Public bathhouse · Seasonal
Onsenji temple bath (Yakushi-yu)
- Day-use bathing
- Yes
- Fee
- ¥500checked 2026-10-09
- Hours
- 8:00–17:00(受付 8:00–16:00)checked 2026-10-09
Photo information
Save to passport
Official classification
Spring type (therapeutic classes)
Official spring-type name (as recorded)Hydrogen-sulfide type simple sulfur spring (inn cooperative); the temple bath is a sulfur-bearing calcium-sodium sulfate/bicarbonate spring
- Source temperature
- 71.4°C
- pH
- Unconfirmed
- Flow rate
- Unconfirmed
- Radon
- Unconfirmed
Appearance & feel
Water colour · Feel
Milky whiteGreenYunohana (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
At 1,500 metres beside a lake, spring huts stand in a marsh where clear water turns milky white the moment it meets the air.
Why?
The Okunikko Yumoto inn cooperative explains that the water is colourless at the source and turns milky white, sometimes emerald green, on contact with air, and gives 19 sources with a flow of 1,788.5 litres a minute. The source field is in the Yunodaira marsh at the edge of the village (Wikipedia).[1][5]
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.
Foot bath · Open
Anyo-no-yu footbath
- Day-use bathing
- Yes
- Fee
- ¥0checked 2026-10-09
- Hours
- Unconfirmedchecked 2026-10-09
Ryokan (inn) · Open
Yumori Kamaya
- Day-use bathing
- Yes
- Fee
- Unconfirmedno check date
- Hours
- Unconfirmedchecked 2026-10-09
Getting there
Reachable by public transport
From JR Nikko or Tobu-Nikko Station take the Tobu bus bound for Yumoto Onsen, about 80–90 minutes to the last stop (fare 1,950 yen), via Chuzenji Onsen, Ryuzu Falls, Akanuma and Kotoku Onsen. By car it is about 40 minutes from the Kiyotaki exit of the Nikko-Utsunomiya toll road, up the Irohazaka hairpins.
- Getting there
- Tobu-Nikko / JR Nikko Station · 85
- Through the year
- The Konsei road (Route 120) closes from late December to late April, cutting the route through to Numata. Snow and ice are possible until mid-May, so winter tyres or chains are needed; midwinter temperatures can fall below −10°C
- Checked
- 2026-10-09
About the water
Yumoto's water is a hydrogen-sulfide type simple sulfur spring, 49.3–78.9°C at source and neutral to slightly acidic. It is colourless underground but turns milky white, sometimes emerald green, once it meets the air, as the sulfur reacts and forms fine particles; flakes of yunohana float in the baths. Nineteen sources give 1,788.5 litres a minute, enough to supply not only Yumoto's inns but Kotoku and Chuzenji further down the valley. The bath at Onsenji temple beside the source field is a sulfur-bearing calcium-sodium sulfate/bicarbonate spring at 71.4°C, too hot to enter without cold water. The inn cooperative lists indications such as high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis (for the hydrogen-sulfide type), diabetes and chronic skin complaints, and warns people with sensitive skin or light sensitivity to avoid it. We make no claims of our own.
Indications (as posted on the analysis)
Posted by the inn cooperative: high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis (hydrogen-sulfide type), diabetes, chronic gynaecological and skin complaints, cuts, neuralgia, muscle and joint pain and others. Contraindications include sensitive skin or mucous membranes, especially light sensitivity, and dry skin in the elderly
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yumoto sources (19 in total) | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | no check date |
| Onsenji Yakushi-yu | 71.4 | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | no check date |
Three things not to miss
Photo information
The source field at Yunodaira marsh
At the edge of the village, north of Lake Yunoko Hot water wells up across the marsh, each source protected by a small roofed hut. From here water is piped not only to the village inns but to Kotoku Onsen and distant Chuzenji Onsen as well.
Normally you only meet a 'source' in a bathtub; here you see the actual places where it rises. The reason clear water turns white becomes obvious on the spot.[5][1]
Bathing at Onsenji temple
Beside the source field (Yumoto 2559) A branch temple of Rinnoji in Nikko. It traces its origin to 788, when the monk Shodo found the spring and enshrined the Buddha of healing; for a 500-yen offering you can bathe in the temple's Yakushi-yu (mid-April to late November). Sulfur-bearing calcium-sodium sulfate/bicarbonate water at 71.4°C, free-flowing with cold water added but no heating.
Temples with a bath are rare anywhere in Japan. Sitting in it, you feel how closely therapeutic bathing was once tied to faith.[3][4]
Photo information
Lake Yunoko, Yutaki Falls and the quiet of winter
South of the village, around the lake and down to the falls The village sits on the north shore of Lake Yunoko; the lake drains over Yutaki Falls, and boardwalks lead on to the Senjogahara marsh. The August average is about 18.5°C. In winter the lake freezes and the small ski area and snowshoe trails take over.
