Japan Onsen Atlas温泉アトラス
The Hokigawa river running through the Shiobara gorge
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Kanto · Onsen district (group of areas)

Shiobara Onsen

しおばらおんせんきょう · 塩原温泉郷

Tochigi · 那須塩原市

Open100 Onsen to Know Japan — No. 31
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Official classification

Spring type (therapeutic classes)

Sulfur springAcidic springSulfate springChloride springBicarbonate springSimple hot spring

Official spring-type name (as recorded)Sulfur, acidic, sulfate, chloride, bicarbonate and simple springs across the district; each village and source differs

Source temperature
Unconfirmed
pH
2.6–9.2
Flow rate
10,000 L/min
Radon
Unconfirmed

Appearance & feel

Water colour · Feel

Milky whiteGreenBlack (moor water etc.)

Colour and feel are listed only where a source states them. They vary by day and by bath.

What makes it special

Eleven hot-spring villages line a single river, and the water changes colour and chemistry with every bend as you climb the valley.
Why?

The Shiobara inn cooperative counts more than 150 sources for about 60 inns, and Wikipedia lists the eleven springs along the Hokigawa with their differing water types.[1][4]

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 bathing
Yes
Fee
¥300checked 2026-10-09
Hours
9:00–18:00(12〜3月は17:00まで)checked 2026-10-09
Official siteDetails
Baths1
TypeGenderSourceBath temperatureFree-flowingAdded waterHeatedRecirculatedDisinfected
Foot bathMixedUnconfirmedUnconfirmedUnconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]
Ryokan (inn) · Open

Oideikan (the 'ink bath')

Day-use bathing
Yes
Fee
¥700checked 2026-10-09
Hours
10:00–16:00checked 2026-10-09
Official site
Baths1
TypeGenderSourceBath temperatureFree-flowingAdded waterHeatedRecirculatedDisinfected
Indoor bathUnconfirmedOwn source: sulfur-bearing sodium chloride/bicarbonate spring, hydrogen-sulfide typeUnconfirmedYes[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]
Ryokan (inn) · Open

Gensenkan

Day-use bathing
Yes
Fee
¥800checked 2026-10-09
Hours
8:00–18:00checked 2026-10-09
Official site
Baths1
TypeGenderSourceBath temperatureFree-flowingAdded waterHeatedRecirculatedDisinfected
Open-air bathUnconfirmedSulfur-bearing sodium chloride/bicarbonate spring, hydrogen-sulfide type, acidicUnconfirmedUnconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]
Public bathhouse · Status unconfirmed

Momiji-no-yu neighbourhood bath (Furumachi)

Day-use bathing
Yes
Fee
Unconfirmedno check date
Hours
Unconfirmedchecked 2026-10-09
Official site
Baths1
TypeGenderSourceBath temperatureFree-flowingAdded waterHeatedRecirculatedDisinfected
Open-air bathMixedSodium-calcium chloride and bicarbonate springUnconfirmedUnconfirmed[5]Unconfirmed[5]Unconfirmed[5]Unconfirmed[5]Unconfirmed[5]

Getting there

Reachable by public transport

From Nasushiobara (Tohoku Shinkansen) or Nishi-Nasuno (JR Utsunomiya Line) take the JR Bus Shiobara line about 40 minutes to Shiobara Onsen bus terminal at Furumachi/Hataori. From Kami-Miyori-Shiobara-Onsenguchi on the Yagan Railway the municipal Yu-bus takes about 20 minutes. JR Bus Kanto also runs the 'Nasu-Shiobara' express coach from Shinjuku.

Getting there
Nasushiobara / Nishi-Nasuno Station · 40
Through the year
Snow and ice in winter; the Motoyu and Arayu inns ask day visitors to check snow conditions first
Checked
2026-10-09
Show on mapOpen in Google MapsOfficial site

About the water

There is no single 'Shiobara water'. Along the Hokigawa, villages such as Fukuwata, Shiogama, Hataori and Furumachi have mostly chloride and bicarbonate springs that look nearly clear. Up the side valley at Arayu and Motoyu the water is sulfur and acid spring, and turns milky. Gensenkan at Motoyu draws on three sources and says the colour shifts between milky white, green and black from day to day; neighbouring Oideikan pipes a black 'ink bath'. Across the district pH ranges from 2.6 to 9.2, so you can compare sharp acidic water with slippery alkaline water without leaving the valley. The inn cooperative posts indications for each water type; we make no medical claims.

