Foot bath · Open
Shirasagi-no-yu foot bath (Yuhigaura-Kitsu-onsen Station)
- Day-use bathing
- Yes
- Fee
- ¥0checked 2026-10-09
- Hours
- 9:00–17:00checked 2026-10-09
Photo information
Save to passport
Official classification
Spring type (therapeutic classes)
Official spring-type name (as recorded)Alkaline simple hot spring
- Source temperature
- 41°C
- pH
- Unconfirmed
- Flow rate
- 1,400 L/min
- 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
Kyoto Prefecture's oldest spring, by tradition, lies on the Sea of Japan side of the Tango peninsula, a long rail ride from Kyoto city, and it even bubbles up on the station platform.
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.
Ryokan (inn) · Status unconfirmed
Former Ebisuya inn / LiVEMAX Resort Yuhigaura-Kitsu Onsen
- Day-use bathing
- Unconfirmed
- Fee
- Unconfirmedno check date
- Hours
- Unconfirmedchecked 2026-10-09
Getting there
Reachable by public transport
About 1 minute's walk from Yuhigaura-Kitsu-onsen Station on the Kyoto Tango Railway's Miyatoyo line. From Kyoto Station use the through limited express 'Hashidate' and connecting trains (journey time unconfirmed; roughly two and a half hours is the usual guide). By car, about 21 km from the Kyotango-Omiya exit of the San'in Kinki Expressway.
- Getting there
- Yuhigaura-Kitsu-onsen Station · 1
- Through the year
- Winter snow and strong winds on the Sea of Japan coast can delay trains
- Checked
- 2026-10-09
About the water
Kitsu's water is an alkaline simple spring, 41 °C at the source with a flow of 1,400 litres a minute (Wikipedia). It is not mineral-rich; what to expect is the smooth, slippery feel typical of alkaline water. The station foot bath is described as natural hot spring water. We could not read the inns' notices on added water, heating or recirculation. Indications listed on Wikipedia include neuralgia, muscle and joint pain, skin conditions and rheumatism.
Indications (as posted on the analysis)
Neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain, skin conditions, rheumatism and others (as listed on Wikipedia)
Indications are an official statement based on the water analysis, not a guarantee of treatment. They are kept separate from opinions.
| Source | Source temperature | pH | Radon | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kitsu Onsen source | 41 | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | no check date |
Three things not to miss
Photo information
Shirasagi-no-yu, the platform foot bath
Platform of Yuhigaura-Kitsu-onsen Station, Kyoto Tango Railway A natural hot-spring foot bath sits on the station platform, open 9:00–17:00; non-passengers need a platform ticket. The station building itself is styled like a black-and-white hot-spring inn.
Waiting for the train becomes the onsen experience. In a spa with no dedicated day-use bathhouse, this is the one place anyone can reliably touch the water.[2][1]
Photo information
The legend of Gyoki and the white heron
The whole spa Tradition says the Nara-period monk Gyoki found the spring after watching a white heron heal its wounds in it, hence the alias 'Shirasagi (white heron) Onsen'. Documentary evidence starts in the 18th century; the modern spa dates from a 43 °C source found in 1911.
The 'oldest in Kyoto' claim is more interesting when you hold legend and record side by side. The foot bath's name comes from this story.[1]
Photo information
The inn where Matsumoto Seicho wrote 'The D Compound'
Former Ebisuya inn, Taisho building (now LiVEMAX Resort Yuhigaura-Kitsu Onsen) From June 1965 the novelist Matsumoto Seicho stayed about two months at the former Ebisuya inn and wrote his mystery 'D no Fukugo' (The D Compound), in which it appears as the 'Urashima-kan'. The Taisho-era wooden main building survives.
