Foot bath · Open
Ogoto Onsen Tourism Park foot bath
- Day-use bathing
- Yes
- Fee
- ¥0checked 2026-10-09
- Hours
- 9:00–18:00checked 2026-10-09
Photo information
Save to passport
Official classification
Spring type (therapeutic classes)
Official spring-type name (as recorded)Alkaline simple hot spring (hypotonic, alkaline)
- Source temperature
- 30°C
- pH
- 8.58
- Flow rate
- Unconfirmed
- Radon
- Unconfirmed
Appearance & feel
Water colour · Feel
ClearSilky / slippery
Colour and feel are listed only where a source states them. They vary by day and by bath.
What makes it special
A few stops from Kyoto on the Kosei line, pH 9.0 alkaline water overlooking Lake Biwa, in a spa whose inns spent twenty years rewriting its red-light reputation.
Why?
The Ogoto Onsen Tourism Association lists the water as alkaline simple hot spring, pH 9.0, 36 °C, about 400 kilolitres a day, about five stops from Kyoto on the JR Kosei line. Wikipedia records the image problem created by adult businesses from 1971, the inns' improvement drive from the 2000s and the station's renaming in 2008.[1][2][6]
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
Spa Resort Ogoto Agaryanse
- Day-use bathing
- Yes
- Fee
- ¥1,650checked 2026-10-09
- Hours
- 10:00–24:00checked 2026-10-09
Baths2
| Type | Gender | Source | Bath temperature | Free-flowing | Added water | Heated | Recirculated | Disinfected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open-air bath | Separate | Two on-site springs | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed[7] | Unconfirmed[7] | Unconfirmed[7] | Unconfirmed[7] | Unconfirmed[7] |
| Indoor bath | Separate | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed[7] | Unconfirmed[7] | Unconfirmed[7] | Unconfirmed[7] | Unconfirmed[7] |
Ryokan (inn) · Open
Yumotokan
- Day-use bathing
- Yes
- Fee
- ¥2,000checked 2026-10-09
- Hours
- 11:00–21:30checked 2026-10-09
Getting there
Reachable by public transport
Get off at JR Ogoto-onsen Station on the Kosei line (about five stops from Kyoto; take a Kosei-line local, not the Biwako line). The tourism park and foot bath are a 20-minute walk from the station; Agaryanse runs a free shuttle and the inns offer pick-ups. Electric bicycles can be hired at the park (1,000 yen for 2 hours).
- Getting there
- Ogoto-onsen Station · 20
- Checked
- 2026-10-09
About the water
Ogoto's water is a pH 9.0 alkaline simple spring; the association calls it a 'beautifying bath' and points to the smooth feel of the skin afterwards. Being hypotonic it is gentle, and the association says it suits sensitive skin and pregnant women. At 36 °C the source is lukewarm, so baths are presumably heated (facility notices unconfirmed). Output is about 400 kilolitres a day; the park's foot bath is posted as colourless and clear. The association's history page says development began in the Taisho era when water from Hoko-ji temple's Nenbutsu pond was found to be a 'radium mineral spring', but whether current analyses show radon is unconfirmed.
Indications (as posted on the analysis)
Neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain and others (as listed by the association)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ogoto Onsen (association figures) | 36 | 9 | Unconfirmed | no check date |
Three things not to miss
Photo information
Baths above Lake Biwa
Upper floors of the lakeside inns Ogoto's inns stand on the slope above the lake, and their upper-floor open-air baths look straight across Lake Biwa. Yumotokan admits day visitors 11:00–21:30 for 2,000 yen (association inn list).
Almost nowhere else can you bathe looking out over Japan's largest lake, and this one is a day trip from Kyoto.[4][2]
Photo information
The free foot bath at the tourism park
Ogoto Onsen Tourism Park (1-2-17 Ogoto) Open 9:00–18:00, free. Posted as alkaline simple hot spring (hypotonic, alkaline), about 36 °C, colourless and clear. Towels sold for 150 yen, changing room provided; a foot-bath cafe and bicycle hire on site.
Twenty minutes' walk from the station; a way to test the source's temperature and feel without entering an inn.[3]
Spa Resort Ogoto Agaryanse
3-9-5 Noka, Otsu A large day spa with two springs of its own. Open 10:00–midnight (last entry 23:00); adults 1,650 yen (2,050 on weekends and holidays) including loungewear and towels. Open-air rock bath over the lake, Shigaraki pottery tubs, saunas and bedrock baths. No entry with tattoos.
