Photo: おにく · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Shiobara-Motoyu Onsen

Tochigi · 塩原元湯温泉

Shiobara-Motoyu Onsen is a hot spring town in Tochigi, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 50.6°C, hot. It measures pH 6.5 — close to neutral. Officially the water is classed as chloride spring, bicarbonate spring and sulfur spring. 3 inns take visitors here.

Getting there

From Tokyoabout 2 h

CarNot needed

JR PassCovers the train

Train to Nishi-Nasuno Station (JR)
Local bus, about 40 min

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

Chloride springBicarbonate springSulfur spring

The water here

Chloride spring 塩化物泉

Salty water. The salt leaves a thin film on the skin, so you stay warm well after leaving the bath.

Bicarbonate spring 炭酸水素塩泉

Smooth, slightly slippery water. Often nicknamed bihada-no-yu, the water for beautiful skin.

Sulfur spring 硫黄泉

The classic rotten-egg smell and milky white water. It can tarnish silver jewellery, so take it off.

More photographs

From Wikimedia Commons. Tap a photo for the photographer and licence.

Things to see nearby

Hunter Mountain ShiobaraSki area · 3.3 km

RyūōkyōGorge · 12.3 km

Mount ArakaiMountain · 12.7 km

Izumi CastleCastle · 20.1 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 — Tochigi Inns with a private bath — Tochigi