Yugawara Onsen: Hot Spring Guide & Visitor Access

Rising near the border with Shizuoka at the southwestern edge of Kanagawa, Yugawara Onsen carries a long history, having been praised in the Manyoshu, the poetry anthology of the Nara period. From the Meiji era it was loved by many writers, including Kunikida Doppo and Natsume Soseki, and Manyo Park at the heart of the spa town still conveys that cultured atmosphere.

Highlights

• Manyo Park, home to a poem monument tied to the Manyoshu and a memorial to the writer Kunikida Doppo
• Waterfalls along the parks mountain stream and brilliant autumn leaves
• The Doppo no Yu footbaths, a circuit of nine kinds of stone paved pools
• The so called healing water, mainly sodium chloride springs

Enjoying the Seasons

From winter into early spring the plum trees of the Yugawara plum grove bloom, announcing the arrival of spring to the spa town. The fresh green season makes strolling along the stream a pleasure, and autumn brings stunning foliage to Manyo Park. Being close to both sea and mountains, you can enjoy seasonal delicacies alongside your bath.

Access and Basic Information

• From Tokyo Station via the Tokaido Shinkansen and a local line to Yugawara Station in about one hour at the fastest
• Buses from Yugawara Station toward Oku Yugawara or Fudotaki. Alight at Ochiaibashi for Manyo Park
• The footbath facility Doppo no Yu is open from ten to six from March to October, and from ten to five from November to February, closed on the Thursday of the last week of each month. Admission is around three hundred yen for adults and two hundred yen for elementary and junior high school students
• Manyo Park sits at the center of the spa town and is listed among Japans notable historic parks. Main water types are sodium and calcium chloride springs and sulfate springs

Practical Travel Notes

• The best times are the plum blossoms of around February, the fresh green of May, and the autumn leaves of November. The foliage in Manyo Park is especially worth seeing
• Doppo no Yus appeal is the ease of touring nine kinds of footbath for a few hundred yen. As there is no dedicated parking, use the paid lot in front of the park entrance, at around one hundred yen per hour
• A stroll through Manyo Park and the footbaths takes one to two hours, and adding a day bath or a meal makes an easy half day to full day plan. Many shops serve seafood too
• Budget wise, the footbaths cost a few hundred yen and it stays affordable even with a day bath added. The chloride water retains heat well and warms you thoroughly

A Quick Tip

Yugawara is also a town of literature. Walking through Manyo Park to trace the poem monuments and the footsteps of past writers, then resting your feet at the Doppo no Yu footbaths, lets you feel in your body why this water has drawn people for so long. The chloride water warms you well, so remember to rehydrate after your bath.