Wild spring · Open
Arayu (source and egg-boiling)
- Day-use bathing
- Yes
- Fee
- ¥0checked 2026-10-09
- Hours
- Unconfirmedchecked 2026-10-09
Photo information
Save to passport
Official classification
Spring type (therapeutic classes)
Official spring-type name (as recorded)Sodium chloride, sulfate and bicarbonate spring (hypotonic, weakly alkaline, high temperature)
- Source temperature
- 98°C
- pH
- 7.58
- Flow rate
- 470 L/min
- 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
Water at 98°C gushes from the rocks by the river at 470 litres a minute. People boil eggs in it, then soak their feet in the same water once it has cooled.
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
Fureai-no-yu foot bath
- Day-use bathing
- Yes
- Fee
- ¥0checked 2026-10-09
- Hours
- Unconfirmedchecked 2026-10-09
Public bathhouse · Open
Yakushi-yu (Yumura Onsen Visitor Centre)
- Day-use bathing
- Yes
- Fee
- Unconfirmedno check date
- Hours
- Unconfirmedchecked 2026-10-09
Baths2
| Type | Gender | Source | Bath temperature | Free-flowing | Added water | Heated | Recirculated | Disinfected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indoor bath | Separate | Yumura | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] |
| Open-air bath | Separate | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] |
Day-use bath · Open
Refresh Park Yumura
- Day-use bathing
- Yes
- Fee
- Unconfirmedno check date
- Hours
- Unconfirmedchecked 2026-10-09
Baths2
| Type | Gender | Source | Bath temperature | Free-flowing | Added water | Heated | Recirculated | Disinfected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indoor bath | Separate | Yumura | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] |
| Open-air bath | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] | Unconfirmed[4] |
Getting there
Reachable by public transport
From JR Hamasaka Station (San'in Line) the Zentan bus takes about 25 minutes, hourly. From JR Yoka Station it is 60–75 minutes, six buses a day. Zentan highway buses run from Osaka-Umeda and Kobe-Sannomiya in about 3 hours.
- Getting there
- Hamasaka Station · 25
- Getting there
- Hourly from Hamasaka; six a day from Yoka
- Through the year
- Snow in winter; buses run but cars need winter tyres
- Checked
- 2026-10-09
About the water
Colourless and clear, carrying chloride, sulfate and bicarbonate together; weakly alkaline at pH 7.58, and described as smooth on the skin. The real character is heat: the Arayu is 98°C, near boiling, and flows at 470 litres a minute. So the town boils eggs in it, runs it into a foot bath and cools it before piping it to inn baths. How one very hot source gets used in different ways is the fun of Yumura.
| Source | Source temperature | pH | Radon | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arayu | 98 | 7.58 | Unconfirmed | no check date |
Three things not to miss
Photo information
Arayu
On the Haruki River in the centre of town The 98°C, 470-litre-a-minute source. Eggs and vegetables are lowered in nets to cook; eggs are sold nearby.
A place to grasp, bodily, how hot a source can be; one of the hottest in Japan.[2][4][5]
Photo information
Fureai-no-yu foot bath
In front of the Arayu along the river A long foot bath along the river, fed by the Arayu, free of charge.
You can follow with your eyes how 98°C water cools to something your feet can take.[2][4]
Yakushi-yu
Centre of town The day-use bathhouse that doubles as the town's visitor centre, with clear water from near the source that lathers soap well.
The one central place to bathe without staying overnight. Fees and hours could not be confirmed from an official page.[4]
The story
Found in 848
Tradition says the monk Ennin (Jikaku Daishi) found the spring in 848. It remained a quiet cure resort in the San'in hills, its inns strung along the Haruki River, until the 1981 NHK drama 'Yumechiyo Nikki', with Sayuri Yoshinaga as a geisha of the town, made it famous nationwide as 'Yumechiyo's village'.[2][5]
Living with 98°C
The Arayu rises at 98°C and 470 litres a minute, among the hottest in Japan; nobody could bathe in it as it comes. So the town 'grades' the water: eggs and vegetables boil at the mouth, the foot bath a little downstream takes it cooler still, and inns receive it only after it has been cooled. The basic truth that source temperature and bath temperature are two different things is laid out along the riverbank.[2][4][5]
A day on the river
Twenty-five minutes by bus from Hamasaka Station puts you at the Arayu. Buy eggs and boil them, wait in the foot bath, then bathe at Yakushi-yu. Have Tajima beef in the evening and, in winter, watch the steam against the snow. Three hours by highway bus from Osaka or Kobe, it pairs well with Kinosaki for two San'in spa towns in one trip.[3][4]
Going solo
Solo stay unconfirmedUnconfirmed
Weekend / peak restrictionsUnconfirmed
Where to eat dinnerEateries in town, including Tajima beef
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.
Dec · Jan · Feb — Steam is thickest against the snow; Tajima Bokujo Park ski area is open
Oct · Nov — Autumn colour on the surrounding hills
Jul · Aug — Hot, but the evening foot bath and eggs work year-round
Food, culture & experiences
Yumechiyo-kan museum
Museum of the 1981 NHK drama 'Yumechiyo Nikki', which made Yumura famous nationwide[4][5]
In townShofukuji temple
On the hill by Onsen Bridge; said to have been founded by Saicho about 1,200 years ago[4]
5 min walk from the ArayuTajima beef
Tajima Beef Museum at Tajima Bokujo Park, and restaurants in town[4]
Museum about 15 min by carBoiling onsen eggs
Boil raw eggs at the Arayu; buy them nearby[4]
At the ArayuEditors' guide
Put your eggs in at the Arayu and sit in the foot bath while they cook. Feeling the gap between the scalding source and the foot bath before you bathe at Yakushi-yu makes sense of how Yumura grades its water. We could not confirm Yakushi-yu's fees and hours officially; check with the tourism association (0796-92-2000).
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.
Overview
Yumura Onsen (湯村温泉) is a small village located in Shin'onsen town in Mikata District, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, Yumura township had a population of 1,206, and its surrounding area (known as Onsen) had a total population of 6,454. Local legend states that the town's hot springs (onsen) were uncovered in AD848 by the priest Jikaku Daishi. The town is said to have been inhabited since this time, and the local temple is claimed to have been built soon after the discovery of the hot springs. Here is one of the major geosites of San'in Kaigan Global Geopark.
This overview is based on the lead section of the English Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0). View original page
Onsen areas nearby
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Unconfirmed & notes
- Fees, hours and closing days of Yakushi-yu and Refresh Park Yumura not confirmed from official pages
- Posted indications could not be read and are omitted
- Solo-stay terms at inns not confirmed
Sources
- 湯村温泉観光協会 公式サイト湯村温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- 10分で知る湯村温泉湯村温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- アクセス・周辺情報湯村温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- 観光&体験(荒湯・薬師湯・足湯ほか)湯村温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- 湯村温泉 (兵庫県) - WikipediaWikipedia · 2026-10-09
Register sources
- 湯村温泉 (兵庫県) - Wikipedia(日本語版)Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-10-09
- Wikidata Q8061163Wikidata · CC0 · 2026-10-09
Data status
Name & locationPublishedCoordinatesPublishedSpring typePublishedPhotosPublishedFacilitiesPublishedVisiting info (dated)PublishedEditorial articlePublished
Updated 2026-10-09
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