[Access] About 20 minutes by car from Fukushima Nishi IC on Tohoku Expressway
[Webpage] Tsuchiyu Onsen
After finishing a double-header day hike of Mt. Adatara and Mt. Higashi-Azuma, I returned to Jododaira a little after 5 p.m. Before heading home, I wanted to soak in a hot spring. Checking the map, I noticed Tsuchiyu Onsen was nearby, and that there were day-use baths open until late, so I decided to head there.
A hot spring town along a river, with slopes and rows of ryokan and small shops, feels like the classic image of a Japanese onsen town—and I personally like that atmosphere a lot. As expected, the parking lot at my destination, Nakano-yu, was full, but just as I arrived, a car pulled out. Perfect timing—I was lucky.
Nakano-yu is a public bath, and perhaps because it’s relatively new, the building is very clean and modern. With the background music inside, it almost felt like a stylish medical clinic in town. Payment was done via a vending-machine-style system that accepted credit cards and QR code payments, which felt completely different from the traditional atmosphere of the surrounding onsen town. The main bath is located on the basement level, the first floor is a relaxation area, and surprisingly for a day-use facility, there are private baths on the second floor.
There are three baths in total: a small hot bath (atsuyu), a standard-temperature indoor bath (shown in the photo), and an open-air bath. I skipped the hot bath because the person trying to enter looked like they were struggling with the heat, and it was so small that only one person could fit. Later, I realized that this bath alone had a different spring quality—a bicarbonate spring, often called a “beauty bath.” In hindsight, that was a mistake. I should have tried it.
The other baths use a simple hot spring with a total mineral content of 506.1 mg/kg and a pH of 7.8. On paper, it doesn’t sound very distinctive, but the water had a faint yellow-brown tint and a slightly thick, smooth feel that left the skin a bit slippery. When I scooped some water into my hand and brought it close to my face, it had a curious scent—something like sulfur, but not quite. After bathing, my body stayed warm for a long time, and I felt it was a surprisingly good hot spring.
After my bath, it was already pitch dark, so I couldn’t really walk around the onsen town. Still, it felt like a compact and charming place, and I’d like to visit again if I get the chance.