Tsukioka and Senami Onsen: A Journey Through Niigata's Famous Hot Springs

Tsukioka Onsen, celebrated as a "beauty spring," and Senami Onsen, famed for its spectacular sunsets over the Sea of Japan, are two of Niigata Prefecture's proudest hot springs. Each has its own character, captivating hot spring lovers in different ways. With the contrast between Tsukioka's emerald-green sulfur waters and Senami's seaside chloride springs, the two resorts stand as representative highlights of a hot spring journey along the Japan Sea coast.

Highlights

The Beauty Spring: Tsukioka Onsen

Located in Shibata City, Tsukioka Onsen is a sulfur-rich hot spring whose waters glow a beautiful emerald green. Loved as a "spring that makes you beautiful," its smooth, silky feel on the skin is widely appreciated. The resort street is lined with foot baths, retro shops, and stores serving local sake and cuisine, making it perfect for a stroll in a yukata robe. At dusk, lanterns light the street, and an after-bath walk can be enjoyed in a nostalgic atmosphere. In recent years a lane gathering local sake and Niigata foods has been developed, popular as a base for tasting your way through the town.

Sunset Views: Senami Onsen

Welling up along the Japan Sea coast of Murakami City, Senami Onsen is a chloride spring with an abundant flow of high-temperature water, said to warm you to the core. Its greatest appeal is the sunset over the Sea of Japan seen from guest rooms and open-air baths. The sight of the sun sinking as it dyes the horizon crimson is breathtaking, and it has been selected among Japan's finest sunset spots. Fresh seafood and Murakami's famous salmon dishes can also be savored here, for a luxurious seaside hot spring experience.

Enjoying the Seasons

Both resorts can be enjoyed year-round, but Senami's sunsets are especially beautiful from autumn into winter when the air is clear; if you are aiming for the sunset, check the day's sunset time in advance. Strolling around Tsukioka is most comfortable in the mild seasons of spring and autumn. In Murakami, salmon ascend the Miomote River in autumn, offering a seasonal encounter with the town's traditional salmon culture. Winter brings snow-viewing open-air baths and the dramatic scenery of the rough winter Japan Sea.

Access and Basic Information

To reach Tsukioka Onsen, it is common to take a bus or taxi from Toyosaka Station (JR Hakushin Line) or Tsukioka Station (JR Uetsu Line). Senami Onsen is about a 7-minute bus ride from Murakami Station on the JR Uetsu Line. Both can be reached with Niigata Station as a base, and by car the interchanges of the Nihonkai-Tohoku Expressway are convenient. Because the two resorts are some distance apart, if you plan to visit both, allow one night at each or plan around traveling by car. Some facilities accept day-use bathing, but hours may be limited, so checking in advance is reassuring.

Practical Travel Notes

• Different spring qualities: Tsukioka is a sulfur-bearing spring, Senami a chloride spring. Comparing the feel on the skin, the scent, and how each warms you is a pleasure in itself.
• Aiming for the sunset: to see the sunset at Senami, check the seasonally shifting sunset time and head to the bath or shore with time to spare. Some days it may be hidden by weather.
• Note on sulfur springs: Tsukioka's sulfur can tarnish silver accessories, so removing them before bathing is wise.
• Book early: weekends, holidays, and the peak foliage and sunset seasons fill up quickly. Popular rooms are best reserved well in advance.
• Culinary pleasures: Murakami is known for salmon dishes, and the Niigata area is a treasury of local sake. A stay pairing local food and sake heightens the experience at both resorts.

A Word of Advice

Rather than rushing to see both distinctive springs at once, the key to enjoying them is to take your time at each. Head to Tsukioka if you seek "beautiful skin," or to Senami if you seek "spectacular sunsets," choosing by your purpose, or indulge in both on a greedy one-night, two-day Niigata course. A yukata stroll, a seaside sunset, local sake and seafood. Savor a hot spring interlude that is quintessentially Niigata.

📚 Sources

This article is based on guidance published by the tourism associations and inn cooperatives of hot spring areas such as Tsukioka Onsen and Senami Onsen, public information from local towns, and on-site information boards. Day-use bathing and inn operations may change, so please confirm with each area tourism association or inn before setting out.

