Public bathhouse · Open
Kami-no-yu
- Day-use bathing
- Yes
- Fee
- ¥400checked 2026-10-09
- Hours
- 8:00–17:00checked 2026-10-09
Photo information
Save to passport
Official classification
Spring type (therapeutic classes)
Official spring-type name (as recorded)Sodium chloride and bicarbonate spring (as listed by Okura village)
- Source temperature
- Unconfirmed
- pH
- Unconfirmed
- Flow rate
- Unconfirmed
- Radon
- Unconfirmed
Appearance & feel
Water colour · Feel
Brown
Colour and feel are listed only where a source states them. They vary by day and by bath.
What makes it special
At five in the morning a market opens under the eaves of a snow-country spa village that has been in business since 807.
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
Caldera Onsen-kan
- Day-use bathing
- Yes
- Fee
- ¥500checked 2026-10-09
- Hours
- 4–11月 9:30–19:00 / 12–3月 10:00–16:30checked 2026-10-09
Getting there
Reachable by public transport
From JR Shinjo Station (Yamagata Shinkansen terminus) take the Okura village bus 'Hijiori Yukemuri Line' about 60 minutes to the last stop, Hijiori Onsen. Six departures on weekdays, four on weekends and holidays.
- Getting there
- Shinjo Station · 60
- Getting there
- 6 buses on weekdays, 4 on weekends/holidays; no service on 1 January
- Through the year
- Designated heavy-snow zone; depths can exceed 4 m in winter, so the bus is the safe option.
- Checked
- 2026-10-09
About the water
Hijiori's water is a sodium spring carrying both salt and bicarbonate, and it can look brownish (per Wikipedia). The tourist association says colour and feel differ slightly from source to source, which is why moving between inns' baths is part of the experience. Caldera Onsen-kan in the middle of the caldera is a different animal altogether: a fizzy carbonated spring the association compares to soda. We could not confirm source temperature or pH from an official notice, so they are left blank.
| Source | Source temperature | pH | Radon | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hijiori communal source | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | no check date |
Three things not to miss
Photo information
Hijiori morning market
The main lane, in front of the inns Every morning except in winter, from 5 a.m., local growers lay out just-picked vegetables, wild greens and fruit in front of the inns.
The market exists because long-stay guests cook for themselves. Its framework dates to 1917, and it survives as a working remnant of the era when spa towns were places to live, not just visit.[1][5]
Kami-no-yu public bath
Centre of the village The only public bath in the village open to visitors: 400 yen for adults, 8:00–17:00, and free on 14 July for the spring's anniversary festival.
Hijiori has three communal baths, but two are residents-only; Kami-no-yu is the one door into the town's bathing life that travellers can walk through.[2][5]
Photo information
Snow and the caldera
The whole village The village sits on the eastern rim of a caldera about 2 km across. Okura is a designated heavy-snow zone, and winter snow depth can top four metres.
Wooden inns buried to the eaves explain why this place stayed a toji village rather than a resort. In the centre of the caldera there is also a carbonated spring, Caldera Onsen-kan.[4][5][2]
The story
The monk with the broken arm
The spring is said to have been found in 807. A monk named Gen'o, travelling from Bungo in Kyushu, met an old monk here who told him of the water that had healed his broken elbow, hence the name Hijiori, 'broken elbow'. Both the tourist association and the village use that date. In the Edo period the village was the trailhead for pilgrims climbing Mt Gassan and the other sacred Dewa peaks, and lodging houses lined the lane. It has been a toji village, a place for long therapeutic stays, ever since.[1][3][5]
Long stays and the market
Many of Hijiori's inns still have self-catering wings. The morning market, formalised in 1917, exists for guests who stay for days and cook for themselves: every morning except in winter, from 5 a.m., local growers set out vegetables and mountain greens in front of the inns and guests come down to buy. The tourist association calls this 'toji for everyone' and says plainly that the longer you stay, the more the village gets under your skin.[1][5]
A spa on a caldera
Hijiori sits on the eastern edge of a caldera about 2 km wide, listed as an active volcano by the Japan Meteorological Agency. In its centre, Kogane spring (Caldera Onsen-kan) is a fizzy carbonated spring, unlike Hijiori's salty chloride water. The poet Saito Mokichi is said to have been so taken with a drink of this soda water sweetened with sugar that he wrote a verse about it, and a local cider was born of the story. Ishidaki spring further in is also carbonated, but as of May 2025 the road is damaged and closed to the public.[5][3][2]
Getting there through the snow
Okura is a designated heavy-snow zone and Hijiori can see more than four metres. The village bus from Shinjo Station takes about an hour; there are only six runs on weekdays and four on weekends, but it operates through the winter except on 1 January. The sight of wooden inns buried in snow is, for many, the reason to come.[3][4][5]
Going solo
Solo stay unconfirmedUnconfirmed
Weekend / peak restrictionsUnconfirmed
Where to eat dinnerThe tourist association lists eateries; many guests buy from the morning market and cook in their inn.
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.
May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct — Morning-market season (it pauses in winter). Spring brings a wild-greens food fair
Jul — 14 July anniversary festival (Kami-no-yu free); from 18 July the 'Hijiori no Akari' lantern-painting display
Jan · Feb — Snow over four metres deep; the 'Okura Yuki Monogatari' snow event in February
Food, culture & experiences
Hijiori morning market
Daily except winter, from 5 a.m., in front of the inns[1]
On the main laneJizo-kura cave
The cliff cave where the legendary old monk of the founding story is said to have lived; Hijiori's sacred spot[5]
About 40 minutes' walk from the villageFormer Hijiori post office
A wooden post office from 1937 kept as a landmark in the middle of the village (interior not open)[5]
Centre of the villageHijiori Caldera cider and Hotei manju
A local soda inspired by the carbonated spring, and a steamed bun tied to the founding legend[5][1]
Ideyu-kan and village shopsEditors' guide
For a first visit, arrive after lunch, try the town's own water at Kami-no-yu (400 yen), then be up for the 5 a.m. market. If you have time, Caldera Onsen-kan's carbonated spring is a completely different kind of water and worth the comparison. In winter, take the bus rather than drive.
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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Overview
肘折温泉（ひじおりおんせん）は、山形県最上郡大蔵村にある温泉。
This overview is based on the lead section of the Japanese Wikipedia article "肘折温泉" (CC BY-SA 4.0). View original page
Onsen areas nearby
Unconfirmed & notes
- Source temperature, pH and the analysis notice could not be confirmed on official sites and are left blank
- Kami-no-yu's closing days, flow-through notice and tattoo policy are unconfirmed
- Hijiori Ideyu-kan's day bathing is shown as discontinued (as of 2026-10-09)
- Market start time differs between the association (5:00) and Wikipedia (5:30)
Sources
- 肘折温泉観光協会 公式サイト(肘折について・イベント)肘折温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- 肘折温泉観光協会 日帰り温泉肘折温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- 大蔵村 肘折温泉郷大蔵村 · 2026-10-09
- 大蔵村 村営バス(肘折ゆけむりライン)大蔵村 · 2026-10-09
- 肘折温泉 - WikipediaWikipedia · 2026-10-09
Register sources
- 肘折温泉 - Wikipedia(日本語版)Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-10-09
- Wikidata Q11611454Wikidata · CC0 · 2026-10-09
Data status
Name & locationPublishedCoordinatesPublishedSpring typePublishedPhotosPublishedFacilitiesPublishedVisiting info (dated)PublishedEditorial articlePublished
Updated 2026-10-09
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