Yubasama Onsen: Day-Use Hot Spring Baths & Prices

Yubasama Onsen, at the foot of a hill reached by heading east from Korakuen Garden in Naka Ward, Okayama City, is an ancient spa carrying a heritage said to reach back to the Heian era. It is told to have been found by a noble exiled to Bizen, or opened widely by the monk Chogen in the Kamakura period, marking more than eight centuries of history.

Highlights

The purely Japanese-style inn that once stood on the high ground was long known for a great stone bath built entirely of rock. A bath using a huge raw block of Taiwanese marble and a tub evoking a mountain stream once welcomed travelers into an artfully designed space. The corridors within were made to recall an Edo-era highway, full of historic charm.

However, all of these are "how it once was." The central facility, "Yubasama Onsen Hakuunkaku (Yubasama Onsen Kenko-mura)," has remained closed, and no reopening date has been announced. Even the introduction page that used to appear on Okayama Prefecture's tourism information site had been deleted and could no longer be viewed as of August 2026. In other words, the honest situation is that Yubasama Onsen today is not "a hot spring you can go and bathe in" but a place for tracing the history of an ancient spa that once existed right beside the city of Okayama. Please read on with that in mind.

Enjoying the Seasons

From the high ground you can look over the streets of Okayama and the distant mountains, enjoying scenery that shifts with the seasons. Combined with city landmarks such as Korakuen Garden and Okayama Castle, it lets you savor history and a town walk in a single day.

Access and Basic Information

Yubasama, Naka Ward, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture. It is about 20 minutes by car from JR Okayama Station and about 7 minutes by car from Takashima Station on the JR Sanyo Main Line. However, because the hot spring facility is closed, you cannot visit for the purpose of bathing.

A Quick Tip

It is a historic spa long cherished as a hillside bath close to the city. Pairing a walk of the surroundings with a tour of Korakuen Garden and Okayama Castle is recommended.

Practical Travel Notes

• Spring quality: It has been introduced as a water containing radon. Its signature was the "great rock bath" using a huge raw block of Taiwanese marble. Descriptions of benefits depend on what the facility publishes, so if operations resume please check the official listing of indications.
• Operating status: The main lodging and day-use facility, "Yubasama Onsen Hakuunkaku (Yubasama Onsen Kenko-mura)," has been closed since November 2021, and the reopening date is undecided. Day-use bathing is not offered. If you plan a visit, be sure to confirm in advance whether operations have resumed.
• Access: East of central Okayama, about 20 minutes by car from JR Okayama Station. Its location makes it easy to pass by between city sights such as Korakuen Garden and Okayama Castle.
• Facility status may change, so please check the latest information before setting out.

About Day-Use Bathing

Yubasama Onsen is a long-established spa district in the Yubasama area of eastern Okayama City, where the inn "Hakuunkaku" and others have been known. However, the operating status of day-use bathing facilities in this area changes easily and some are closed, so it is safest to confirm whether a facility is open, its fees and its reception hours before visiting. If you definitely want to enjoy a day-use bath, it is a good idea to also consider day-use hot spring facilities within Okayama City as candidates. Fees and operating status may change, so please check the official information of each facility before setting out.

If You Visit Yubasama: Building an Itinerary Together with Okayama Korakuen Garden

Since bathing is not possible, going out with Yubasama alone as your goal is, frankly, a waste of the location. It is more realistic to build it into a single continuous itinerary with sightseeing in central Okayama. The standard choice above all is Okayama Korakuen Garden, back toward the city side from Yubasama.

According to the official website of Korakuen Garden, opening hours are 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. from March 20 to September 30 (entry until 5:45 p.m.), and 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from October 1 to March 19 (entry until 4:45 p.m.). Opening and closing times may change when events are held. Admission is 500 yen for adults (ages 15 to 64, excluding high school students) and 200 yen for seniors aged 65 and over; for groups of 20 or more it is 400 yen for adults and 160 yen for seniors. High school students and younger are free (announced as a trial through March 31, 2027). An annual passport is 2,000 yen for adults and 800 yen for seniors, and combination tickets with nearby facilities such as Okayama Castle are also available. The address is 1-5 Korakuen, Kita Ward, Okayama City, and inquiries can be made at 086-272-1148. For access, it is 20 minutes by car from the Okayama IC and 25 minutes on foot from JR Okayama Station.

