Update Archive

Nov 4, 2021

Huge update here. 46 new sento but sadly a bunch of closures too.

New Reviews Added

  • Two new places in Mie. Great, friendly retro sento in Matsusaka plus Yasuragi no Yu in Tsu that has one of the best springs I've experienced. It's going on the top ten list when I finally write those.

  • Near Tsuyama in Okyayama Pref. is Setogawa Onsen. A great cold radon spring. Really outstanding but more of a hot summer day place.

  • Ebisu-yu in Kurashiki is a living history sento worth checking out.

  • I live near Itami, Hyogo but only now got to Tachibana Onsen. What a pleasant surprise.

  • The other Hana no Yu outlet in Himeji is not worth it.

  • Kami Town up on the Japan Sea coast has a day use hot spring which got remodeled just after my visit. Nice view from the rotenburo.

  • Two places in Moriguchi, Osaka. This town has a bunch of well maintained sento.

  • Ikkyu's main facility in Jōyō, Kyoto (near Uji) is very fancy but the baths are meh.

  • Kyotango, Kyoto up on the Japan Sea coast has a great day use hot spring called Hanayuumi. Worth including in a day trip.

  • Hana no Yu is a supersento in the center of Kyoto but there are so many good sento in the area, I don't see the appeal while Magobashi-yu near Sanjyō is the smallest sento I've experienced.

  • Maizuru's two historic sento, Hinode-yu and Waka no Yu, are well worth the trip.

  • Near Amanohashidate in Yosano Town is Kuahouse Iwataki. They have a pool.... with a slide!

  • Two hotels with day use available for their hot springs, Nara Park Hotel and the Kampo-no-Yado in Yamato Heguri. First one is so-so. Second is a hidden gem.

  • Shimamoto Town, Osaka has a single lovely retro sento, Showa-yu. Worth checking out after a hike.

  • The Tonda area of Takatsuki, Osaka is an interesting place to walk around and home to Settsu Onsen a great sento.

  • The Gokuraku-yu outlets in HigashiOsaka and Sakai both are pretty good. The former is only ¥490 and boasts a surprisingly good spring while the latter has some super-strong jet and a good spring. These two raised the image of the chain for me.

  • Hōtoku-yu in HigashiOsaka is another well maintained modern Osaka sento. Loved the radon bath.

  • In the Ikuno and Higashinari wards of Osaka, I went to six new sento. Mostly great places but Megane Onsen and New Kiyotake Onsen stand out as the ones to try in the area.

  • Senjyu Onsen is down near Tanabe station on the subway in Higashisumiyoshi Ward. Good place with a ton of white marble! Felt like Las Vegas in there.

  • Three new reviews for Nishinari Ward. Tamamizu Onsen being the best for its superb herb steam sauna.

  • In Minato and Taisho wards I added three new reviews. Interesting places but nothing worth going out of your way for.

  • Found a place near Tennma I had not been to. Club Onsen has a really unique and open design. Great to know it is in the area.

  • Kotobuki Onsen in Joto Ward is in walking distance from the Kyobashi area and highly recommended.

  • Hanaten Station is another center for great sento. Shin-Asahi just across the border in Tsurumi Ward keeps up this reputation.

  • Okumoto Onsen is a calm and relaxing place near the new-ish Aeon Hanakita Mall in Sakai.

  • Toyonaka's Shichifuku Onsen is hidden in a residential area and a great option near Kanzakigawa Station.

  • In Wakayama Prefecture I tried out two supersento. Takara no Yu in Gobō and Kiraku-yu in Hashimoto. Both were without natural hot springs and neither worth making a trip for but good options in their areas.

  • Kainan's sento are amazing. Went to the two retro Taishō-yu and Takara-yu both worth checking out along with the historical district.

  • Yuasa Town in Wakayama has a municipal bath called Hōei-yu. Interesting design from the outside, basic and clean on the inside.

Total Reviews Online: 673

July 13, 2021

While vaccines are beginning and the rules are changing please still abide by the Mokuyoku [黙浴] silent bathing rules and watch out for temporary closures [臨時休業] by calling, checking websites or looking on Google Maps before venturing out for a bath.

New Reviews Added

  • Two lovely sento in Amagasaki. After two more and I will have visited all the sento in the town.

  • Shiawase no Mura was a place that I never visited in Kobe and I never visited their jungle hot spring till this month.

  • Five new places in Himeji including some hidden gems.

