Sun Olive Onsen: Hot Spring Guide, Prices & Access

This bathhouse stands on the hill at the Shodoshima Olive Park roadside station. With its white-walled building, its Greek windmill, and grounds spreading over some 2,000 olive trees, the park glows with a brightness reminiscent of the Mediterranean, and from the windows of the bathhouse you look out over Uchinomi Bay. With ten kinds of tubs including an open-air bath and a herb bath, it is the most easily visited bathing place on the island.

Highlights

From the view bath and sauna you can take in the calm Seto Inland Sea and the boats crossing it. Herb baths, reclining baths, and cascade baths give a varied lineup of tubs, and the park also holds an olive memorial hall and an herb garden, perfect for a stroll after your soak.

The Land Where Olive Growing Took Root in Japan

Sun Olive Onsen's address is Nishimura-ko, Shodoshima Town. That place name "Nishimura" is itself the history of the olive in Japan. In 1907 (Meiji 40) the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce designated three prefectures — Mie, Kagawa, and Kagoshima — and the following year, 1908 (Meiji 41), began trial cultivation of olives on 1.2 hectares in each. Of these, the only trees that grew well and bore fruit some two years after planting were the olives of the Nishimura district of Shodoshima Town. By the start of the Taisho era oil pressing had become possible as well, and Shodoshima became the birthplace of commercial olive growing in Japan.

With the liberalization of imports in 1959 (Showa 34) domestic olives went into decline for a time, but demand returned with the health food boom from 1989 (Heisei 1) onward, and in 2003 (Heisei 15) the former town of Uchinomi received certification as a structural reform special zone, opening the way for companies to enter the field. The park's "Olive Memorial Hall" traces this history, and the "Zakka Koriko" shop and "The Book of Beginnings," which use the location sets of the film "Kiki's Delivery Service" just as they were, also remain. Walking through the grounds before or after your bath makes clear that this hot spring is not merely a bathing facility but stands at the very center of the island's industrial history.

How the Water Is Used, and What Is Inside the Bathhouse

The spring quality is a simple radioactive spring (alkaline hypotonic spring). Radioactive springs are few in number nationwide, and being able to bathe in this water on an island in the Seto Inland Sea is precious. The many tubs are a defining feature: alongside the relaxation bath, walking bath, herb bath, esthetic bath, cascade bath, open-air bath, and reclining bath there are a far-infrared sauna, a steam sauna, and a cold-water bath. Because there is a walking bath, you can not only soak thoroughly but also move your body as part of the bathing.

Enjoying the Seasons

Herbs and flowers bloom from spring into summer, while autumn brings the olive harvest. At dusk, bathing while the sun sinks into the Seto Inland Sea is especially memorable.

Access and Basic Information

It is about 35 minutes by local bus from Tonosho Port, or about 10 minutes by car from Ikeda Port. Set atop a hill, it offers splendid views even from the car park, and is best visited together with a walk through the park.

Practical Information

• Spring quality: Simple radioactive spring (alkaline hypotonic spring)
• Indications: Neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain, frozen shoulder, motor paralysis, stiffness of the joints, bruises, sprains, chronic digestive illness, hemorrhoids, sensitivity to cold, convalescence after illness, recovery from fatigue, health promotion, gout, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, chronic cholecystitis, gallstones, chronic skin conditions, and chronic women's conditions
• Tubs: Ten kinds — relaxation bath, walking bath, herb bath, esthetic bath, cascade bath, open-air bath, steam sauna, cold-water bath, reclining bath, and far-infrared sauna. There is an open-air bath
• Hours (note carefully): Normally 14:00–20:45 (reception until 20:00), but because major restrictions have arisen on deliveries of heavy oil owing to the situation in the Middle East, hours have been shortened for the time being to 15:00–20:00 (last reception 19:30) from Friday, July 17, 2026. How long the shortened hours will last is undecided
• Closing days: The whole building is closed on Wednesdays; on Thursdays only the hot spring and Training Rooms A and B are closed. This changes when the day falls on a public holiday. There is a closure at the end of the year for periodic inspection
• Bathing fees: Adults (junior high school age and above) 1,000 yen, children (elementary school age and under) 700 yen, infants (under 3) free
• Towels: Rental towel set 200 yen
• Hours for the Sun Olive building as a whole: 9:00–21:00 (leave by 20:45). Note that this is separate from the hot spring's hours
• Attached restaurant: The Mediterranean-style restaurant "Sun Olive" runs in two seatings, from 11:30 and from 13:00, entirely by advance reservation; closed Wednesdays; 52 seats. From the windows you can look out over Uchinomi Bay and the park grounds
• Other facilities: There are the Olive Hall seating up to 400 people, meeting rooms for 30 to 40, and four tennis courts (9:00–20:30, closed Wednesdays)
• Parking: Free, about 200 spaces. Large buses can park as well
• Access (bus): On the Olive Bus "Tanoura Eigamura Line," get off at the "Sun Olive" stop, right at the door. On the "Sakate Line" or the "Minami-mawari Fukuda Line," get off at the "Olive Koen-guchi" stop and walk about 5 minutes. From Tonosho Port it is about 35 minutes by local bus
• Access (car): About 10 minutes by car from Ikeda Port
• Underfoot: The facility sits within a park built on a hillside, and the paths linking the car park and the various facilities in the grounds have slopes and steps. Visit in shoes that are easy to walk in
• Time to allow: About an hour for bathing alone. If you combine it with a walk through the Olive Memorial Hall and the herb garden, allowing two to three hours gives you room to spare
• To avoid the crowds: While hours are shortened, use tends to concentrate right after opening, so aiming for about an hour before closing lets you bathe in peace
• Location: 1941-1 Nishimura-ko, Shodoshima Town, Shozu District, Kagawa Prefecture 761-4434 (telephone 0879-82-2200)

Practical Travel Notes

The bathing fee is 1,000 yen for adults (junior high school age and above) and 700 yen for children (elementary school age and under), with a rental towel set charged separately at 200 yen. The regular closing days are Wednesday and Thursday. Hours normally run 14:00–20:45, though they have been shortened to 15:00–20:00 for the time being from July 17, 2026 owing to restrictions on heavy oil deliveries. Tub styles are plentiful, including herb baths, an open-air bath, and a sauna. Fees and hours can change, so check the official site for the latest details before visiting.