If you visit in summer, the special evening opening "Natsu no Genso Teien" (Fantasy Garden of Summer) is also worth aiming for. In 2026 it was held from August 1 to 23, and during this period the garden was open continuously from the 7:30 a.m. opening until the 9:30 p.m. closing (entry until 9:00 p.m.), letting you savor two faces of the garden, day and night, in a single day. Walk Okayama Castle and the city center during the day, then head for the illuminated garden from evening — since you cannot take a bath, building the day this way makes it far richer.

Sources of Information

This article is compiled from tourism information for Okayama Prefecture and information published by each facility. The opening hours, admission fees and access for Okayama Korakuen Garden are based on the descriptions on the official website of Okayama Korakuen Garden (as of August 2026). Opening hours and fees may change, so please be sure to check the official website before setting out. Fees, business hours and closing days may change, so please check the official information of each facility before setting out.

Sightseeing Checklist

• Time needed: About 1 to 2 hours for bathing
• What to bring: Towel, change of clothes; bringing your own soap is reassuring
• Best season: Year-round, together with sightseeing in central Okayama
• Avoiding crowds: First confirm in advance whether the facility is open and its reception hours
• Places to stop by: Okayama Korakuen Garden, Okayama Castle, Bizen Ichinomiya Kibitsuhiko Shrine, and day-use hot springs in the city

Practical Information

• Day-use bathing: Not currently possible. The central facility, "Yubasama Onsen Hakuunkaku (Yubasama Onsen Kenko-mura)," has been closed since November 2021, and the reopening date is undecided. It has also long been listed as "closed" on Okayama Prefecture's tourism information site
• Spring quality: It has been introduced as a water containing radon. Descriptions of benefits depend on what the facility publishes, so please check the official listing of indications when operations resume
• Access: Yubasama, Naka Ward, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture. It lies to the east as seen from Korakuen Garden, about 20 minutes by car from JR Okayama Station and about 7 minutes by car from Takashima Station on the JR Sanyo Main Line
• Parking: As the facility is closed, please assume that visitor parking cannot be used
• What requires reservation: There is currently no bathing facility that can be reserved
• Safety note: Please do not enter the closed buildings or grounds. They are private property, and unused equipment is dangerous. The surrounding roads are narrow local streets, so please also avoid parking on the road

*"Yubasama Onsen" is an entirely different hot spring district from Yubara Onsen (Maniwa City) and Yunogo Onsen (Mimasaka City). Please take care not to confuse them on lodging reservation sites and the like. If bathing is your purpose, the sure approach is to look up day-use hot spring facilities currently operating in Okayama City before you set out.*

(Source: Information posted on Okayama Kanko WEB (Okayama Prefecture Tourism Federation) and others. As of July 2026)

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Day-use bathing: Not currently possible. "Yubasama Onsen Hakuunkaku (Yubasama Onsen Kenko-mura)", which was the central facility, has remained closed since November 2021 and there is no date for reopening. Okayama Prefecture's tourism information site has also long listed it as "temporarily closed"
• Spring quality: It has been described as water containing radon. Any statement of benefits depends on what the facility itself publishes, so please check the official list of indications if it reopens
• Access: Yubasama, Naka Ward, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture. It lies east of Korakuen, about 20 minutes by car from JR Okayama Station and about 7 minutes by car from Takashima Station on the JR Sanyo Main Line
• Parking: As the facility is closed, please assume that no visitor parking is available
• Things that need reservations: There is currently no bathing facility that can be booked
• Safety notes: Please do not enter the closed buildings or grounds. This is private property, and unused equipment is dangerous. The surrounding streets are narrow residential roads, so please also avoid parking on the road

* "Yubasama Onsen" is an entirely different hot spring resort from Yubara Onsen (Maniwa City) and Yunogo Onsen (Mimasaka City). Take care not to mix them up on accommodation booking sites and the like. If your aim is to take a bath, the safest approach is to look up a day-use hot spring facility currently open in Okayama City before you set out.

(Sources: Information published on Okayama Tourism WEB (Okayama Prefecture Tourism Federation) and others. As of July 2026)