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Photo: 国土地理院 · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Sakakibara Onsen

Mie · 榊原温泉

Sakakibara Onsen is a hot spring town in Mie, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 25°C, cool enough that the baths here are usually reheated. It measures pH 9.5 — strongly alkaline. Officially the water is classed as simple spring. Its sources put out around 500 litres a minute.

Getting there

From Nagoyaabout 2 h
From Kyoto / Osakaabout 2 h
CarNot needed
JR PassNot a JR line
  1. Train to Sakakibara-Onsenguchi Station
  2. Many inns send a car to the station — ask when you book

Fly into Chubu Centrair. Times are rough estimates worked out from station locations, not a timetable — check the exact route on Google Maps.

Simple spring

The water here

Simple spring 単純温泉

Mild and low in dissolved minerals. Usually clear and gentle on the skin, which is why these baths are often recommended for first-timers.

Things to see nearby

Tsu CastleCastle · 12.3 km
Mie Prefectural Art MuseumArt museum · 12 km
Mt. KyogamineMountain · 6.7 km
Sekisui MuseumMuseum · 11.9 km
Nobeno Shrine (Hisai Hachimangu)Shrine · 9.6 km
Shin-daibutsu-ji TempleTemple · 11.3 km

Places from Wikidata, photographs from Wikimedia Commons. Distances are in a straight line from the town.

With tattoos

Many public baths still turn away visible tattoos, and the rule is set by each bath, not by the town. The reliable way round it is to bathe privately: a room with its own open-air bath, or an inn with a private bath you can book for yourselves.

Rooms with an open-air bath — MieInns with a private bath — Mie

More on tattoos and onsen

Where to stay

Onsen inns — Tsu City

Opens Rakuten Travel, which lists inns in English. Onsen Guide earns a commission if you book through these links, at no extra cost to you.

Hot spring towns nearby

Shagūji onsenMie · 社宮司温泉4 km southeast
Bicarbonate spring
Inokura OnsenMie · 猪の倉温泉4.3 km southwest
Simple spring
IganokuniōyamadaonsensarubinoMie · 伊賀の国大山田温泉さるびの11.5 km northwest
Chloride springBicarbonate spring
Okukahadakyō OnsenMie · 奥香肌峡温泉38.9 km south
Chloride springBicarbonate spring

Similar water elsewhere

Towns further away with the same kind of water — useful if this one is hard to reach or fully booked.

Ogoto OnsenShiga · 雄琴温泉Also simple, similar pH
Simple spring
Tamagwa OnsenSaitama · 玉川温泉Also simple, similar pH
Simple spring
Futakuchi OnsenMiyagi · 二口温泉Also simple, similar pH
Simple spring
Genjiinomori OnsenFukuoka · 源じいの森温泉Also simple, similar pH
Simple spring
Koutakuji OnsenKanagawa · 広沢寺温泉Also simple, similar pH
Simple spring
Iwashita OnsenYamanashi · 岩下温泉Also simple, similar pH
Simple spring

The numbers

Water temperature
25°C
pH
9.5 (strongly alkaline)
Discharge
500 litres a minute
Address in Japanese
三重県津市榊原町

Figures from the town's Japanese Wikipedia article.

Where it is

34.7064, 136.3750 — open the map

Read more

Japanese Wikipedia

Planning a first soak? Read how an onsen stay works, and what to do if you have tattoos.