Foot bath · Open
Ashiyu foot bath
- Day-use bathing
- Yes
- Fee
- ¥0checked 2026-10-09
- Hours
- 7:00–23:00checked 2026-10-09
Photo information
Save to passport
Official classification
Spring type (therapeutic classes)
Official spring-type name (as recorded)Chloride spring (old name: earthy saline spring); mineral content and temperature differ by source
- Source temperature
- 33.5–77.5°C
- pH
- Unconfirmed
- Flow rate
- Unconfirmed
- Radon
- Unconfirmed
Appearance & feel
Water colour · Feel
Unconfirmed
Colour and feel are listed only where a source states them. They vary by day and by bath.
What makes it special
A spa town in the rice fields where 74 separate sources are owned inn by inn. At the free Ashiyu foot bath by the station you can compare two different waters with your feet.
Facilities in this area
Facilities come from the register (Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, official sites). Those marked "natural spring unconfirmed" are listed on the basis of their name only.
Day-use bath · Open
Centpia Awara
- Day-use bathing
- Yes
- Fee
- ¥600checked 2026-10-09
- Hours
- 10:00–23:00checked 2026-10-09
Baths2
| Type | Gender | Source | Bath temperature | Free-flowing | Added water | Heated | Recirculated | Disinfected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indoor bath | Separate | Awara Onsen | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] |
| Indoor bath | Separate | Awara Onsen | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] |
Getting there
Reachable by public transport
From Awara-Yunomachi Station on the Echizen Railway the town is walkable (2 minutes to Ashiyu). From Awara-Onsen Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen take a Keifuku bus (Tojinbo line) or taxi about 10 minutes. Kanazawa is about 30 minutes away by shinkansen; Osaka about 1 h 20 min by the Thunderbird express with a change at Tsuruga.
- Getting there
- Awara-Yunomachi Station · 2
- Checked
- 2026-10-09
About the water
Awara has no shared distribution system; its 74 sources belong to the individual inns. That, the inn cooperative explains, is why 'the water and its temperature differ from inn to inn'. Wikipedia gives the type as an earthy saline spring (a chloride spring in today's terms) at 33.5–77.5 °C. The baseline is a clear, colourless salt water, but the strength of the minerals varies by inn, so two nights at two inns means two different baths. The five tubs at Ashiyu use two sources, letting you compare with your feet alone.
| Source | Source temperature | pH | Radon | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awara Onsen sources (74 wells; range per Wikipedia) | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | no check date |
Three things not to miss
Photo information
Ashiyu foot bath
Yunomachi Plaza, 2 minutes from Awara-Yunomachi Station Five foot-bath tubs in an all-cypress, Taisho-romantic building floored with local Shakudani stone, fed free-flowing by two different sources. Free, 7:00–23:00, every day. The stained glass is lit at night.
You can feel for yourself, fully dressed and just sitting down, that two springs really do feel different.[3]
Centpia Awara
In town, a few minutes from Ashiyu The municipal bathhouse. The sky-lit 'Ten-no-yu' and the steam-filled 'Chi-no-yu' swap between men and women weekly. 600 yen adults, 10:00–23:00 (last entry 22:30), closed the 3rd Tuesday. Tattoos are not admitted.
The only public place to bathe fully in Awara's water without staying at an inn.[4]
Photo information
Yukemuri Yokocho food-stall alley
In front of Awara-Yunomachi Station A village of tiny food stalls opened in December 2007, made for bar-hopping after a bath.