A small spa that earned a place in the history of Japanese detective fiction. Check the inn's current operator and whether the building can be viewed.[1]
The story
The far end of Kyoto Prefecture
Kitsu Onsen lies in Amino, Kyotango, on the Sea of Japan side of the Tango peninsula. It is in Kyoto Prefecture, yet some two and a half hours by rail from Kyoto city, and nothing like the Kyoto of the imagination: this is a land of sandy beaches, fishing ports and crab. Step off the train at Yuhigaura-Kitsu-onsen Station and you are already in the spa, which has three inns (2025). Tradition credits the Nara-period monk Gyoki with discovering it after watching a white heron heal its wounds, hence 'Kyoto's oldest spring' and the alias Shirasagi Onsen.[1]
Legend, and a 1911 drilling
The legend is Nara-period, but written records begin in the 18th century. The modern spa started with a 43 °C source found in 1911, and the railway station of 1931 brought visitors. The water is an alkaline simple spring, 41 °C and 1,400 litres a minute. In 1965 the novelist Matsumoto Seicho spent about two months at the Ebisuya inn writing 'The D Compound', a mystery set in Tango.[1]
No bathhouse, but a foot bath on the platform
Kitsu has no dedicated day-use bathhouse. Instead the station platform holds the natural hot-spring foot bath Shirasagi-no-yu, open 9:00–17:00; non-passengers buy a platform ticket. For travellers not staying overnight, this is the sure way to meet Kitsu's water. Pair it with snow crab in winter or the beach at neighbouring Yuhigaura in summer and the shape of this small spa becomes clear.[2][1][4]
Going solo
Easy for solo travellersUnconfirmed
Weekend / peak restrictionsUnconfirmed
Where to eat dinnerFew restaurants in the spa; plan on eating at your 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.
Nov · Dec · Jan · Feb · Mar — Snow-crab season (the fishery opens on 6 November, per the Amino tourism office); crab dinners at the inns take centre stage
Jul · Aug — The beaches at neighbouring Yuhigaura and Hamazume open for swimming
Food, culture & experiences
Yuhigaura (Hamazume beach)
A sandy bay named for its sunsets over the Sea of Japan; a swimming beach in summer[4]
About 20 minutes on foot or 5 by car from the stationMatsuba snow crab
The season opens on 6 November; winter menus at Tango inns revolve around crab[4]
At the spa's innsMatsumoto Seicho's Taisho building
The inn where 'The D Compound' was written; check viewing arrangements[1]
A few minutes' walk from the stationEditors' guide
Take the through limited express from Kyoto to Tango. On arrival, rest your feet in the platform bath, leave your bag at the inn and walk to the Yuhigaura beach. Small, quiet inns suit solo travellers. If coming in winter, check crab-course prices first. There is no day-use bathhouse, so bathing means staying overnight or an inn that admits day visitors.
The "editors' guide" above is written by the editors from sources; it is not a visitor's opinion.
Photo gallery
Visitor reviews
No reviews yet. While the review platform is being prepared, we do not display fictional reviews or ratings.
Review posting is in preparation, with visit date, facility, comments on water, scenery and access, photos, language and reporting.
Onsen areas nearby
Unconfirmed & notes
- Journey time and fare from Kyoto Station not confirmed officially
- Solo-stay terms, day-use bathing and fees at the three inns are unconfirmed; the former Ebisuya's current operation (LiVEMAX Resort) comes from a Commons photo description and needs confirming
- Source pH, analysis sheet and water-treatment notices could not be read
Sources
- 木津温泉 - WikipediaWikipedia · 2026-10-09
- 夕日ヶ浦木津温泉駅 - 京都丹後鉄道(WILLER TRAINS)WILLER TRAINS · 2026-10-09
- アクセス - 京丹後市観光公社京丹後市観光公社 · 2026-10-09
- 網野町観光協会(京丹後地域本部 網野町支部)京都府北部地域連携都市圏振興社 網野町支部 · 2026-10-09
Register sources
- 木津温泉 - Wikipedia(日本語版)Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-10-09
- Wikidata Q11519251Wikidata · CC0 · 2026-10-09
Data status
Name & locationPublishedCoordinatesPublishedSpring typePublishedPhotosPublishedFacilitiesPublishedVisiting info (dated)PublishedEditorial articlePublished
Updated 2026-10-09
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