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Yahaba Onsen

Iwate · 矢巾温泉

Yahaba Onsen is a hot spring town in Iwate, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 31.1°C, cool enough that the baths here are usually reheated. It measures pH 7.9 — mildly alkaline, the slippery kind. Officially the water is classed as simple spring. Its sources put out around 183 litres a minute. 1 inns take visitors here.

Getting there

From Tokyoabout 3 h
CarNot needed
JR PassCovers the train
  1. Train to Morioka Station (Shinkansen)
  2. A short walk

Fly into Haneda or Narita. 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

Morioka CastleCastle · 12.1 km
Iwate Museum of ArtArt museum · 10.4 km
Azumane YamaMountain · 2.7 km
Shiwa Inari ShrineShrine · 5.7 km
Shigariwake ShrineShrine · 11.3 km
Daiji-ji Temple (Morioka)Temple · 12 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 — Iwate

More on tattoos and onsen

Where to stay

Onsen inns — Yahaba Town

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

Azumane OnsenIwate · あづまね温泉4.4 km south
Simple spring
Iwate Morioka Tsunagi Hot SpringIwate · 盛岡つなぎ温泉8.4 km northwest
Sulfur spring
Ōshuku OnsenIwate · 鶯宿温泉13.3 km west
Sulfur spring
Shinnamari OnsenIwate · 新鉛温泉17 km southwest
Sulfate spring
Namari OnsenIwate · 鉛温泉17.4 km southwest
Simple spring
Hanamaki OnsenIwate · 花巻温泉17.5 km south
Sulfate spring

Similar water elsewhere

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

Hanahasu OnsenFukui · 花はす温泉Also simple, similar pH
Simple spring
Ōtsuka OnsenGunma · 大塚温泉Also simple, similar pH
Simple spring
Hidafurukawatōgenkyō OnsenGifu · 飛騨古川桃源郷温泉Also simple, similar pH
Simple spring
Ogi OnsenSaga · 小城温泉Also simple, similar pH
Simple spring
Kuronagi OnsenToyama · 黒薙温泉Also simple, similar pH
Simple spring
Togakushikamitsuge OnsenNagano · 戸隠神告げ温泉Also simple, similar pH
Simple spring

The numbers

Water temperature
31.1°C
pH
7.9 (mildly alkaline)
Discharge
183 litres a minute
Inns
1
Address in Japanese
岩手県紫波郡矢巾町煙山1-5

Figures from the town's Japanese Wikipedia article.

Where it is

39.6100, 141.0700 — 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.