Okuise Onsen: Day-Use Hot Spring Baths & Prices (Mie)

Welling up in the Okuise area centered on Odai, upstream on the Miyagawa River that flows into Ise Jingu, these hot springs are a quiet retreat embraced by one of Japan's clearest rivers and deep mountain ridges. Blessed with pure water and rich forest, the region is perfect for those who want to spend unhurried time in nature, and the view of the clear stream after a bath gently eases the fatigue of travel.

Highlights

Okuise is known for the beautiful gorge nurtured by the clear Miyagawa, where pools and rapids follow one another and the calm surface of a reservoir spreads out. Nearby lies the deep forest leading toward Odaigahara, ideal for hiking and nature watching. A roadside station offers local specialties and mountain-village flavors and serves as a handy base for a drive.

Enjoying the Seasons

Spring brings fresh greenery and mountain cherries, summer invites pleasant play in the clear stream, and autumn dresses the gorge in splendid foliage. The scenery woven by pure water and coloring mountains is a beauty found only here. In winter the silence deepens, and a soak while viewing the snow-capped ridges is special.

Access and Basic Information

The Omiya-Odai interchange on the Kisei Expressway is close, making access by car convenient. It is also near Misedani Station on the JR Kisei line, so you can come while enjoying the scenery along the Miyagawa. At the Miyagawa Onsen of Okuise Forestpia, which offers both lodging and day-use bathing, a large bath and open-air bath join a monthly-changing herbal bath. With the calm setting of a mountain-village spring, it suits a relaxed stay.

Practical Travel Notes

Natural hot springs are uncommon in Okuise, and the Miyagawa Onsen source, though on the cooler side, is rich in minerals and cherished as water that settles gently on the skin. Reception for day-use bathing is often handled at a facility shop, so checking the reception method and hours before dropping in is reassuring. From the nearest station, pick-up or a community bus may come into play, so if you rely on public transport, confirm your means in advance. Mobile signal is hard to reach along some stretches, so preparing maps and routes beforehand is wise. Paired with a riverside stroll or a drive, spending half a day to a full day soaking up the nature is recommended.

A Quick Tip

To make the most of the riverside nature, visit together with a walk or a drive. Mountain weather changes quickly, so bringing rain gear lets you enjoy it with peace of mind.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Spring quality: Carbon dioxide-bearing sodium chloride and bicarbonate spring. pH 6.5
• Source temperature: 25.0 degrees (measured at an air temperature of 6.0 degrees)
• Water treatment: Because the source water is highly concentrated and low in temperature, water is added and it is heated. A circulating filtration system is used to protect the spring resource and maintain hygiene, and chlorine-based agents are used for hygiene management
• Indications: Neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain, frozen shoulder, motor paralysis, joint stiffness, bruises, sprains, chronic digestive disorders, hemorrhoids, sensitivity to cold, recovery from illness, recovery from fatigue and general health promotion
• Baths: Open-air bath, large indoor bath, outdoor cascading utase-yu bath (suspended in winter) and a medicinal herb bath whose ingredients change monthly
• Day-use bathing: 11:00-20:00 (reception closes at 19:00). Check in at the shop
• Day-use fees: 800 yen for adults (junior high school age and up), 600 yen for elementary school children and visitors aged 70 and over, 500 yen for children aged 3 to under elementary school age. The fees and bathing hours were revised on June 1, 2026
• Bathing hours for overnight guests: 15:00-23:00 on the day of check-in and 6:00-9:00 on the day of check-out (from 11:00 on the second and subsequent nights for consecutive stays). On the day of check-out only, guests can use the bath for half the day-use fee
• Towels: Not provided. Bring your own or buy a hot spring towel for 220 yen. Toothbrushes, hairbrushes and razors are 100 yen each
• Amenities: Body soap, shampoo with conditioner and the installed hairdryers are free of charge. Valuables lockers and changing lockers are also free
• Footing and steps: The passage to the large bath is carpeted, has handrails and no steps. The entrance to the large bath has a ramp so you can enter and leave in a wheelchair. There are 2 sliding doors between the changing room and the bathroom, with a 3 cm step. There are no steps inside the bathroom. The open-air bath (which has a handrail) and the cascading utase-yu bath are outdoors, however, so there are steps in several places
• Wheelchairs and barrier-free facilities: Cars can drive right up to the main entrance, and beside the entrance there are 3 wheelchair-designated parking spaces and a ramp. Inside there is an elevator and passages with handrails, plus a wheelchair-accessible restroom on the first floor. There is 1 wheelchair available for loan and 1 shower chair permanently installed in the bathroom. Guide dogs and service dogs are welcome (please contact them in advance)
• Families with children: There is a nursing room (with a diaper-changing table, ventilation fan and air conditioning). The women's changing room also has 1 diaper-changing table, and the bath has handrails. Strollers can be used inside the building without any problem, and 1 stroller is available for loan free of charge
• Shop hours: 8:00-17:00 on weekdays, 8:00-20:00 on weekends and public holidays
• Payment: Credit cards accepted on site are VISA, JCB, Diners Club, UC, DC, NICOS, UFJ Card, Master Card and Saison. The facility is also a member outlet for the digital local currency Mimura PAY
• Access (by car): About 30 minutes from Sewa-Taki Junction. On ordinary roads it is about 1 hour 30 minutes from the Tsu direction and about 1 hour each from the Matsusaka, Ise, and Owase-Kumano directions
• Access (by train): About 15 minutes from Misedani Station on the JR Kisei Main Line by courtesy vehicle, town bus or similar. The free shuttle (15 minutes one way) is for overnight guests, must be booked by the day before, and runs for pick-ups from 8:30 to 21:30 and drop-offs from 8:00 to 21:00. There is also a free shuttle to Takihara-no-miya and to the roadside stations Okuise Odai and Okuise Kitsutsuki-kan
• Medical facilities: The nearest is the town-run Odai-cho Hotoku Clinic (about 5 minutes by car from the facility, able to handle emergencies)
• Time to allow: About 1 hour if you only take a bath. Allow a full day if you go on to Osugidani or the Miyagawa Dam lake
• Location: 993 Sono, Odai-cho, Taki-gun, Mie Prefecture 519-2513 (tel. 0598-76-1200, reception 9:00-20:00)

Sources of This Information

The spring quality, pH, source temperature, the use of added water, heating, circulating filtration and chlorine-based agents, the indications, the day-use bathing hours and fees, the towels and amenities, and the monthly contents of the medicinal herb bath come from the \"Okuise Miyagawa Onsen\" page of the official Okuise Forestpia website. The revision of the fees and bathing hours was confirmed in the news item on the same site (dated May 21, 2026, taking effect on June 1, 2026). Information on steps and ramps, the wheelchair available for loan, the nursing room and strollers, the shop's opening hours and the nearest clinic comes from the \"Frequently Asked Questions\" page of the same site; the bathing hours for overnight guests and the credit cards accepted come from the \"Miyagawa Sanso\" page; and the shuttle service and access details come from the \"Access\" page. That the Miyagawa has the best water quality in Japan, its designation within Yoshino-Kumano National Park and Okuise Miyagawa Gorge Prefectural Natural Park, its registration as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the fact that Osugidani is one of Japan's three great gorges and a national natural monument, and the elevation of Mount Somon and its wooden walkway were all confirmed on the official website of the Odai-cho UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. As details may change, please check the official information before you set out.