Onoe Onsen: Day-Use Hot Spring Baths & Prices (Shiga)

On the northern shore of the inner reaches of Lake Biwa, in Kohoku of Nagahama City, Onoe Onsen sits quietly by the water like a hidden retreat. Its faintly golden water is its signature, and it suits those who want to leave the bustle behind and relax.

Highlights

A sodium bicarbonate spring containing metasilicic acid, it is known as a beauty bath that leaves the skin smooth. From the bath you can gaze on the sacred Chikubu Island floating on Lake Biwa. At dusk the water turns amber and the silhouette of the island rises up, a dreamlike sight to enjoy.

Enjoying the Seasons

Cherry blossoms in the northern lakeshore in spring, the sun setting into the lake in summer, migratory birds in autumn, and silent snowy scenery in winter offer the changing nature of the region. The northern lakeshore is known as a landing spot for waterfowl such as tundra swans, and the winter shore is a fine place for birdwatching.

Access and Basic Information

About ten minutes by taxi from Takatsuki Station on the JR Hokuriku Line, or roughly 20 minutes from the Nagahama exit of the Hokuriku Expressway. Public transport is limited, so a car is convenient. Some inns accept day-use bathing, so you can soak while gazing at the lake. The quiet setting makes it ideal for a leisurely trip.

Practical Travel Notes

A fine approach is to combine it with a visit to Chikubu Island. The island holds Tsukubusuma Shrine, one of Japan's three great Benten shrines, and Hogonji, a temple on the Saigoku pilgrimage, reached by boat from Nagahama Port and others. Nearby lie the ruins of Odani Castle tied to the Azai clan and the waterfowl country of the northern lakeshore. A bath alone takes about an hour, while an overnight stay lets you enjoy both the evening glow and the morning calm. Budget around a thousand yen for a day bath, or from the low tens of thousands per night with meals for a stay. If you are after the sunset, check the time of sundown in advance.

A Quick Tip

A walk along the shore after bathing rewards you with the sun setting behind Chikubu Island, a lasting memory. Those who want quiet should choose a weekday for their visit.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Spring quality: Sodium bicarbonate spring (listed as a simple alkaline spring in the official table of spring quality and benefits)
• Source temperature: A designated mineral spring at 21.3 degrees (low temperature)
• Benefits: Women's health complaints, neuralgia and rheumatism
• How the water is used: The semi-open-air hot spring baths in the guest rooms draw 100% water from the source, heated and undiluted. As it is a low-temperature spring, you switch on the water heater 30 minutes to 1 hour before bathing
• Day-use bathing: Bathing alone is not available. It is combined with a meal plan: lunch from 11:00, or dinner from 17:00 until you leave, at 1,000 yen per person (excluding tax), with a bath towel and a face towel included
• Hours of the large communal bath: 11:00-24:00 and 6:00-9:30. The men's and women's baths are not swapped over, and the baths cannot be used from 18:30 to 19:00 because of cleaning
• Sauna: 14:00-20:00
• Open-air bath: There is a granite open-air bath, which along with the indoor bath looks out toward Chikubushima Island
• Stone sauna (ganbanyoku): It uses Chomeiseki stone from Shiga Prefecture. 800 yen per person for 45 minutes (including tax), and up to 2 people can use it together
• Footbath: Beside the first-floor terrace overlooking the northern reaches of Lake Biwa, from 8:00 until around sunset
• Amenities: Razors, shower caps, combs, cotton buds, hairdryers, hair tonic, lotion and shaving supplies. The women's communal bath also has a baby bed, cotton pads and hair ties
• Barrier-free features: Steps have been kept to a minimum, with handrails installed where there are steps. Room 203, "Shizugokoro", has a toilet and a bed that can be used from a wheelchair. The open-air bath, however, is not fully barrier-free, so check by telephone in advance
• Parking: 20 outdoor spaces, free of charge for overnight guests. Large buses and microbuses can park free of charge off the property
• Access: About 10 minutes from Takatsuki Station on the JR Hokuriku Main Line by free shuttle bus (reservation required). The shuttle leaves the west exit of Takatsuki Station at 14:30, 15:30, 16:30 and 17:30, and leaves the inn at 9:00, 10:00 and 11:00. By taxi it is about 10 minutes and around 2,500 yen from Takatsuki Station, about 15 minutes and around 4,000 yen from Nagahama Station, and about 30 minutes and around 6,000 yen from Maibara Station. By car it is about 10 minutes from Kinomoto IC on the Hokuriku Expressway
• Payment: Credit cards can be used only for the basic accommodation charge
• Pets: Pets may not stay. Guide dogs and service dogs are permitted if you mention them when you book
• Accommodation rates: A flat increase of 1,100 yen was applied to stays from July 1, 2026
• Guest rooms: Every room faces the lake and has a semi-open-air hot spring bath, in granite, Shigaraki ceramic ware or cypress. Requesting a specific room costs 5,500 yen per room (excluding tax)
• Location: 312 Onoe, Kohoku-cho, Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture (tel. 0749-79-0315, reservations taken 9:00-21:00)

Combining It with the Sights

The area around the inn is rich in the history and nature particular to the Kohoku region. Go a little further to the ruins of Odani Castle, the stronghold of the Azai clan, and you can walk through Kohoku as it was in the Warring States period. Inside the inn there is a library displaying folk tales and historical materials handed down in this area, a good way to pass the time after your bath. Thirty kinds of colored yukata are available for women, and the lobby lounge "Rakuraku", looking out over the lake, lets you enjoy the changing face of the northern lake morning and evening.

Information Sources

The source temperature of 21.3 degrees, the spring quality and benefits, the hours of the large communal bath and open-air bath, the cleaning times, the price of the stone sauna, the amenities in the communal bath and the hours of the footbath were confirmed on the hot spring page and the facility guide page of the official Ryokan Beniayu website. Whether day use is possible and its price, the sauna hours, the procedure for heating the guest room baths, the parking, the taxi fares, the handling of credit cards, and pets and barrier-free features come from the FAQ on the same site. The shuttle bus departure times and access come from the transport page; the layout of the guest rooms, the use of 100% spring water heated and undiluted, and the room designation fee from the guest rooms page; and the price revision from July 1, 2026 from the notices on the same site. Details are subject to change, so please check the official information before you set out.