Maenohara Onsen Sayano Yudokoro
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
- Shimura-sakaue Station · 8 min walk (Toei Mita Line)
- Hours
- 9:00–24:00 (last entry 23:00)
- Admission
- ¥970 weekdays, ¥1,300 weekends & holidays (adults); ¥600 weekdays, ¥900 weekends & holidays (children)
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Best time to go
- Weekday mornings from 9:00 to 11:00, when bathing areas and the restaurant avoid the congestion limits common on weekends.
Hours can change on holidays — check the official site before travelling.
About
Sayano Yudokoro is a rare, authentic natural hot spring oasis tucked away in northern Tokyo. What makes it worth the trip is its beautiful open-air bath surrounded by a lush traditional garden, which feels world's away from the metropolis. You can expect therapeutic, mineral-rich greenish-brown waters, bedrock saunas, and an excellent on-site restaurant serving fresh soba noodles in a restored historic building.
What Japanese guides note
Weekend crowds frequently cause the facility to implement admission restrictions and enforce a five-hour parking limit. Towels are not included in regular admission, requiring a 380-yen rental set if not brought from outside. Travelers walking from Shimura-sakaue Station can combine their bath trip with a stop at the Edo-period Shimura Ichirizuka milestone mounds situated along the old Nakasendō road.
Details from local sources
- The post-war residential estate was repurposed by kominka restoration architect Hironobu Furuhata, while the surrounding dry moss garden was renovated by garden designer Motomi Oguchi. [source]
- The outdoor free-flowing source bath remains deliberately small because Tokyo Metropolitan regulations restrict groundwater pumping on site to 50 tons per day. [source]
- The spring pumped from 1,500 meters subterranean is an iodine-rich sodium chloride strong salt brine displaying a greenish tint rather than Tokyo's customary dark peat water. [source]
- Tattoos are prohibited unless completely hidden beneath a maximum of two facility-approved adhesive covers measuring 11 by 20 centimeters, priced at 310 yen each. [source]
- While the women's facility retains a weekly scented herbal steam sauna, the men's herbal salt steam chamber permanently ceased operations due to mechanical breakdown. [source]
- Individuals using diapers or training pants cannot enter the public bathing rooms, but diaper-wearing infants are permitted in the private reservable bath Tou. [source]
Insider Tip
Bring your own towels to save on rental fees, and avoid weekend afternoons when Tokyoites pack the baths to relax.
Frequently asked
Are visitors with tattoos allowed to enter Sayano Yudokoro?
Tattoos are permitted only if they can be completely covered by up to two of the facility's designated cover seals measuring 11 by 20 centimeters, purchased at reception for 310 yen each. Visitors with larger tattoos or those who refuse to use the official seals are denied entry.
How does payment work for meals and rentals inside the bathhouse?
Guests receive an IC wristband attached to their shoe locker key at the entrance. This wristband logs all purchases inside, including restaurant meals, rock bath fees, towel rentals, and vending machines. All accumulated charges are settled together at automated checkout machines before leaving.
What is the best way to get to Sayano Yudokoro by train or bus?
Take the Toei Mita subway line to Shimura-sakaue Station and leave via Exit A2, then walk eight minutes west through the residential streets. Alternatively, Kokusai Kogyo Bus route Aka 53 connects Tokiwadai Station on the Tobu Tojo Line and Akabane Station to stops right outside the facility.
Why is the outdoor uncirculated hot spring tub relatively small?
Tokyo Metropolitan environmental regulations restrict water extraction at this site to 50 tons per day. To maintain hygiene and provide pure, unadulterated spring water without adding tap water, recycling, or using chemical disinfection, the facility must keep the uncirculated source bath basin at a compact size.
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