Hot Springs as Casual Destinations and Fun Onsen Hopping! The Best Day Use Onsens
Wouldn't it be nice to stop by a hot spring after a long day of sightseeing or a trek to soothe your muscles? Mr. Ishikawa showed us his favorite day-use Onsens by categories. If you're an Onsen lover, Onsen hopping around the island might be just the thing for you!
If Water Quality of the Spring Matters Most...
Different water qualities are good for different things, but Kanai Onsen Kinpoku-no-sato by Mount Kinpoku, the highest peak on the island, is known for the highest sodium content in its Strong Salt Spring, where your body will stay warm for a long time after a soak in the hot spring. Niibo Katagami Onsen is also known for its thermal properties and has a strong local following. There are two Onsens there, "Atsuno-yu" and "Sagino-yu."
There are many restaurants and shops to choose from at Niibo Katagami Onsen. Be sure to check out the locally made specialty products at the shops.
The Great Bath at Kinpoku-no-sato. Take in the great view of Mount Kinpoku from the relaxing hot spring.
According to one legend, Emperor Juntoku discovered Niibo Katagami Onsen as he watched a heron treating its wounds in the hot spring.
If Location Matters Most...
You can watch the quiet stillness of Ogi Bay from the large picture window in the Great Bath of Sado Onsen Ogino-yu. The hotel reopened its doors in October of 2008 after extensive renovation. Akadomari Jyogahama Onsen is also located in a wonderful area, or relax in a idyllic pastoral setting of Hatano Onsen Shosenkaku. The view of Mount Kinpoku from the picture window in the bathroom at Kanai Onsen Kinpoku-no-sato is also fabulous.
There is a Great Bath on both the first and the second floor of Hatano Onsen Shosenkaku. The photo is of "Eden-no-yu" on the second floor.
The water at Sado Onsen Ogino-yu is a high-ph alkaline Simple Spring. Your skin becomes nice and smooth after a soak.
After enjoying the hands-on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries experience at Sunrise Jyogahama, revive yourself with a dip in the hot spring at Akadomari Jyogahama.
If Hot Spring + Specialty Meal Matters Most...
A gourmet meal after the hot springs is one of the greatest treats imaginable. Steak made with local Sado Beef is a house specialty at Boire Imose located adjacent to Kur Therme Sado in Hamochi Area. Nanohana Restaurant located at Shukunegi, about 5 minutes by car from Sado Onsen Ogino-yu, is known for their original dishes using local fish and Sado Beef that can be enjoyed with local sake and shochu (distilled sake) from other regions in Japan as well as various wines. Combine it with a dip in a hot springs for a memorable day on Sado!
At Kur Terme Sado, you can enjoy the view of the forest from the bath. Alkaline Simple Spring makes your skin smooth and shiny.
For the Hot Springs Connoisseur Looking for that Special Onsen...
The other black water hot spring that not even the locals know about is Sendo Onsen Torin-so that stands in a pasture close to Hatano Onsen Shosenkaku. The black color comes from the ancient plant fossils, and is called Moor Spring. With its look of traditional bathhouse, the facilities aren't brand new, but the unique spring water and the ambience of having slipped back in time is not to be missed.
As the temperature at the spring source is low, the bath water at Sendo Onsen is heated. The dark water with ancient plant fossils can trigger wild imagination about ancient times.
"The hot springs healed wounds and pesticide rash that no doctor could cure. The warmth of the hot springs stays with you for more than 15 minutes after a soak in the winter cold," says Kenji Miura who has been coming to Sendo Onsen from Mano for about 50 years.
Not Hot Spring, but Footbath!
Sado Green Hotel Kiraku has the only footbath on Sado Island. On a hill overlooking Kamo Lake adjacent to the private open-air bath rental and day use baths, "Asano-yu" footbath that uses Sado's deep sea water opened in 2007. The footbath is closed for the winter, but look for it to reopen in the spring!
Facilities Data
Hatano Onsen Shosenkaku
Kanai Onsen Kinpoku-no-sato
Niiho Katagami Onsen
Sendo Onsen Torin-so
Sado Onsen Ogino-yu
Kur Therme Sado (Hamochi)
- TEL:0259-88-3566
- 170-1 Hamochi Iioka, Sado-shi
- Getting There: 20 minutes by car from Ogi Harbor; 2 minutes on foot from Ichinomiya-mae bus stop (Watatsu Line)
- Open from 11:00 to 22:00; Closed Mondays (the following day if Monday is a holiday)
- Fee: Adult 500 yen, Child (6 to 12) 300 yen
- Restaurants (nearby), lodging, and tennis court on premise
Gourmet Info : Boire Imose
- TEL:0259-88-3701
- 170-1 Hamochi Iioka, Sado-shi
- Getting There: 20 minutes by car from Ogi Harbor; 2 minutes on foot from Ichinomiya-mae bus stop (Watatsu Line)
- Open from 11:30 to 14:00, 17:00 to 19:30 (Last order); Closed Mondays (the following day if Monday is a holiday)
Sendo Onsen Torin-so (Hatano)
- TEL:0259-66-2243
- 1301-1 Kurinoe, Sado-shi
- Getting There: 15 minutes by car from Ryotsu Harbor; 5 minutes on foot from Sendo bus stop (Minami Line)
- Open from 09:00 to 19:00; Closed on the 11th of each month
- Fee: Adult 390 yen, Child (6 to 12) 140 yen, Preschooler 70 yen