  • Akari no Yu is a newer supersento in Yawata, Kyoto. Good fancy supersento in an area with not many options.

  • Yamatotakada, Nara Pref is a mecca for old school, retro sento. Worth checking out if that is your passion.

  • Tawaramoto Town is in the center of the Nara basin--a place with few sento but one. I was not expecting such a well appointed bathhouse but what I found was outstanding. Gokō Onsen was great sento and one people people in Nara can check out with out going over the hill. Asuka no Yu down the street, however, was a well built supersento but one that you might want to avoid.

  • Yao city has a strong public bath association it seems and there are two sento near JR Yao station. On the way home from a hike New Sakae popped up in a search and I am glad it did. Super small but well appointed with anyone would want.

  • Ten sento in Osaka city added in this update in Nishinari, Minato, Ikuno, Jōtō, and Miyakojima wards. So many great places and a few so-so ones. It is hard to choose but Momo no Yu in Miyakojima-ku was the best due to its brilliant steam sauna with it's 1970's orange fixture.

  • Changes and closures: The baths under the Kyoto tower have closed. Not too surprised about that. In Fukuchiyama, Hokkori-kan has been closed but it seems temporary. I hope so as this was a lovely rural place. Lastly, Gengabashi in Ikuno-ku, Osaka is closed for good it seems. All is not lost, however, as there is talk about repurposing the historically registered building.

Total Reviews Online: 627

May 3, 2021

We are in lockdown once more in Kansai and elsewhere across Japan. That means some supersento and other bathing facilities are doing temporary closures [臨時休業] or have changed there hours. Sento, being public health facilities, might be open. Other places, in particular municipally run bathhouses, may have restrictions to residents of the town or area. It is best to check the data provided here with references like Google Maps and, when possible, call ahead to confirm operating hours.

Also, there are a few other manners to be considered during this pandemic. Please wear masks as much as possible in the lobbies, entrances and changing rooms out of respect to the other bathers. As much a possible please do not speak while in the baths and unmasked. Mokuyoku [黙浴] is the new word termed for having a silent bath. The word is made from moku [黙] commonly used in mokutō [黙とう] meaning "a moment of silence" and yoku [浴] meaning bath which is commonly found in nyuyoku [入浴], to take a bath. You will probably see posters promoting this habit posted around your local sento. Lastly, many sauna and steam sauna have posted occupancy limits to ensure distancing. Please abide by these guidelines.

New Reviews Added

  • Three baths in Osaka city and my first two for Nishinari ward and my first--which is also the only--sento in Nishi ward. In Nishinari, Miyako is lovely well designed sento while Shichifuku was a little beat up here and there but both were friendly and enjoyable. Kikusui in Nishi-ku had a bit of a horder aesthetic, a weird wall separating the cold water and main bath plus a ton of political posters.

  • Almost, almost done visiting all the operating sento in Amagasaki city. Heiwa-yu had a lovely lady working the bandai who told me about the history of the area plus the cleanest sento toilet I have ever experienced--and most of them are really clean mind you!

  • In Western Hyogo prefecture I visited a few places in Himeji, Shisō and Tatsuno cities. Yutarin is a city run bathhouse with a natural hot spring way, way away from the main center of the expansive Himeji city. This was a quality facility with a decent spring and a local produce market attached. Yoi Onsen in Shiso was a bit of a disappointment after wanting to go there for a while now. That said, I would happily go again if I was in the area. Another outlet of the Akane no Yu chain in Tatsuno was a fine, if somewhat smallish, supersento with one of the best steam baths I have been in. Lastly, was the Fureai no Yu is one of the two municipally run bath houses in the city. Simple but useful facility for the area. Note: This one is closed to people from outside of the city for the time being.

Total Reviews Online: 602

Lastly I have made a Twitter and Instagram for this site. The Instagram will be posts of sento as I visit them while the Twitter will have more sento related items and some fun polls. I plan on really starting on these once the state of emergency is lifted.

March 31, 2021

Some older links might be broken. Having Japanese characters in the URLs was creating issues, so I rearranged all of the pages and fixed the URLs. I am also trying to put in the long vowel markers on new reviews. Some words like sento or common place names like Osaka will be kept the same, however.

