Public bathhouse · Open
Ishidan-no-yu (Ikaho Onsen public bath)
- Day-use bathing
- Yes
- Fee
- ¥800checked 2026-10-09
- Hours
- 10:00–20:00checked 2026-10-09
Photo information
Save to passport
Official classification
Spring type (therapeutic classes)
Official spring-type name (as recorded)Golden water: sulfate spring (association wording; more fully a calcium–sodium sulfate, bicarbonate and chloride spring). Silver water: a metasilicic-acid spring qualifying under the Hot Spring Act
- Source temperature
- Unconfirmed
- pH
- Unconfirmed
- Flow rate
- Unconfirmed
- Radon
- Present
Appearance & feel
Water colour · Feel
BrownYunohana (mineral flakes) · Yes
Colour and feel are listed only where a source states them. They vary by day and by bath.
What makes it special
The spring runs beneath 365 stone steps and is tapped off to the inns tier by tier. A town built around the iron-browned 'golden water'.
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
Ikaho open-air bath
- Day-use bathing
- Yes
- Fee
- ¥600checked 2026-10-09
- Hours
- 4–9月 9:00–18:00 / 10–3月 10:00–18:00checked 2026-10-09
Hotel · Open
Hotel Matsumotoro
- Day-use bathing
- Unconfirmed
- Fee
- Unconfirmedno check date
- Hours
- Unconfirmedchecked 2026-10-09
Baths1
| Type | Gender | Source | Bath temperature | Free-flowing | Added water | Heated | Recirculated | Disinfected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indoor bath | Separate | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed |
Getting there
Reachable by public transport
From Shibukawa Station on the JR Joetsu Line, Kan-etsu Kotsu bus about 15–25 minutes to Ikaho Onsen bus terminal. Gunma Bus also runs direct from Takasaki Station. Express buses ('Joshu Yumeguri' from Shinjuku/Tokyo; 'Ikaho Liner', 2 round trips a day) serve the town.
- Getting there
- Shibukawa Station · 20
- Through the year
- Icy roads in winter; the steps get slippery.
- Checked
- 2026-10-09
About the water
Ikaho has two waters. The 'golden water' is a sulfate spring that emerges colourless, then turns rust-brown as its iron oxidises in the air; the stream under the steps has this colour, and tubs and channels build up iron deposits. The 'silver water' is low in minerals, clear, tasteless and odourless; the association describes it as a metasilicic-acid spring and suggests it for older people and those recovering from illness. We could not read an official notice of source temperature or pH. The association's 'benefits' page is the standard list of indications; we make no medical claims.
| Source | Source temperature | pH | Radon | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden water (source mixture) | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | no check date |
| Silver water | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | no check date |
Three things not to miss
Photo information
The Ishidan-gai stone steps
The spine of the town 365 steps climbing to Ikaho Shrine, rebuilt over five years from 1980 and extended to 365 in 2010. Along them: lines by the poet Yosano Akiko, zodiac marks for the twelve original 'great houses', and four komaguchi outlets that divide the spring water.
The whole logic of a spa town, water from the source running downhill past tiered inns, is visible in the staircase itself. The number 365 carries the wish that the town be busy every day of the year.[2][4]
Photo information
Ishidan-no-yu (golden water)
Lower part of the steps A warehouse-style bathhouse run by Shibukawa city, filled with the brown golden water. 800 yen, 10:00–20:00 (last entry 19:30), closed 2nd and 4th Tuesdays.
The place to see the colour of Ikaho's water before you climb the steps.[5][6]
Ikaho open-air bath and the drinking fountain
Above the steps, by the source An open-air bath right by the source, using golden water free-flowing. 600 yen; 9:00–18:00 April–September, 10:00–18:00 October–March; closed 1st and 3rd Thursdays (open daily in August). On the way up is Ikaho's only drinking fountain.
