Ichinomata Onsen: Day-Use Hot Spring Baths & Prices

Nestled along the Ichinomata River in Toyota, Shimonoseki City, this mountain hot spring has long been called the "inner parlor of Kanmon." Known for its smooth, slippery alkaline water, it lets you relax slowly at inns tucked into a quiet valley. A faint scent of hydrogen sulfide drifts about, and the distinctively silky water is cherished as a beautifying bath.

Highlights

In early summer, countless fireflies dance along the riverbank, a dreamlike sight known throughout Japan. Together with the silky beautifying water, it is an experience unique to this place. The nearby Ichinomata Sakura Park is also popular for the mystical scenery of a submerged forest set against clear water.

Seasonal Enjoyment

Budding mountains and the cherry park in spring, fireflies in early summer, valley foliage in autumn, and the local wild-boar hotpot with warm baths in winter make the four seasons of this mountain village richly vivid.

Access and Basic Information

About 45 minutes by car from the Ozuki IC on the Chugoku Expressway. About 35 minutes by bus from Takibe Station on the JR Sanin Main Line. As it lies in the mountains, visiting by car is convenient.

A Word of Advice

Fireflies are best seen on early-summer nights. Staying over and soaking in the bath while you wait is itself a treat.

Practical Travel Notes

• Water quality: Alkaline simple sulfur spring (around pH 10). It has a distinctive slipperiness and a faint hydrogen-sulfide scent, making it a beautifying bath.
• Day-use bathing: Day trips are available at several facilities. Some offer both a heated bath and an unheated source bath. Fees and hours vary by facility, so confirming in advance is recommended.
• Access: About 45 minutes by car from the Ozuki IC on the Chugoku Expressway. By public transport, about 35 minutes by bus from Takibe Station on the JR Sanin Main Line.
• Nearby: Ichinomata Sakura Park, known for its mystical submerged forest, is close by.
• Parking: Available at each facility.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Spring quality: Alkaline simple sulfur spring. Colorless and clear with a faint smell of hydrogen sulfide
• pH and source temperature: pH 10.0, spring temperature 29.1 degrees
• Indications: Rheumatism, neuralgia, joint pain and diabetes
• How the water is used: The large communal bath at Ichinomata Onsen Grand Hotel is free-flowing spring water with no added water, heated before use. The large open-air bath, jacuzzi bath and family bath use a circulation and filtration system
• Day-trip bathing (Grand Hotel): 8:00-21:00 (last admission 20:00). On Saturdays, public holidays, during Golden Week, Obon and the New Year period the hours are shortened to 8:00-17:00 (last admission 16:00). Open all year round, though it closes for three days of inspection in July
• Day-trip fees (Grand Hotel): 1,150 yen for adults, 600 yen for children from age 3 to elementary school age
• Day-trip bathing (Kanko Hotel): 9:00-21:00 (last admission 20:00). 900 yen for adults (junior high school students and older), 550 yen for elementary school students, 550 yen for young children aged 3 and over
• Private and family baths: The Grand Hotel has two, "Hono-ka" (a tub bath) and "Yuno-ka" (a stone bath), at 2,000 yen per hour with reservation required. At the Kanko Hotel the private bath "Ukifune" can be used for the bathing fee plus 2,000 yen (one hour)
• Open-air baths: Both the Grand Hotel and the Kanko Hotel have them
• Amenities: The Grand Hotel provides shampoo, conditioner, body soap, soap, hairdryers and cotton swabs, and the women's bath also has makeup remover, toner and milky lotion. The Kanko Hotel provides horse-oil shampoo and treatment, soap and body soap
• Towels: The Grand Hotel sells towels for day-trip bathers at 100 yen each
• Other facilities: The Grand Hotel has a sauna, a cold-water bath, a cascading bath, a lying-down bath and a jacuzzi
• Parking: The Grand Hotel has free parking
• Access (by car): About 30 to 40 minutes from the Ozuki Interchange or the Mine Interchange on the Chugoku Expressway
• Access (by public transport): About 60 minutes by bus from Ozuki Station on the JR Sanyo Main Line
• Address: 15 Ichinomata Yunohara, Toyota-cho, Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture (Grand Hotel)
• Time needed: About an hour if you are just bathing. If you also head out to Ichinomata Sakura Park, allow half a day to be comfortable
• Avoiding the crowds: On Saturdays and public holidays day-trip reception closes early at 17:00, so from morning to early afternoon on a weekday is the most relaxed time
• In winter: The route follows prefectural roads through the mountains, so in seasons when snow and icy road surfaces are possible, bring winter tires or chains

Information Sources

The spring quality, pH, spring temperature and indications, as well as the heating and circulation-filtration methods, are compiled from the hot spring information published by Ichinomata Onsen Grand Hotel. The day-trip bathing hours, fees, private baths, amenities and towels come from the hot spring page of the same hotel's official website and the facility guide of the Toyota-cho Tourism Association, while the day-trip information for the Kanko Hotel comes from the hot spring page of the official website of Ichinomata Onsen Kanko Hotel. The address and access are from the Yamaguchi Prefecture tourism website "Oidemase Yamaguchi" and the Shimonoseki sightseeing guidebook "Kaikyo Deai Tabi"; the year the hot spring was developed and the closure of Ichinomata Onsen-so are from publicly available material on Ichinomata Onsen; and the parking and admission fee for Ichinomata Sakura Park are from the tourism information of Shimonoseki City and Yamaguchi Prefecture. Opening hours, prices and closing days are subject to change, so please check the official information before you set out.