New Reviews Added

  • A bunch of baths in Osaka city in this update. Ogon-yu, Tachibana-yu, and Shōchiku Onsen are three sento in Hirano-ku. Ogon-yu has a keyhole shaped outdoor bath that looked really nice but is broken and closed. Hondō-yu, Shirataki Onsen, New Miyoshi-yu are three more in Asahi-ku. Thanks to the JR HigashiOsaka Line completion connecting Hanaten to Shin-Osaka to opening up access to this area. Hondō-yu has some of the best tile art murals I have seen while Shirataki has a very unique bath design. Taishō-yu in Taishō-ku was an amazing living history sento, highly recommended. Tatsumi Onsen in Sumiyoshi-ku is my first bath in this ward and quite a unique place. Only my second review from Tsurumi-ku, Shichifuku Onsen has a top-5 best cold water bath in the city for how it is filled by a tall, wide waterfall. Shin-Akebono Onsen in Ikuno-ku is another sento that is a strong all around example of what a sento can be.

  • In Osaka Prefecture there were a few new places. We made it to Yukai no Yu in Neyagawa for the first time since the ownership change and hot spring reconnection. This was a favorite of ours back in the day and it has only gotten better with a climbing wall and all you can drink soda water. Suishun - Higashikōri, also in Neyagawa was a place I think I have been to before but did not write a review so we went back. Like all Suishun outlets, this was a quality supersento with a good, very noticeable natural spring. Another supersento in the area with a surprisingly good natural spring was the Gokuraku-yu outlet in Hirakata. Besides the natural hot spring, there is a top-notch cold water bath here. Coming back from a hike Asahi-yu in Sakai was a great sento in a very useful location if your hiking off the Nankai Kōya Line. Lastly, Ponpoko Onsen in HigashiOsaka has a cute name and an interesting design, but I think you should avoid this one.

  • In Hyogo Prefecture there are only a few places I have not been to which remain. Higashi-yu is a lovely very family friendly sento in Akashi. Take no Yu Onsen in Miki looked beautiful on the outside, but was somewhat disappointing on the inside. This was a bummer as there is not much else in the area.

  • Two places in Kyoto Prefecture. Hijirone is a middling supersento far away from any train station in far south Kyoto city. The hand painted murals and jet baths were cool, but not really worth going out of the way for a trucked in hot spring. Nagaokakyō has a single public bathing facility and it is the municipal Fureai no Yu. Small but nice enough with some good shower heads.

Changes and Closures

  • Gokuraku-yu in Nara closed. Not surprised.

Total Reviews Online: 594

February 7, 2021

New Reviews Added

  • Yu no Hana in Takatsuki has a great steam sauna.

  • Shinfutaba Onsen and Shimada Onsen both in Toyonaka are added, the first one is a pleasant, somewhat hidden sento across the river from Mikuni station. The second has one of the most interesting designs I have seen but sadly most of it is broken.

  • ShinIzumi Onsen in Suita has a fish tank! Awesome.

  • Two places in Mie. Suzuka Satsuki Onsen is a day use hot spring in Suzuka run by the JA. Great spring water there. Sumiyoshi-yu is a sento on the outskirts of the nightlife area of Yokkaichi with a nice super hot bath.

  • Safuran-yu in Tsuruga is a classic ofuro-yu in this lovely city on the Japan Sea coast.

  • Senninburo is a giant spring water pool in the middle of the river. Amazing experience.

Changes and Closures

  • Hinode Onsen which was easy to access from Shin-Osaka closed in summer last year. Bummer.

  • Shikimatsuri in the hills above Kishiwada totally reformed their baths, but I would think twice before taking the trip.

January 1, 2021

Happy New Year! Here is a huge update. I was able to sneak around Japan thanks to a JR East pass for any non-Japanese, even PR holders, and before that a trip to see some friends in Nagano so there are many new places outside of Kansai added in this update. Thanks to the Nagano trip I've completed the Tatsuno Triangle near Lake Suwa and heading to Aomori and back on the JR East pass gave me a big move forward in my goal to ride all the train lines in Japan. At the time of this update I have done 45.91% of the 27,843.8km of rideable track in Japan.

I wish you all have a safe, healthy and warm 2021. Thank you for your continued readership of my little project here.

New Reviews Added

  • A new place in Akita and Aomori on my trip north. I had been to Akita before but this was my first bath there in the large Komachi entertainment and hotel complex. Surprisingly good spring water too! In Aormori I changed trains, visited the interesting and educational forestry museum which is housed in a seriously cool Meiji era building, and went to the Machinaka Onsen a kenko land / hotel that has an above average natural hot spring.

