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Ōsawayama Onsen

Niigata · 大沢山温泉

Ōsawayama Onsen is a hot spring town in Niigata, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 27.2°C, cool enough that the baths here are usually reheated. It measures pH 8.46 — mildly alkaline, the slippery kind. Officially the water is classed as chloride spring and bicarbonate spring. 3 inns take visitors here.

Getting there

From Tokyoabout 2 h
CarNot needed
JR PassCovers the train
  1. Train to Ōsawa Station (JR)
  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.

Chloride springBicarbonate 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.

Things to see nearby

Sakado CastleCastle · 9.5 km
Kiyotsu GorgeGorge · 7.5 km
Gala YuzawaSki area · 8.1 km
Maiko Snow ResortSki area · 4.8 km
Chōon-ji TempleTemple · 5.2 km
Mount MakihataMountain · 15.2 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.

Inns with a private bath — Niigata

More on tattoos and onsen

Where to stay

Onsen inns — Minamiuonuma 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

Muikamachi OnsenNiigata · 六日町温泉8.2 km northeast
Chloride spring
Echigo Yuzawa OnsenNiigata · 越後湯沢温泉9.4 km south
Chloride springSulfur spring
Ikazawa OnsenNiigata · 五十沢温泉11.8 km east
Simple spring
Sakasamaki OnsenNiigata · 逆巻温泉16.5 km southwest
Chloride springSulfate spring
Kiyotsukyō OnsenNiigata · 清津峡温泉16.5 km southwest
Chloride springSulfur spring
Kaikake OnsenNiigata · 貝掛温泉16.9 km south
Chloride spring

Similar water elsewhere

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

Kikugawa OnsenYamaguchi · 菊川温泉Also bicarbonate and chloride, similar pH
Chloride springBicarbonate spring
Wakkanai OnsenHokkaido · 稚内温泉Also bicarbonate and chloride, similar pH
Chloride springBicarbonate spring
Sano Natural OnsenKanagawa · 佐野天然温泉Also bicarbonate and chloride, similar pH
Chloride springBicarbonate spring
Umaji OnsenKochi · 馬路温泉Also bicarbonate and chloride, similar pH
Chloride springBicarbonate spring
Jinzūkyōiwaine OnsenToyama · 神通峡岩稲温泉Also bicarbonate and chloride, similar pH
Chloride springBicarbonate spring
Nishinasuno OnsenTochigi · 西那須野温泉Also bicarbonate and chloride, similar pH
Chloride springBicarbonate spring

The numbers

Water temperature
27.2°C
pH
8.46 (mildly alkaline)
Inns
3
Address in Japanese
新潟県南魚沼市

Figures from the town's Japanese Wikipedia article.

Where it is

37.0217, 138.8022 — 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.