Tokushima

Tokushima has 25 onsen areas and 82 springs (Ministry of the Environment, FY2024). Overnight stays come to about 450,000 a year, and none of its springs reaches 42°C. The heart of it is the Oboke-Iya onsen district in the deep valleys of Miyoshi in the west, best known for Iya Onsen, where a cable car carries bathers down to an open-air bath at the bottom of the gorge.

Main onsen areas

Iya, Shin-Iya and Oboke cluster in Miyoshi in the west. Near Tokushima city is Kamiyama in the hills of Kamiyama town; Naka in the south has Shikibidani and Wajiki, and Kaiyo on the Pacific coast has Shishikui.

Characteristic spring types

Sulfur springs are the most common in our records, followed by bicarbonate springs. Iya Onsen is an alkaline simple sulfur spring of about 38°C, its tub set right where the water emerges and fed without heating. Other inns in the Oboke-Iya district offer simple sulfur and bicarbonate water.

Reachable by public transport

The nearest station for the Oboke-Iya district is Oboke on the JR Dosan Line, served by Shikoku Kotsu buses. Iya Onsen is about 50 minutes by Shikoku Kotsu bus from JR Awa-Ikeda, and overnight guests can book a once-daily pick-up from Oboke Station. The Oboke gorge is about 20 minutes' walk from Oboke Station.

For solo travellers

Day bathing at Iya Onsen is easy on your own and combines well with the Oboke gorge and the Kazurabashi vine bridge.

Food & culture

The Iya valley is counted among Japan's 'three great hidden regions', keeps legends of fleeing Heike warriors, and has the Kazurabashi, a suspension bridge woven from vines. Meals at Iya Onsen feature mountain vegetables and river fish in the local Iya style. Kamiyama is said to be a sacred spring granted by a celestial maiden.