluted with water on busy days. It is disinfected with chlorine-based agents
• Open-air bath: Yes. There is a range of baths looking out over the sea, including an open-air reclining bath and a sea-breeze bath
• Opening hours: 11:00-23:00 (reception until 22:00)
• Closing days: Open all year round. However, it may close for equipment maintenance and the like, in which case notice is given in advance on the official website
• Bathing fees (weekdays): 950 yen for adults (junior high school age and above), 550 yen for elementary school children and 350 yen for infants (preschool children)
• Bathing fees (weekends, public holidays and other days): 1,100 yen for adults, 650 yen for elementary school children and 450 yen for infants
• Multi-ticket books: A book of 11 tickets costs 10,000 yen
• Using the restaurant only: No bathing fee is required. Just speak to the front desk staff
• Private and family baths: There are none
• Tattoos: People with tattoos of any kind are not admitted
• Soap: Rinse-in shampoo and body soap are provided. You can come empty-handed
• Towels and the like: Rental costs 300 yen for a set of a towel and a bath towel, 300 yen for indoor wear alone, and 550 yen for a set of towel, bath towel and indoor wear. For sale are towels at 300 yen and toothbrushes at 50 yen
• With children: Under the Kagawa Prefecture public bathhouse ordinance, mixed bathing is not permitted from the age of 10. Infants must be under the supervision of a guardian
• Visitors in diapers: Bathing is declined for elderly visitors and those requiring nursing care who wear diapers
• Wheelchairs: You can get from the car park into the building in a wheelchair. Wheelchairs are also available to borrow. Anyone who cannot manage alone needs to be accompanied
• Payment: Various credit cards are accepted. Electronic money can also be used (d-barai is not accepted)
• Rest areas: Suwarigumo, a tatami-and-sofa relaxation space (with a wood stove in winter), and Nagisa no Koshikake, a terrace overlooking the sea
• Restaurant: 11:00-15:00 (last orders 14:30) and 17:00-22:00 (last orders 21:30). Reservations are recommended in busy seasons
• Accommodation: Check-in 15:00-22:00, check-out 10:00. The whole building is non-smoking and there is Wi-Fi. Each room has a washing machine and simple cooking equipment so you can cook for yourself (detergent and seasonings are not provided)
• Pick-up service: As a rule there is none (groups of 10 or more should enquire)
• Access (by rail): About 5 minutes by taxi from JR Kanonji Station. Kanonji Station is about 50 minutes from Takamatsu Station by limited express on the Yosan Line, about 1 hour from Okayama Station and about 1 hour 45 minutes from Matsuyama Station
• Access (by car): About 14 minutes from the Sanuki Toyonaka Interchange via Prefectural Route 49, or about 12 minutes from the Onohara Interchange via Prefectural Route 21
• Combining with the sights: Chichibugahama Beach, the Zenigata sand coin, Takaya Shrine and the Honen Pond Dam are all around 10 minutes from an interchange
• Address: 6-6 Ariake-cho, Kanonji City, Kagawa Prefecture (tel. 0875-24-4567)

Since it faces Ariake Beach, famous for its sunsets, the way to enjoy this place at its best is to time your bath in the west-facing tubs or the sauna to coincide with sunset. During the fireworks of the Zenigata Festival in July, the Nagisa no Koshikake terrace makes a superb viewpoint.

Information Sources

The spring quality of calcium and sodium chloride spring and its certification as a therapeutic spring, the list of indications, the range of baths including the sea-breeze bath, reclining bath, medicinal bath, bubble bath and stone bath, the bathing fees (weekdays and weekends/public holidays) and multi-ticket books, the rental prices for towels and indoor wear, the ban on tattoos, the refusal of bathing to visitors in diapers, the rules for infants, the opening and reception hours, and the notices required under the enforcement regulations of the Hot Spring Act (heating via a filtration system and heat exchange system, dilution on busy days, disinfection with chlorine-based agents, and cleaning before opening and after closing) were confirmed on the hot spring page and the facility guide and fees pages of the official Kotohiki Kairo website. The line-up of 11 saunas and 7 cold plunge baths, the temperature of each sauna, the alternation of the kiln bath between men and women, and the fact that the seawater cold bath is not suitable as a cold plunge from June to October come from the sauna page of the same site. That it is open all year round, that there are no private or family baths, the ban on mixed bathing from the age of 10, wheelchair access and loans, which credit cards and electronic money are accepted, whether there is a pick-up service, and the check-in times and facilities for overnight stays come from the frequently asked questions page of the same site, while the travel times from Kanonji Station and the interchanges come from the access page.

Details are subject to change, so please check official information before you set out.