Tsukigatani Onsen: Day-Use Hot Spring Baths & Prices

This is the hot spring of the Tsuki no Yado inn, welling up in the hills of Kamikatsu, a town known for its leaf business and zero-waste efforts. A lone inn in a quiet valley, it lets you bathe while feeling the life and nature of the countryside.

Highlights

The water is a simple sulfur cold mineral spring. Served warmed, the gentle bath wraps the body and, together with the mountain air, brings deep repose. Terraced rice fields spread nearby, and in early summer fireflies dance over the clear stream. The very stillness, far from urban bustle, is this spring great appeal. Kamikatsu is known nationwide as the birthplace of Irodori, the leaf business that sells colorful garnishes for cuisine, a land where the wisdom of the countryside and nature live on.

Enjoying the Seasons

Firefly viewing in early summer, river play in summer, autumn foliage, and clear starry skies in winter offer countryside pleasures through all four seasons. You can also savor dishes made with Kamikatsu specialties like yuzu and terraced-field rice. The Kashihara terraced fields, chosen among Japan finest terraced rice paddies, show beautiful faces through the seasons and are a scenic spot worth pairing with your soak.

Access and Basic Information

It is in Hirama, Fukuhara, Kamikatsu town, Katsuura District. It is about 60 minutes by car from central Tokushima along the Katsuura River. Public transport runs infrequently, so coming by car is convenient. Day-use bathing is available.

A Quick Tip

The early-summer fireflies are best seen in the short window just after sunset. Staying overnight to enjoy the countryside night at leisure is recommended.

Practical Travel Notes

• Facility: The lone valley inn Tsukigatani Onsen Tsuki no Yado, with an attached campground
• Water: Simple sulfur cold mineral spring, served warmed for a gentle bath
• Setting: Hirama, Fukuhara, Kamikatsu town, Katsuura District, countryside surrounded by terraced fields and a clear stream
• Access by car: About 60 minutes from central Tokushima along the Katsuura River; public transport is infrequent, so a car is convenient; parking available
• Nearby: The Kashihara terraced fields (among Japan finest), early-summer fireflies, and Kamikatsu yuzu
• Note: Kamikatsu is known nationwide for the Irodori leaf business and its 2003 zero-waste declaration
• Fees, hours, and closed days may change, so please check official sources in advance

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Spring quality: Alkaline simple sulfur cold mineral spring (hypotonic alkaline cold mineral spring). Indications include neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain, frozen shoulder, bruises, sprains, chronic digestive complaints, sensitivity to cold, recovery from fatigue and chronic skin conditions
• Source temperature and piping: A cold mineral spring at 15 degrees. It is piped in from a source 1.5 kilometers from the inn and heated with a wood chip boiler
• Day-use bathing reception hours: Reception from 10:00 to 20:00
• Bathing fees: Revised on July 9, 2026, to 800 yen for adults (junior high school age and above, including the 100 yen bathing tax), 400 yen for children (age 3 through elementary school) and free of charge for children under 3. Kamikatsu Town residents get a 100 yen discount. Note that before the revision the fees were 650 yen for adults and 350 yen for children
• Closed: As a rule, the second Wednesday of every month. The date changes in some months for reasons such as public holidays; in August 2026, for example, the closing day is August 5 (the first Wednesday). Checking before your visit is the safest course
• Baths: The first floor is stone-lined and the second floor has a rock bath of blue stone. There are bubble baths, jets, a sauna and a cold plunge bath. The mens and womens baths are swapped on alternate days. The cypress bath on the first floor has been out of service since 2025 (Reiwa 7)
• Amenities: Shampoo, conditioner and body soap are provided. Hand towels cost 200 yen and bath towels are available for rent for a fee. The changing rooms have free lockers, hairdryers, scales, a baby bed and a water cooler
• With children: Under Tokushima Prefecture ordinance, mixed bathing is not allowed for children aged 7 and over. The building is barrier-free
• Payment: In addition to various credit cards, nanaco, iD, QUICPay, Rakuten Edy, WAON, PayPay, d Payment and au PAY can be used (electronic money cannot be topped up here)
• Parking: About 100 spaces. Large buses can also park
• Access by car: About 1 hour from central Tokushima City (near the prefectural government office) and about 50 minutes from Anan City Hall. Turn off National Route 55 onto Prefectural Route 16. Note that Prefectural Route 16 narrows after you pass Kamikatsu Town Hall
• Access by bus: From stop 5 at the bus terminal in front of Tokushima Station, take the Tokushima Bus Katsuura Line to Yokose-nishi, transfer to the Kamikatsu town bus and get off at Tsukigatani Onsen-guchi, then walk about 5 minutes. The town bus runs infrequently, so checking the timetable is essential
• Meals: The restaurant is open 11:30-14:00 and 16:30-19:30 (last order). Even non-staying guests can be served breakfast if they call by 19:00 the previous day
• Smoking: Since April 1, 2020, the entire building including guest rooms, the restaurant and the banquet hall is non-smoking. There are two smoking areas, on the first floor of the main building and the second floor of the new wing
• Banquet hall: From July 9, 2026, reservations are in principle accepted only on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays
• Facilities on site: The Tsukigatani Onsen Village campsite "Pangaea" is on the opposite bank, and there are three bungalows next to the new wing. The shop is open 7:00-20:00
• How long to allow: About 1 hour for a bath alone, or 2-3 hours with a meal. Allow a full day if you also tour the Kashihara rice terraces and Mount Yamainudake
• Location: 71-1 Hirama, Fukuhara, Kamikatsu Town, Katsuura District, Tokushima Prefecture

Information Sources

The spring quality and temperature, total mineral content, and the indications and contraindications were confirmed in the hot spring analysis table on the official website of Tsukigatani Onsen "Tsuki-no-Yado" (analysis by the Tokushima Prefecture Pharmaceutical Association, December 17, 2019 (Reiwa 1)). The legends of Kobo Daishi and Yakushi Nyorai, the layout of the baths and the alternating mens and womens days, the suspension of the cypress bath, the amenities and changing room facilities, the heating by wood chip boiler and the carbon dioxide reduction figures for fiscal 2006 (Heisei 18), the opening hours, and the parking and on-site facilities come from the facility guide pages of the same site. The bathing fee revision from July 9, 2026, the August closing day and the conditions for banquet hall reservations were confirmed in the news section of the same site. The treatment of the bathing tax, payment methods, access by bus, changes to the regular closing day and the ordering of breakfast come from the frequently asked questions page. The number of parking spaces was also confirmed on the official Kamikatsu Town tourism site, and the closing days and the listed indications on the Tokushima Prefecture tourism information site "Awa Navi". That the Zero Waste Declaration was made in 2003 and that waste is separated into 44 categories come from the official Kamikatsu Zero Waste website, and the year the Kashihara rice terraces were certified and their elevation come from a page of the East Tokushima Tourism Promotion Organization. Details are subject to change, so please check official information before you set out.