A Quick Tip

The park keeps the location sets from the film "Kiki's Delivery Service," so a stroll around the grounds before a leisurely soak is a favorite routine — do not forget your camera. Because hours can turn irregular at times, checking before your visit is recommended.

📚 Sources

The name of the spring quality, the indications, the kinds of tubs, the bathing fees, the rental towel fee, the hours and closing days, and the shortening of hours from July 17, 2026 and its reason are based on the guidance and important notices posted on the "Sun Olive" page of the official website of the Shodoshima Olive Park roadside station. The bus stop names and the travel time from Tonosho Port, and the number of parking spaces, come from the tourism information of the Kagawa Prefecture Tourism Association and the bus guidance on the same park's official site; the travel time from Ikeda Port comes from the facility guide of the Shodoshima Tourism Association. The dates of the trial olive cultivation, the fruiting in the Nishimura district, and the course of events after import liberalization come from the "About Olives" entry on the official Shodoshima Town website, and the number of olive trees in the park and the facilities preserving the film location sets from the roadside station introduction page of the Shodoshima Tourism Association. Details are subject to change, so please check official sources before visiting.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Spring quality: A simple radioactive spring (alkaline hypotonic hot spring)
• Indications: Neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain, frozen shoulder, motor paralysis, stiffness of the joints, bruises, sprains, chronic digestive complaints, hemorrhoids, sensitivity to cold, convalescence, recovery from fatigue, general health promotion, gout, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, chronic cholecystitis, gallstones, chronic skin conditions and chronic gynecological conditions
• Baths: Ten kinds in all - a relaxation bath, a walking bath, a herb bath, an esthetic bath, a cascade bath, an open-air bath, a steam sauna, a cold-water bath, a lying-down bath and a far-infrared sauna. There is an open-air bath
• Opening hours (please note): Normally 14:00-20:45 (reception until 20:00), but because the situation in the Middle East has severely restricted deliveries of heavy oil, the hours have been shortened to 15:00-20:00 (last admission 19:30) for the time being from Friday, July 17, 2026. There is no set end date for the shortened hours
• Closing days: The whole complex is closed on Wednesdays; on Thursdays only the hot spring and training rooms A and B are closed. Hours change when these fall on a public holiday. The complex also closes at the end of the year for regular inspections
• Bathing fees: 1,000 yen for adults (junior high school age and over), 700 yen for children (elementary school age and under), and free for infants under 3
• Towels: A rental towel set costs 200 yen
• Opening hours of the Sun Olive building as a whole: 9:00-21:00 (leave by 20:45). Note that these differ from the hot spring's opening hours
• Attached restaurant: The Mediterranean-style restaurant Sun Olive serves in two sittings, from 11:30 and from 13:00, entirely by advance reservation; closed on Wednesdays, 52 seats. The windows look out over Uchinomi Bay and the park
• Other facilities: There is Olive Hall, seating up to 400 people, meeting rooms for 30 to 40 people, and four tennis courts (9:00-20:30, closed on Wednesdays)
• Parking: Free, with space for about 200 vehicles. Large buses can also park
• Access (by bus): Take the Olive Bus on the Tanoura Eigamura Line and get off at the Sun Olive stop, right by the entrance. On the Sakate Line or the Minamimawari Fukuda Line, get off at the Olive Koen-guchi stop and walk about 5 minutes. From Tonosho Port it is about 35 minutes by local bus
• Access (by car): About 10 minutes by car from Ikeda Port
• Underfoot: The facility stands within a park built on a hillside, and the paths linking the car park and the various buildings include slopes and steps. Please wear comfortable walking shoes
• How long to allow: About an hour if you are only taking a bath. Allow 2 to 3 hours if you also want to stroll around the Olive Memorial Hall and the herb garden
• Avoiding the crowds: While the hours are shortened, visitors tend to arrive all at once right after opening, so aiming for about an hour before closing gives you a calmer soak
• Address: 1941-1 Ko, Nishimura, Shodoshima Town, Shozu District, Kagawa 761-4434 (telephone 0879-82-2200)

Information Sources

The name of the spring quality, the indications, the types of baths, the bathing fees, the towel rental charge, the opening hours and closing days, and the shortened hours from July 17, 2026 and the reason for them, are based on the information and important notices published on the Sun Olive page of the official website of Michi-no-Eki Shodoshima Olive Park. The bus stop names and the travel time from Tonosho Port, and the number of parking spaces, are based on the tourism information of the Kagawa Prefecture Tourism Association and the bus guidance on the park's official website, while the travel time from Ikeda Port is based on the facility information of the Shodoshima Tourism Association. The year of the trial cultivation of olives, the first fruiting in the Nishimura district and the course of events after import liberalization are based on the "About Olives" section of the official website of Shodoshima Town, and the number of olive trees in the park and the facility where the film set remains are based on the roadside station introduction page of the Shodoshima Tourism Association. Details are subject to change, so please check the official information before you set out.