Visitor Checklist

• Estimated time: A hot spring stop suits a half day, or an overnight stay to relax.
• Getting there: A car is convenient for reaching hot spring towns and moving between them.
• What to prepare: A towel and change of clothes; check day-use bathing hours in advance.
• How to tour: Pair the hot springs with nearby sights for a fuller trip.
• Before you go: Confirm bathing and inn details in advance, as they may change.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Spring quality at Tsukioka Onsen: Sulphur-containing sodium chloride spring (weakly alkaline, hypotonic, high-temperature). It is known for the emerald green colour of its water.
• Tsukioka Onsen public bathhouse Bijin-no-Izumi: 10:00-21:30 (reception closes 20:30) / closed on Tuesdays and the third Wednesday / 600 yen for adults and 350 yen for children / 403-8 Tsukioka Onsen, Shibata City / tel. 0254-32-1365
• Tsukioka Onsen footbath Yutabi: 8:00-21:00 / free of charge / no closing days / 552-22 Tsukioka Onsen, Shibata City / 21 parking spaces / tel. 0254-32-3151
• Access to Tsukioka Onsen (by bus): The direct bus from JR Niigata Station (operated by Niigata Kotsu) takes about 60 minutes and costs 1,500 yen for adults, while the direct bus from JR Shibata Station takes about 25 minutes and costs 500 yen for adults (300 yen for children). Both are first-come, first-served with no reservation needed (maximum 50 passengers). Departures from JR Niigata Station are at 13:00 and 15:30, and from JR Shibata Station at 10:50 and 15:30.
• Changes to access for Tsukioka Onsen: The shuttle bus linking JR Toyosaka Station and Tsukioka Onsen was suspended after 24 July 2025, and the direct buses from Niigata Station and Shibata Station began running the following day, on the 25th.
• Access to Tsukioka Onsen (by car): About 15 km from Toyosaka-Niigata-Higashiko IC on the Nihonkai-Tohoku Expressway. About 40 minutes by car from Niigata Airport.
• Spring quality and volume at Senami Onsen: Sodium chloride spring. The source temperature is 95C, there are 7 springs, and the flow is 1,800 litres per minute. It began when hot water gushed out during test drilling for oil in 1904 (Meiji 37).
• Senami Onsen day-use bathing at Yudokoro Sobadokoro Iwafune: 10:00-22:00 (reception closes 21:00) / 700 yen for adults and 400 yen for children (age 4 to elementary school age) / towel set rental 200 yen / tel. 0254-50-7488
• Senami Onsen day-use bathing at Yumoto Ryusen: 9:00-22:00 (reception closes 21:00) / admission 900 yen, 500 yen for children (age 3 to elementary school age) / towel set rental 200 yen / the private family bath is by reservation / tel. 0254-52-5251
• Senami Onsen footbath Nihonkai: 6:00-22:00 / free of charge / 2-10 Senami Onsen, Murakami City (on the seaward side of Taikanso Senami-no-Yu). At 30 m long and 5 m wide it can take about 100 people at once, and it has a corner for making onsen eggs. Pets are not permitted.
• Other footbaths at Senami Onsen: There is the Konkon-chan footbath at the Senami Onsen pocket park Yuttaka Hiroba, and Akiko-no-Itoshiyu beside the entrance to Shiobiso.
• Enquiries for Senami Onsen: Senami Onsen Ryokan Cooperative (inside the Senami Onsen tourist information and local products centre), 2-7-24 Senami Onsen, Murakami City / tel. 0254-52-2656
• The two hot springs are in different places: Tsukioka Onsen is in Shibata City and Senami Onsen is in Murakami City, so if you want to visit both, plan on travelling by car or on staying a night at each.

Note: for the opening hours and fees of the Konkon-chan footbath and Akiko-no-Itoshiyu, please check the on-site information before you set out. Note: the bus journey time from Murakami Station to Senami Onsen varies by service. Please check the timetable before you set out. (Sources: official website of the Tsukioka Onsen Ryokan Association; Shibata City official website; Shibata Tourism Guide (Shibata City Tourism Association); Murakami City official website; Murakami City Tourism Association; official website of the Senami Onsen Ryokan Cooperative)