Photo: Drph17 · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Gatsugiyurihana Onsen

Niigata · 勝木ゆり花温泉

Gatsugiyurihana Onsen is a hot spring town in Niigata, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 54.5°C, hot. It measures pH 7.8 — mildly alkaline, the slippery kind. Officially the water is classed as sulfate spring. 1 inns take visitors here.

Getting there

From Tokyoabout 4 h

CarNot needed

JR PassCovers the train

Train to Gatsugi Station (JR)
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.

Sulfate spring

The water here

Sulfate spring 硫酸塩泉

Clear water with a faintly bitter taste. Known for holding heat.

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