In a town where evenings often end with the inn dinner, this gives a reason to step out.[5][1]
The story
From an irrigation well
Both the inn cooperative and Wikipedia date Awara's start to 1883, when a well dug for irrigation struck hot water. Where many Hokuriku springs claim a thousand years, this one has barely 140, yet it grew as 'Kansai's back parlour' and was named one of Japan's 100 Landscapes in 1927. A fire on 23 April 1956 destroyed 19 of 26 inns; today's orderly street plan dates from the rebuilding.[2][5]
A source for every inn
Awara has 74 sources and no central distribution. Each inn owns its own well, so mineral content and temperature differ from house to house (inn cooperative); Wikipedia gives a range of 33.5–77.5 °C. For the traveller that means changing inns changes the water, and a single spa town can offer two baths to compare. More than a million people visit each year (cooperative).[2][5]
A town that put a foot bath at the station
In front of Awara-Yunomachi Station the city laid out Yunomachi Plaza and opened Ashiyu, a free foot bath running two sources through five tubs. Its cypress, Shakudani stone and stained glass evoke the Taisho era, and the association calls it the finest foot bath in Hokuriku. Beside it stands the performing-arts hall, in front of the station the Yukemuri Yokocho stalls, and a short walk away the municipal bathhouse Centpia Awara, so the town works even for those not staying the night.[3][4][1]
Going solo
Easy for solo travellersUnconfirmed
Weekend / peak restrictionsUnconfirmed
Where to eat dinnerThe food stalls of Yukemuri Yokocho are easy for one
Private bathUnconfirmed
checked 2026-10-09
Through the year
Recommended months
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Months open
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
"Recommended" and "open" are recorded separately. Check the season for seasonal springs.
Jul — Awara Yukake Matsuri, a water-splashing festival (20th edition held 18 July 2025)
Aug · Sep — Grape picking in the surrounding farmland (listed by the association)
Dec · Jan · Feb — Echizen crab season and Hokuriku snow
Food, culture & experiences
Yukemuri Yokocho
Food-stall village by Awara-Yunomachi Station (opened 2007)[5][1]
1 minute from the stationYunomachi Traditional Performing Arts Hall
A hall for traditional arts on Yunomachi Plaza, beside Ashiyu[1]
Next to AshiyuFujino Genkuro Memorial Hall
The relocated house of Fujino Genkuro, the doctor who taught the Chinese writer Lu Xun[1][5]
In townMaking onsen eggs
One of the experiences the tourist association promotes[1]
In townEditors' guide
Arriving on the Echizen Railway, start at Ashiyu and work through all five tubs to feel the two sources. Bathe properly at Centpia Awara, then have a drink at the Yukemuri Yokocho stalls. If staying over, the local way is to pick two inns with different sources and compare them.
The "editors' guide" above is written by the editors from sources; it is not a visitor's opinion.
Photo gallery
Visitor reviews
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Review posting is in preparation, with visit date, facility, comments on water, scenery and access, photos, language and reporting.
Overview
Awara Onsen (芦原温泉, Awara onsen) is a hot spring resort in the city of Awara, Fukui Prefecture, Japan.
This overview is based on the lead section of the English Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0). View original page
Onsen areas nearby
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Unconfirmed & notes
- Analysis values for individual sources and tub temperatures at Ashiyu could not be read officially; the temperature range comes from Wikipedia
- Centpia Awara's spring type and water-handling notices were not found on its site
- Bus fares and frequency from Awara-Onsen Station and solo-stay terms at inns were not confirmed
Sources
- あわら市観光協会 公式サイトあわら市観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- 芦原温泉旅館協同組合 公式サイト芦原温泉旅館協同組合 · 2026-10-09
- あわら市観光協会 あわら温泉「芦湯」あわら市観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- セントピアあわら 公式サイトセントピアあわら(あわら市) · 2026-10-09
- 芦原温泉 - WikipediaWikipedia · 2026-10-09
- あわら市観光協会 アクセスあわら市観光協会 · 2026-10-09
Register sources
- 芦原温泉 - Wikipedia(日本語版)Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-10-09
- Wikidata Q11614796Wikidata · CC0 · 2026-10-09
Data status
Name & locationPublishedCoordinatesPublishedSpring typePublishedPhotosPublishedFacilitiesPublishedVisiting info (dated)PublishedEditorial articlePublished
Updated 2026-10-09
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