Yubara Onsen: Day-Use Hot Spring Baths & Prices

Set along the Asahi River in Maniwa City, Yubara Onsen is counted among the three great hot springs of the old Mimasaka region, alongside Okutsu and Yunogo. Its symbol is the open-air Suna-yu bath, so named because the water bubbles up through the sand of the riverbed, and the town is lined with inns, eateries, and souvenir shops.

Highlights

The free, mixed-bathing Suna-yu is highly rated in open-air bath rankings. With the Yubara Dam rising overhead and the river and mountains all around, the sense of openness is remarkable. It is available around the clock, and the night sky through the steam is a treat. The clear, soft water blends kindly with the skin, drawing many as a base for bath hopping.

Enjoying the Seasons

Cherry blossoms brighten the valley in spring and crimson leaves in autumn. Winter brings snow-viewing bathing, a luxury enjoyed amid a silver landscape. Foot baths and hand baths dot the hot spring town for easy bath hopping.

Access and Basic Information

Located in Yubara Onsen, Maniwa City, Okayama. It is a short drive from the Yubara interchange on the Yonago Expressway. Suna-yu is free but closed on Wednesday mornings for cleaning. Municipal and riverside-park parking are available.

A Quick Tip

Wearing a bathing garment is recommended at Suna-yu. Bring a towel and a change of clothes, and take care not to catch a chill in the river breeze.

Practical Travel Notes

• Spring quality: An alkaline simple spring with a pH of about 9.23. The source runs roughly 40 to 45 degrees. The water is clear, colorless, and soft to the touch.
• Suna-yu: A mixed open-air bath in the river, free and open around the clock (closed on Wednesday mornings for cleaning). Wearing a bathing garment is recommended.
• Parking: Riverside-park lots line the Asahi River and are free for short stays. There is also a municipal lot with an attendant on duty.
• Access: About 5 minutes from the Yubara interchange on the Yonago Expressway via National Route 313. A community bus is also available from JR Chugoku-Katsuyama Station.
• Cleaning times and parking conditions may change, so please check the latest information before visiting.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Spring quality at Sunayu: The source is named Sunayu Gensen, a hypotonic alkaline high-temperature spring. The flow rate is 60 litres per minute. The water is colourless and clear, and feels gentle on the skin.
• Use of the water at Sunayu: Neither chlorine disinfection nor filtration equipment is used.
• Fees and hours at Sunayu: Free of charge, and you can bathe 24 hours a day.
• Times when Sunayu cannot be used: It is closed for cleaning on Wednesday mornings, from 10:00 to 16:00 on the first Friday of each month, and from 9:00 to 14:00 on December 27. It may also be unavailable for other reasons.
• Sunayu is a mixed bath: Simple changing areas separated for men and women are provided. Women are asked to wear a bathing garment or a towel, and men are also asked to wear a towel.
• Bathing garments: A non-see-through bathing garment for women, developed jointly with Wacoal, is available for rent or purchase. For day visitors the rental fee is 2,000 yen, of which 1,000 yen is refunded when you return it. For overnight guests it is 500 yen. For details, contact the Yubara Tourist Information Centre (0867-62-2526).
• Parking for Sunayu: Use the municipal car park, which has 50 spaces for ordinary cars.
• Day-use bathing (Yumoto Onsen-kan): A municipal bathhouse in the middle of the hot spring town. 600 yen for adults and 300 yen for children, family bath 2,100 yen. 10:00-22:30, no closing day (0867-62-2039). The source is named Onsen-kan Shita Gensen, with a flow rate of 1,728 litres per minute, a source temperature of 52 degrees and a weakly alkaline simple spring quality.
• For those who find steps difficult: Yumoto Onsen-kan has baths for people with disabilities and elderly visitors, as well as a sauna, jacuzzi, rest room and massage machines. It puts less strain on the body than Sunayu, which requires going down to the riverbed.
• Day-use bathing (Shimo-Yubara Onsen Himawari-kan): 420 yen for adults and 210 yen for children, 10:00-22:00 (reception until 21:30), closed on Tuesdays (the following day when Tuesday is a public holiday / 0867-62-7080). It has an open-air bath exclusively for pets (dogs and cats), a rarity nationwide; bathing for pets is 1,570 yen for up to one hour.
• Day-use bathing (Maga Onsen-kan): A wooden communal bathhouse standing a short flight of steps up from National Route 313 along the Asahi River. 150 yen for adults and 100 yen for children; the Maku-yu bath is 250 yen for adults and 150 yen for children; private use 1,000 yen. 7:00-22:00, open every day (0867-62-2953). The bottom of the tub is left as natural bedrock, which makes it a precious piece of architecture, but there are steps up to the entrance, so please watch your footing.
• Day-use bathing (Taru Onsen-kan): 420 yen for adults and 210 yen for children, family bath from 2,100 yen. 7:00-22:00, open every day (0867-62-2966). The water is an alkaline simple spring, said to be effective for cuts and skin complaints.
• Access (by car): About 3 km after leaving the Yonago Expressway at Yubara IC. About 1 hour from the Okayama direction and about 2 hours 30 minutes from the Osaka direction (Suita IC).
• Access (by train and bus): Get off at Chugoku-Katsuyama Station on the JR Kishin Line, take a Chutetsu bus from the Katsuyama Chutetsu Bus Centre in front of the station, get off at "Yubara Onsen" and walk 5 minutes. It takes about 35 minutes from Katsuyama Station to the Yubara Onsen bus stop. You can also come from Okayama Station on a single bus, which takes about 2 hours 30 minutes.
• Location: Yubara Onsen, Maniwa City, Okayama Prefecture (inquiries: Yubara Tourist Information Centre 0867-62-2526)
• Nearby: Yubara Dam, the Hanzaki Centre, Hiruzen Kogen and Maga Onsen.

Information Sources

The source name, spring quality, flow rate and bathing fee of Sunayu, the days and times when it is closed for cleaning, the fact that no chlorine disinfection or filtration equipment is used, and the prices, opening hours, closed days and telephone numbers of Yumoto Onsen-kan, Shimo-Yubara Onsen, Maga Onsen-kan and Taru Onsen-kan, as well as access by car, train and bus, were checked on the "Day-use bathing" and "Access" pages of the official website of Yubara Onsen-kyo, run by the Yubara-cho Ryokan Cooperative Association. The names of the three tubs at Sunayu, the rules for mixed bathing, the simple changing areas, the rental fee for bathing garments and the number of parking spaces come from the Sunayu page of Maniwa Tourism WEB by the Maniwa Tourism Bureau, and the women's bathing garment developed jointly with Wacoal comes from the Yubara Onsen feature article on Okayama Tourism WEB by the Okayama Prefecture Tourism Federation. The year in which it was ranked as the "yokozuna of the west" in the open-air bath league table (1981, Showa 56) and the referee and sponsor of that ranking come from the open-air bath league table page of the official Yubara Onsen-kyo website, while the dam height of 73.5 m, crest length of 194.4 m and gravity concrete dam type of Yubara Dam and the 4.55 square kilometre area of Lake Yubara come from the page of the Yubara Dam Management Office of Okayama Prefecture. Details are subject to change, so please check the official information before you set out.