Indications (as posted on the analysis)

Posted by the inn cooperative: chloride springs for cuts, burns, chronic skin and gynaecological complaints; sulfur springs for cuts, chronic skin complaints, diabetes, high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis, among others (by water type)

Indications are an official statement based on the water analysis, not a guarantee of treatment. They are kept separate from opinions.

SourceSource temperaturepHRadonChecked
Oideikan (Motoyu)UnconfirmedUnconfirmedUnconfirmedno check date
Gensenkan (Motoyu)UnconfirmedUnconfirmedUnconfirmedno check date
Monogatarikan footbath (Furumachi)UnconfirmedUnconfirmedUnconfirmedno check date

Three things not to miss

The Hokigawa river running through the Shiobara gorge
Photo information
Kanohara (talk) Public domain View original page
01

Following the eleven springs up the river

Along Route 400 and the Hokigawa from Oami to Kamishiobara, plus Okushiobara (Arayu and Motoyu) Oami, lowest down, has sulfate water; Fukuwata, Shiogama, Hataori and Furumachi are chloride springs; Arayu and Motoyu, off up a side valley, are sulfur and acid springs. The bus terminal is at Furumachi/Hataori, the centre of the district.

Under the single name 'Shiobara' you can go from clear water to milky, green and ink-black baths within a few kilometres. It is the place to understand the word onsen-kyo with your own skin.[4][2]

02

Neighbourhood baths with no attendant

Arayu (Tera-no-yu, Naka-no-yu, Mujina-no-yu) and Furumachi (Momiji-no-yu) Four small volunteer-run baths survive. There is no attendant; you drop your fee into a box. Momiji-no-yu is the only open-air one and is a single shared bath for everyone.

These are the town baths from the days before homes had bathrooms, still in use. They are part of daily life rather than tourist facilities, so keep it quiet and brief.[5][4]

Suspension bridge surrounded by autumn leaves
Photo information
Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan CC BY 2.0 View original page
03

Yuppo-no-sato foot-bath park and the waterfall walks

Centre of town (Shiobara 602-1) and the Shiobara gorge A hot-spring park with a 60-metre footbath in six sections of differing temperature, plus a drinking fountain. Down the gorge are the 320 m Momijidani suspension bridge, Ryuka Falls and the Kurenai bridge among many waterfalls and footbridges.

Shiobara offers ways to enjoy an onsen town beyond soaking. Compare temperatures in the footbath first, and the differences between the inns' waters become much clearer.[2][4]

The story

The water changes as you climb

Shiobara Onsen-kyo is the collective name for eleven hot springs scattered along the Hokigawa gorge in northern Tochigi, between Mt Takahara and the Osabi range, long known as the 'eleven baths of Shiobara'. The Motoyu spring is said to have been found in 806–810, giving the district more than a thousand years of history. From downstream the villages run Oami, Fukuwata, Shiogama, Shionoyu, Hataori, Monzen, Furumachi, Nakashiobara and Kamishiobara; only Arayu and Motoyu sit away from the river on higher ground to the south, and are also called Okushiobara. Six water types occur here, sulfur, acid, sulfate, chloride, bicarbonate and simple, with pH from 2.6 to 9.2 and a flow of over 10,000 litres a minute. The inn cooperative calls this a 'heritage of sources' and invites visitors to choose their bath by chemistry and colour.[4][1]

Borrowing the villagers' baths

Shiobara has always had many communal baths; before homes had bathrooms, each hamlet kept its own. Four remain: Tera-no-yu, Naka-no-yu and Mujina-no-yu at Arayu (acid sulfur springs) and Momiji-no-yu at Furumachi (chloride/bicarbonate). All are run by volunteers with no attendant, and you pay into a box. Momiji-no-yu is the only open-air one and is shared by men and women; in autumn the maples around it turn red. Fukuwata's Iwa-no-yu and Fudo-no-yu, across a footbridge from the village, are also mixed open-air baths, but Fudo-no-yu was closed in 2015 over bad behaviour and has since opened only under conditions and for limited periods. Check the current situation before you go.[5][4]