  • 3 new places in a new prefecture, Niigata! Kamabuta no Yu is a recently built supersento with a super slippery spring. Yahiko Shrine is amazing and there are two hot springs in the area. Myōgaya is one of the easiest to access ryokan that offer day use. There are a boat load of springs aroudn Yuzawa in the Niigata mountains, but time and heavy snowfall led me to visit the bath they have in the train station!

  • I spent an afternoon riding the Hokutetsu private railway in Kanazawa. At the end of line (and 15 min walk) is the Uchinada outlet of the Yurara chain of supersento. Second best spring water in this update with a great woody, earthy smell to it.

  • Up during a short trip to Nagano I was able to hit up 4 places in Shimosuwa onsen. The baths there are HOT! Like the hottest water I have experienced at 47˚C. Holiday-yu is a hotel/resort that has day use and a weird bath design. Yukemori Onsen Yakushi no Yu in Ōmachi has a decent bath but a great onsen museum which I will be writing about soon. Kuwa no Yu is the last sento in Shiojiri City and sells some cool t-shirts. Lastly is the extremely forgettable Kaede no Yu in Yamanouchi.

  • On the way home from Nagano we stopped at a hotel/resort that also had a day use spring and were extremely surprised. Only a 15 minute detour from the Meishin Expressway in Yōrō is Yusen no Sato. Probably the best spring in this update.

  • 3 new places in Kyoto from all over the prefecture. First is the Sakae Onsen just in front of Ayabe Station in the north west of the prefecture. In the south east of the prefecture Suishun has opened a new supersento / hotel by Matsuiyamate station. Lastly just south of Kyoto Station in an area with not much else on offer is the well used but very comfortable Chikara no Yu.

  • Tondabayashi City in southern Osaka Prefecture has one last sento named after the local mountain: Katsuragi Onsen.

  • I did a day of riding trains and hitting up places in Nara and found a few gems. Chuō Onsen in Yamatotakada is a classic retro sento that every enthusiast should visit. In Sakurai City Sakura-yu is a municipal bathhouse but enjoyable. The Nishiyamato outlet of the Niji no Yu chain had an amazing spring running up until November of 2020. It is still a beautiful location, but with out the spring it would be hard to justify the trip if you do not already live in the area.

  • Kyōei Onsen in Ikeda is a decent sento used as a location for a movie released in 2020.

  • Sanwa Onsen in Amagasaki is forgettable. Could have been nicer if it was better maintained.

Total Reviews Online: 566

November, 2020 Update:

  • Get your steam on at Gokuraku-yu in Kawanishi City

  • Laule'a Resort, a new supersento with a lovely hot spring in Amagasaki

  • Some retro awesomeness in Akashi at Meigetsu-yu and Sanko-yu

  • Umegae-yu in Takasago. The only sento in the city and a living museum built in 1943!

  • Some great jets at Fukutsuke Onsen in Suita.

  • ALERT! Sansui Onsen in Ibaraki is closing at the end of the year on Dec 31, 2020. Make sure to try out this amazing sento before it goes away!

  • Sadly the lovely Takatsuki Shin-Onsen has closed, but on the other side of the Hankyu station Hikari Onsen is still going strong.

  • Great spring water hidden in HigashiOsaka City at Minowa no Sato Onsen.

  • Recently opened supersento with a gym in Yao: Kita no Yu - Yao

  • My indifference to the Gokuraku-yu chain of supersento continues after a visit to their Nara outlet.

  • Koharu-yu is a large and lovely sento in the Nishiyodogawa Ward of Osaka but nearby Sansui Onsen has sadly closed.

  • Utopia Kirishima is a very conveniently located sento between the Keihan and JR lines in Otsu.

  • Just got off the plane at ITM and you want to take a bath? Kofuku Onsen in Toyonaka is not only the closest option, it is also a great option.

Total Reviews Online: 542

September 15, 2020 Update:

  • Yamaguchi Prefecture: Took a solo Seishun 18 Kippu trip to ride the Ube Line in Yamaguchi and visited 3 places. A sento and supersento and that was so bad I am not linking to it here.
    Konparu-yu is in a great location in an area with not many other options, 5 min from Iwakuni Station.
    Onsen no Mori is a supersento style day use facility in the Yuda Onsen area of Yamaguchi City. Great option if you are not staying in one of the many hotels.