With all-day facilities and a free shuttle from the station, it is the entry point for those not staying overnight.[5][7]
The story
The sound of a koto and the Nenbutsu pond
The association traces the name Ogoto to the sound of a koto drifting from the mansion of a courtier, Imao no Sukune, who lived here. The spring is credited to the monk Saicho and claims some 1,200 years, but modern development began in the Taisho era when water from Hoko-ji temple's Nenbutsu pond was found to be a 'radium mineral spring'. A station arrived in the Taisho years, inns followed, and by the 1990s the present inns had taken shape.[8][6]
Twenty years of rewriting an image
For decades Ogoto was known less for its baths than for the adult-entertainment district that grew next door from 1971, and it was often left out of travel guides. From the 2000s the inns upgraded their rooms and kitchens, all became certified Omi-beef restaurants, and the spa adopted the softer hiragana spelling of its name. In 2008 the nearest station was renamed Ogoto-onsen, and annual guests have recovered to over 600,000 (Wikipedia). It was also among the first 'regional brands' certified in 2006.[6]
Lake views, twenty minutes from Kyoto
The water itself is a pH 9.0 alkaline simple spring that the association describes as skin-smoothing. Its character lies in the view rather than the chemistry: the inns' upper-floor open-air baths take in the whole lake, the hills opposite and the light on the water. Being a few Kosei-line stops from Kyoto Station, it works in many ways: as a bed when Kyoto is full, as a lake-and-bath break between temples, or as a first solo onsen. With a free foot bath, a large day spa and inns admitting day bathers, it works without an overnight stay too.[1][3][4][5]
Going solo
Easy for solo travellersUnconfirmed
Weekend / peak restrictionsUnconfirmed
Where to eat dinnerThree restaurants (Japanese, yakiniku, Italian) inside Agaryanse; few other eateries in the spa itself
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 colour on Mt Hiei and morning mist on the lake
Apr · May — Lakeside cherry blossom and fresh green; a way to sleep outside Kyoto's blossom-season crush
Dec · Jan · Feb — Winter snow on the west shore; take care if driving
Food, culture & experiences
Enryaku-ji temple on Mt Hiei
The World Heritage head temple of Tendai Buddhism; Ogoto sits at its eastern foot and the association recommends pairing the two[2]
About an hour from Ogoto-onsen Station via Sakamoto by cable car and busOmi beef
Every Ogoto inn is a certified Omi-beef restaurant (Wikipedia)[6]
At the innsLake Biwa cruises and cycling
The association lists lake cruises; electric bicycles for hire at the park, 1,000 yen for 2 hours[3][2]
From the tourism parkEditors' guide
Take a Kosei-line local from Kyoto to Ogoto-onsen. Walk to the tourism park for the free foot bath and the lake view, then spend the afternoon at Agaryanse or take a day bath at Yumotokan's lake-view open-air pool. Stay overnight for an Omi-beef dinner and the morning lake. If combining with Enryaku-ji on Mt Hiei, allow half a day for each.
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
雄琴温泉（おごとおんせん）は、滋賀県大津市苗鹿（のうか）・雄琴にある温泉。最澄によって開かれたと伝えられる約1200年の歴史を持つ由緒ある温泉。滋賀県下最大の温泉地であり、2000年以降、地元観光協会などでは平仮名表記の「おごと温泉」を使用している（後述）。 近年、各旅館経営者の改善努力によって特に変化著しい温泉地の一つであり、着実に宿泊客が増えている。2006年10月27日に第1回「地域ブランド」（地域団体商標）として認定されている（第5034857号）。
This overview is based on the lead section of the Japanese Wikipedia article "雄琴温泉" (CC BY-SA 4.0). View original page
Onsen areas nearby
Ohara Onsen
Biwako Onsen
北白川ラジウム温泉
北白川ラジウム温泉
9.6 km
くらま温泉
くらま温泉
11.2 km
Kurama Onsen
Photo information
Unconfirmed & notes
- The 20-minute journey time from Kyoto is from the selection note, not confirmed on an official page
- Agaryanse's two springs' formal names, temperatures, water-treatment notices and the shuttle's timings could not be read on its site
- Yumotokan's child fee and closures and the inns' solo-stay terms are unconfirmed. Wikipedia's pH 8.58 / 30 °C and the association's pH 9.0 / 36 °C may reflect different analyses
Sources
- おごと温泉について - おごと温泉観光協会おごと温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- アクセス - おごと温泉観光協会おごと温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- おごと温泉観光公園 - おごと温泉観光協会おごと温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- 宿一覧 - おごと温泉観光協会おごと温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- ご利用案内 - スパリゾート雄琴あがりゃんせスパリゾート雄琴あがりゃんせ · 2026-10-09
- 雄琴温泉 - WikipediaWikipedia · 2026-10-09
- 温泉 - スパリゾート雄琴あがりゃんせスパリゾート雄琴あがりゃんせ · 2026-10-09
- おごと温泉の歴史 - おごと温泉観光協会おごと温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
Register sources
- 雄琴温泉 - Wikipedia(日本語版)Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-10-09
- Wikidata Q11659228Wikidata · CC0 · 2026-10-09
Data status
Name & locationPublishedCoordinatesPublishedSpring typePublishedPhotosPublishedFacilitiesPublishedVisiting info (dated)PublishedEditorial articlePublished
Updated 2026-10-09
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