繁體中文

Photo: Totti · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mashiko Onsen

Tochigi · 益子温泉

Mashiko Onsen is a hot spring town in Tochigi, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 28.4°C, cool enough that the baths here are usually reheated. Officially the water is classed as simple spring. Its sources put out around 200 litres a minute.

Getting there

From Tokyoabout 2 h
CarNot needed
JR PassNot a JR line
  1. Train to Mashiko Station
  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

Saimyō-ji TempleTemple · 1.3 km
Utsunomiya CastleCastle · 22.5 km
Honji Senju-ji TempleTemple · 9.6 km
Ōsaki ShrineShrine · 6.9 km
Mount KabaMountain · 17.5 km
Isobe Inamura ShrineShrine · 9.8 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 — TochigiInns with a private bath — Tochigi

More on tattoos and onsen

Where to stay

Onsen inns — Mashiko 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.

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
Simple spring
Sakakibara OnsenMie · 榊原温泉Also simple
Simple spring
Dorogawa OnsenNara · 洞川温泉Also simple
Simple spring
Yunishigawa OnsenTochigi · 湯西川温泉Also simple
Simple spring
Shimobe SpaYamanashi · 下部温泉Also simple
Simple spring
Takedao OnsenHyogo · 武田尾温泉Also simple
Simple spring

The numbers

Water temperature
28.4°C
Discharge
200 litres a minute
Address in Japanese
栃木県芳賀郡益子町

Figures from the town's Japanese Wikipedia article.

Where it is

36.4512, 140.1028 — open the map

Read more

Japanese Wikipedia

Other towns in Tochigi

Kinugawa OnsenTochigi · 鬼怒川温泉
Simple spring
Sandogoya OnsenTochigi · 三斗小屋温泉
Simple spring
Yunishigawa OnsenTochigi · 湯西川温泉
Simple spring
Shiobara OnsenTochigi · 塩原温泉郷
Chloride spring+3
Kawaji OnsenTochigi · 川治温泉
Simple spring
Nikkō Yumoto OnsenTochigi · 日光湯元温泉
Sulfur spring
Kitsuregawa OnsenTochigi · 喜連川温泉
Chloride springSulfur spring
Nasu OnsenkyōTochigi · 那須温泉郷
Simple spring+6

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