There is none of the nightlife of Kinugawa downriver: about 23 inns, walking, bathing, walking again. It is close to the original idea of a recreation spa.[1][5]
The story
The first of the National Recreation Hot Springs
Nikko Yumoto Onsen lies in Okunikko on the north shore of Lake Yunoko, below the Konsei pass. Tradition says the monk Shodo, who founded the Nikko temples, discovered it in 788, and it served as a toji (long-stay therapeutic bathing) resort ever after. An Edo-period gazetteer lists nine bathhouses here; the winters were so hard that until the early twentieth century it opened mainly in summer. In 1878 the British traveller Isabella Bird stayed and described the crowds of bathers in her letters. In 1954 it was named, with Sukayu and Shima, one of the first three National Recreation Hot Springs. Today about 23 inns line the lakeshore, with none of the nightlife of Kinugawa downstream.[2][5]
Clear water that turns white
Yumoto's water is a hydrogen-sulfide type simple sulfur spring, 49.3–78.9°C at source. Underground it is colourless; on meeting the air it turns milky white and sometimes emerald green. Nineteen sources give 1,788.5 litres a minute. The source field is the Yunodaira marsh at the edge of the village, where each spring has its own small roofed hut, and from here water is piped to the inns and on to Kotoku and Chuzenji Onsen. Walk the boardwalks and you see the 'source' as it rises, not just as it arrives in a tub.[1][5]
A temple you can bathe in
Beside the source field stands Onsenji, a branch of Rinnoji temple. It was once a Yakushi hall elsewhere in the village; in 1966 a typhoon sent a five-metre boulder through the roof, yet the Buddha image was found unharmed on top of the rock. In 1973 the temple was rebuilt here, next to the springs. Its Yakushi-yu bath uses sulfur-bearing calcium-sodium sulfate/bicarbonate water at 71.4°C, free-flowing and unheated, with cold water added; you adjust it yourself with the tap. The offering is 500 yen for adults and 300 yen for children, reception 8:00–16:00, open from around mid-April to late November. Overnight stays are currently suspended.[3][4]
In winter there is only one way in
Yumoto stands at about 1,500 m. The Konsei road (Route 120) closes from late December to late April, so there is no way through to Gunma and the only winter approach is the Irohazaka hairpins. Lake Chuzenji has a Pacific-side climate but Yumoto is influenced by the Sea of Japan, and it often snows here when it is dry below. Midwinter drops below −10°C, and diesel fuel can gel. The bus from Nikko takes 80–90 minutes and costs 1,950 yen; there are six free car parks. Milky baths in the snow, skiing and snowshoeing are the winter rewards, but note that the temple bath is closed.[4][6][1]
Going solo
Easy for solo travellersUnconfirmed
Weekend / peak restrictionsUnconfirmed
Where to eat dinnerFew restaurants in the village; plan on eating at your inn
Private bathYes
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 · Aug — A summer retreat with an August average of about 18.5°C. On 8 August the temple holds its Yakushi festival and fire ceremony on the lakeshore
Oct — Autumn colour; the Irohazaka road jams, so allow extra time even by bus
Dec · Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr — The temple bath is closed (late November to mid-April). The lake freezes, ski and snowshoe season; the Konsei road is shut
Food, culture & experiences
Yutaki Falls and Senjogahara marsh
The falls where the lake drains, and beyond them the Ramsar-listed Senjogahara marsh, with boardwalk hiking trails[1][2]
About 20–30 minutes on foot from the village along the lakeshore to the fallsSutra copying at Onsenji
Copy 16 characters of the Yakushi sutra and receive a special stamp; 1,000 yen, daily during the bathing season 9:00–15:00, about 15 minutes[3]
5 minutes from the bus stopYumoto ski area, snowshoeing and the Kirikomi–Karikomi lakes hike
Skiing and cross-country in winter; in the snow-free months, hiking to the Kirikomi and Karikomi lakes or fishing on Lake Yunoko[2]
Walking distance from the villageEditors' guide
Off the bus at the last stop, walk the Yunodaira boardwalks first to see the spring huts. Bathe at the temple next door (mid-April to late November), then rest your feet at Anyo-no-yu. Save your inn's milky bath for the evening. Next morning follow the lakeshore to Yutaki Falls and, with time, on to Senjogahara. In winter it is skis and snowshoes, but remember the temple bath is shut.
The "editors' guide" above is written by the editors from sources; it is not a visitor's opinion.
Photo gallery
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Onsen areas nearby
Unconfirmed & notes
- Individual temperatures, pH and analysis sheets of the 19 sources unconfirmed (the cooperative gives only the 49.3–78.9°C range)
- Anyo-no-yu's hours and winter availability, inns' day-bathing fees, solo-stay terms and tattoo policies unconfirmed
- Tobu bus frequency unconfirmed; the temple's closing date is announced each year on the Rinnoji site
Sources
- 奥日光湯元温泉旅館協同組合 湯元温泉について奥日光湯元温泉旅館協同組合 · 2026-10-09
- 奥日光湯元温泉旅館協同組合 日帰り温泉・交通案内・文化と歴史奥日光湯元温泉旅館協同組合 · 2026-10-09
- 日光山輪王寺 温泉寺日光山輪王寺 · 2026-10-09
- 日光山輪王寺 温泉寺(日光市観光協会)一般社団法人日光市観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- 日光湯元温泉 - WikipediaWikipedia · 2026-10-09
- 東武バス日光 日光地区路線・運賃東武バス · 2026-10-09
Register sources
- 日光湯元温泉 - Wikipedia(日本語版)Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-10-09
- Wikidata Q11504887Wikidata · CC0 · 2026-10-09
Data status
Name & locationPublishedCoordinatesPublishedSpring typePublishedPhotosPublishedFacilitiesPublishedVisiting info (dated)PublishedEditorial articlePublished
Updated 2026-10-09
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