Fresh from the ground the golden water is colourless; it browns on contact with air. Drink it clear at the fountain, then sit in it brown at the bath, and you have witnessed the change yourself.[6][3]
The story
From the Manyoshu to the steps
The name Ikaho appears in the eighth-century Manyoshu poetry anthology. The town moved to its present site in 1590, and the tourist association dates the stone steps to that move. It flourished as a therapeutic spa through the Edo period, surviving repeated fires (1784, 1793, 1878, 1920). In 1898 the novelist Tokutomi Roka came and set his novel 'Hototogisu' here.[4][2]
The staircase is the plumbing
Beneath the steps runs the water from the source, divided at four komaguchi outlets to the inns. Twelve 'great houses' once held the bathing rights, and zodiac marks on the steps show where they stood. The staircase was rebuilt over five years from 1980 and lengthened to 365 steps in 2010, so that the town might be busy every day of the year. Partway up, lines by the poet Yosano Akiko are carved into the stone.[2][4]
Gold and silver
The golden water is a sulfate spring, colourless as it emerges; its iron browns on contact with air, so both the stream under the steps and the tubs are rust-coloured. The Ikaho open-air bath near the source uses it free-flowing, and the town's only drinking fountain is on the way up. The second water, the silver, is a clear metasilicic-acid spring, mild because it carries so little mineral.[3][6]
Getting there
Buses from Shibukawa Station take 15–25 minutes; there are also direct buses from Takasaki and express coaches from Shinjuku and Tokyo. Try the golden water at Ishidan-no-yu (800 yen) at the foot of the steps, climb the 365 to Ikaho Shrine, then cross Kajika Bridge to the open-air bath (600 yen). Autumn colour brings the biggest crowds.[8][5][6]
Going solo
Easy for solo travellersUnconfirmed
Weekend / peak restrictionsUnconfirmed
Where to eat dinnerEateries and onsen-manju shops on the steps; Mizusawa udon about 10 minutes away by car
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.
Oct · Nov — Autumn leaves lit at night around Kajika Bridge; the busiest season on the steps
Sep — Ikaho Festival (the stone-steps festival)
Jul · Aug · Sep — Tenugui art exhibition along the steps, 17 Jul–27 Sep (2026)
Food, culture & experiences
Ikaho Shrine
At the top of the steps; dedicated to the gods of hot springs and healing[2]
Top of the 365 stepsKajika Bridge
A vermilion bridge on the way to the source, famous for autumn colour[1]
About 10 minutes' walk above the stepsFormer Hawaiian Kingdom minister's villa
Summer house of Robert Irwin, the Hawaiian Kingdom's minister to Japan, restored and open to the public[4]
A few minutes from the stepsOnsen manju
The association credits Ikaho as the birthplace of the onsen manju steamed bun[2]
On the stepsSetting of Tokutomi Roka's novel 'Hototogisu'
The novelist visited in 1898 and set his best-known work here[4]
The townEditors' guide
Look at the brown water at Ishidan-no-yu first, then climb. Past the shrine, drink a mouthful of the clear water at the fountain, then sit in the browned water at the open-air bath: the iron story told through your own senses. Buy onsen manju on the steps.
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
伊香保温泉（いかほおんせん）は、群馬県渋川市伊香保町にある温泉。草津温泉と並んで県を代表する名湯で、上毛かるたでは「伊香保温泉 日本の名湯」と歌われている。 「伊香保温泉」として地域団体商標に登録されている。
This overview is based on the lead section of the Japanese Wikipedia article "伊香保温泉" (CC BY-SA 4.0). View original page
Onsen areas nearby
Unconfirmed & notes
- Source temperature, pH and analysis sheet not confirmed officially; the association gives only 'sulfate spring' as the formal type
- Shibukawa city's own page for Ishidan-no-yu could not be read; fee and hours follow the association's listing and public notices
- Bus fares/frequency and express-bus times unconfirmed; the association says about 15 minutes from Shibukawa, Wikipedia about 20
- Hotel Matsumotoro's day-use and solo-stay terms unconfirmed
Sources
- 渋川伊香保温泉観光協会 公式サイト渋川伊香保温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- 伊香保の石段街渋川伊香保温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- 伊香保温泉の効能(黄金の湯・白銀の湯)渋川伊香保温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- 伊香保温泉の歴史渋川伊香保温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- 癒す(日帰り入浴施設一覧)渋川伊香保温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- 伊香保露天風呂渋川伊香保温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- 伊香保温泉 - WikipediaWikipedia · 2026-10-09
- 伊香保 アクセス渋川伊香保温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
Register sources
- 伊香保温泉 - Wikipedia(日本語版)Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-10-09
- Wikidata Q11381013Wikidata · CC0 · 2026-10-09
Data status
Name & locationPublishedCoordinatesPublishedSpring typePublishedPhotosPublishedFacilitiesPublishedVisiting info (dated)PublishedEditorial articlePublished
Updated 2026-10-09
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