The cloudy baths and the ink bath of Okushiobara

Arayu and Motoyu sit on the mountainside away from the Hokigawa and are known for cloudy, sulfur-scented water. Oideikan at Motoyu has its own source and offers what the cooperative calls Japan's only 'ink bath', a black spring run without recirculation (day bathing 700 yen, 10:00–16:00, last entry 14:00). Next door, Gensenkan draws on three sources and says the colour shifts between milky, green and black from day to day (800 yen, 8:00–18:00). At Arayu, Keiunkaku and the Okushiobara Kogen Hotel have white simple acid sulfur water. All ask winter visitors to check snow conditions, and buses are few, so an inn pick-up or a car is the realistic way up.[2][4]

Footbaths, a horse carriage and footbridges

In the town centre, the Yuppo-no-sato park (300 yen) has a 60-metre footbath corridor whose six sections differ in temperature. The footbath at the Monogatarikan visitor hall is free, 9:00–17:00. From April to November a horse carriage with a brass horn trots through town, and the 'tote-yaki' sweet named after it has become a local speciality. Down the gorge, the 320 m Momijidani suspension bridge over Shiobara Dam, Ryuka Falls and the Kurenai bridge are linked by hiking trails. The Yunoka Shiobara roadside station at the valley mouth is where express and local buses connect, and in winter it doubles as a chain-fitting stop.[2][4]

Going solo

Easy for solo travellersUnconfirmed
Weekend / peak restrictionsUnconfirmed
Where to eat dinnerRestaurants in the Furumachi/Hataori town centre (local soup yakisoba, tote-yaki sweets)
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.

Oct · Nov — Autumn colour in the gorge: Momijidani bridge, Kurenai bridge and the maples around Momiji-no-yu

Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov — The tote horse carriage runs April to November

Dec · Jan · Feb · Mar — Snow and ice; Yuppo-no-sato closes at 17:00. Okushiobara's cloudy baths in snow are the reward, but check road conditions

Food, culture & experiences

Available / bookable

Soup yakisoba and tote-yaki

A local noodle dish served in broth, and a crepe-like sweet created by three bun shops and named after the carriage's horn[4][1]

Shops around the town centre
Available / bookable

Yumeguri pass

A discount pass for day bathing at participating inns across the district[4]

Throughout the district

Editors' guide

Day one: get off at the Shiobara Onsen bus terminal, walk the Yuppo-no-sato footbath to feel the temperature changes, and cross the footbridges along the Hokigawa. Choose your inn either in the chloride-water centre (Furumachi/Hataori) or up in the cloudy-water villages (Motoyu/Arayu). Day two: visit the other side for a day bath, Oideikan's ink bath or Gensenkan. At the neighbourhood baths remember the fee box and the silence. In winter check the road before heading up to Okushiobara.

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 in this district

Onsen areas nearby

Unconfirmed & notes

  • Fees, hours and current status of the neighbourhood baths (Momiji-no-yu, Tera-no-yu, Naka-no-yu, Mujina-no-yu, Iwa-no-yu, Fudo-no-yu) could not be read officially and are left blank
  • Source temperatures, pH and analysis sheets unconfirmed (the district-wide pH 2.6–9.2 is from Wikipedia)
  • JR bus fares and frequency, inns' solo-stay terms and tattoo policies unconfirmed

Sources

  1. ShiobaLove 温泉とお宿(源泉遺産・6種の泉質)塩原温泉旅館協同組合・塩原温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
  2. ShiobaLove 日帰り温泉一覧塩原温泉旅館協同組合・塩原温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
  3. ShiobaLove アクセス塩原温泉旅館協同組合・塩原温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
  4. 塩原温泉郷 - WikipediaWikipedia · 2026-10-09
  5. 共同浴場文化(塩原温泉ビジターセンター運営協議会)— 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース観光庁 · 2026-10-09

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Data status

Name & locationPublishedCoordinatesPublishedSpring typePublishedPhotosPublishedFacilitiesPublishedVisiting info (dated)PublishedEditorial articlePublished

Updated 2026-10-09

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