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Shibahara Onsen

Saitama · 柴原温泉

Shibahara Onsen is a hot spring town in Saitama, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 9–11°C, cool enough that the baths here are usually reheated. It measures pH 8.1 — mildly alkaline, the slippery kind. Officially the water is classed as sulfur spring. Its sources put out around 2 litres a minute. 2 inns take visitors here.

Getting there

From Tokyoabout 2 h

CarNot needed

JR PassNot a JR line

1. Train to Bushū-Hino Station
2. Walk, about 10 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.

The water here

Sulfur spring 硫黄泉

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

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.

More on tattoos and onsen

Where to stay

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

Similar water elsewhere

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

The numbers

Water temperature

9–11°C

pH

8.1 (mildly alkaline)

Discharge

2 litres a minute

Inns

2

Address in Japanese

埼玉県秩父市

Figures from the town's Japanese Wikipedia article.

Read more

Japanese Wikipedia