  • Okayama Prefecture: On the way home from Yamaguchi I hit up 2 more sento near Okayama station. One of them was too weird to post here the other was fine.
    Aioi-yu is a great option between Okayama station and Okayama Castle.

  • Kansai Area: 2 new-to-me sento in Kansai
    Shōwa-yu is 3 min from Hankyu Awaji and great but only a bit small. They are also participating in a Minoh Beer promotion at the moment.
    Midori-yu is a very local sento in Suita near the JR station.

Total Reviews: 528August 22, 2020 Update:

  • Hiroshima Prefecture: My daughter and I did another mini trip that gave me the opportunity to go to 3 new locations and get a photo for the New Japan capsule/sauna.
    Ho no Yu Ujina is a decent supersento with a natural hot spring.
    Ondo Onsen is an amazing hot spring sento on the edges of Hiroshima's nightlife district.
    Kurihara Onsen is a sento that is 3 minutes from Onomichi Station.

  • Kansai Area: 3 more places in the Kansai area.
    Yofudo Onsen is a rural hot spring that the entire family enjoyed and want to return to.
    Nagasu Onsen is an amazing sento in Amagasaki. I would love to live near here to go more often. Also, this means that I only have 1 or 2 more locations to visit before completing Amagasaki.
    Kaminaka-yu is a great option near Tsuruhashi Station that has a lovely outdoor cold-water bath.

  • Total Reviews: 521

August 10, 2020 Update:

  • Ise City: My daughter and I went to Ise and Toba for a mini summer vacation. Ise has a surprising number of sento still active and I chose a hotel here because they were cheaper than Toba, had better access to a supermarket and, most important better access to sento. Asahi-yu is one of those ideal sento and worth a visit for any enthusiast. Reisen-yu had some of the best well water fed baths I have experienced. If it only it had a cold water tub, it would be in my top 10 list.

  • Tottori, Hyogo and Okayama: We on a weekend trip to the Tottori and Hyogo border to swim in the ocean, and on that trip I was able to tick off a few municipal and rare hot springs. Utopia Hamasaka is a deal at ¥300 yen and you can boil eggs in the spring water for free. The view from Sakyu Onsen Fureai Kaikan is just as good as the spring water, the best quality of this bunch. Lastly is a hidden little hot spring village in the hills near the Tottori and Okayama border. Awakura Onsen is on the Chizu Kyuko Railway and can be fit into an excursion into this region.

  • Kansai Area: Momodani Onsen is a spartan but refreshing sento near the Loop Line station of the same name. Yuzakura is a new supersento near KawanishiNoseguchi station in an area with out many other options.

  • Other Updates: Finally posted a review of Kin no Yu in Arima and revisited the renovated public bath under the Kyoto tower. Both places that I am indifferent to.

  • Total Reviews: 515

June 23, 2020 Update:

  • Added: Kotobuki no Yu in Sanda. This place took over the old Kumanosato Supersento space, did a big clean and made a supersento worth checking out.

  • Added: ManyoClub in the Harborland area of Kobe. This day use hot spring and resort hotel was underwhelming if you just want a bath.

  • Added: Fukufuku Onsen in Fukusaki north of Himeji. Great location 5 min from a rural train station. While the spring water was decent the lack of diversity in bath temperature was disappointing.

  • Update: Mori no Yu, the closest bathing option to Himeji Station, is going strong and a great place to remember if you are in the area.

Coronavirus Update: Here in Kansai region inter prefecture movement was allowed for casual reasons since June 20th. Sento seem to be unchanged as they are a public health facility. Supersento and other bathing facilities seem to be open with limited occupancy, mask requirements, and body temperature checks among other requirements. I am still trying to stay in Hyogo for hiking and hot springs and happy to get back into the water.

April 7, 2020 Update:

  • There should be 504 reviews now online.

  • All reviews have been checked and should be up to date.

  • Added Kaze no Yu in Kawachi Nagano, A few more in Ikeda, a hidden secret of a quality natural spring in residential Sakai and a very rural municipal bath in Kato.

  • Stay home. I have not been out to take a bath in more than a week now and I am really craving some ofuro time. I hope all the small sento and hot springs get support from the Japanese government to cover their losses during this difficult time with the COVID19 virus. Looking forward to hitting up countless sento once everything returns to what ever the new normal will be.

  • Thanks to the virus and being stuck at home I hope to have a renewed and better understood hot spring classification section up soon.