Kamokimi-no-yu: Day-Use Hot Spring Baths & Prices (Nara)

Kamokimi-no-yu is a day-use natural hot spring in a lush grove in Gose city, Nara. Billed as a natural spring in a grove where the gods dwell, its full facilities include a wide open-air bath and a sauna, and it has long been loved by locals and visitors alike. In the peaceful setting at the foot of the Katsuragi mountains, it is a bath where you can spend a relaxed day.

Highlights

The appeal is an open-air bath with a variety of tubs, where you can soak while feeling the turn of the seasons. The sodium bicarbonate and chloride water is soft, and the longer you soak the more the body loosens. With a sauna, rest spaces and a dining area, many families and groups stay half a day or more. Ample parking makes it convenient by car, and nearby parks and walking paths let you spend the post-bath hours richly too.

Enjoying the Seasons

In spring the surrounding greenery buds and the open-air bath feels pleasant. In summer the sauna and outdoor air after a sweat are refreshing, and in autumn a bath with the coloring ridges in view is exceptional. In winter the steaming open-air bath warms you from the core, so it is easy to drop by all year.

Access and Basic Information

The spa is in Ioka, Gose city, Nara. It is easy to reach by car and has a large parking lot. Admission is around 700 yen for adults (junior high age and up) on weekdays and about 800 yen on weekends and holidays. Hours are long, from 10 a.m. until late at night, with final reception generally about an hour before closing. It is basically open every day, but occasional maintenance closures mean checking the days hours is reassuring. The water is a sodium bicarbonate and chloride spring, said to benefit conditions such as neuralgia and poor circulation.

Practical Travel Notes

Because it stays open until late at night, you can drop by on the way home from sightseeing or work. With its full facilities, it is best to bring towels and a change of clothes and spend a relaxed half day. Weekends and long holidays tend to get crowded, so arrive with time to spare. Nearby stand old shrines and temples such as Katsuragi Hitokotonushi shrine, Takakamo shrine, and Kuhonji temple, so pairing a stroll around the Gose and Katsuragi area makes for an efficient day. As a budget guide, figure on around 1,500 to 2,000 yen per person for a bath and a meal.

A Quick Tip

With its full facilities, it is best to bring towels and a change of clothes and spend a relaxed half day. Weekends and holidays can get crowded, so arriving with time to spare is wise. Combined with sightseeing in the Gose and Katsuragi area, you can enjoy an efficient day.