Kagawa

Kagawa has 28 onsen areas and 200 springs (Ministry of the Environment, FY2024). None of them reaches 42°C, and 185 of the 200 are below 25°C. Its two pillars are the Konpira onsen district at the foot of Kotohira-gu shrine, and Shionoe, said to be the oldest spa in Kagawa and discovered by the monk Gyoki.

Main onsen areas

The Konpira district lies at the foot of Kotohira-gu in Kotohira, and Shionoe in the hills south of Takamatsu. Takamatsu also has Aji and Hanajukai, Manno has Miai and Sanuki has Yakushiyu, many of them cold mineral springs.

Characteristic spring types

Bicarbonate and chloride springs lead in our records; the Konpira district has chloride and earthy-bicarbonate water. Shionoe's sources are simple and simple sulfur springs, all cold mineral springs below 25°C. Aji is a weakly radioactive cold spring and Miai a carbon-dioxide cold spring.

Reachable by public transport

The Konpira district is about 10 minutes' walk from either JR Kotohira or Kotoden Kotohira station. Shionoe is about an hour from JR Takamatsu on the Kotoden bus Shionoe line.

For solo travellers

Shionoe works best as a day trip by bus from a base in Takamatsu, combined with Sanuki udon in the city.

Food & culture

Shionoe is said to have been found near Shirahige Falls by the monk Gyoki some 1,300 years ago, and Kukai is said to have practised here later. After the Russo-Japanese War it became a convalescent resort for wounded soldiers, and in 1929 the Shionoe Onsen Railway opened with tiny cars nicknamed 'matchboxes'. It was designated a National Health Resort Hot Spring in 2002. The Gyoki-no-yu day bath closed in 2023, and Takamatsu City is rebuilding the Shionoe roadside station with a new bathing facility.