Ashino Hot Spring

♨️This is a hot spring resort♨️ I visited on a Sunday afternoon, just before noon. I thought it was only a day-use bathing facility, but it turns out you can stay overnight too. (Looking at their website, it seems almost all the accommodations are booked up for the near future…) I left my shoes in the open shoe rack, purchased a ticket, handed it to the reception, and entered. Beyond the souvenir shop is a large rest area (which also serves as a dining area). People were eating, chatting, and lounging around. It seemed like most people were sleeping. Going further past the rest area, you'll see the entrance to the hot springs. (There's a water dispenser in the lobby.) There was a locker for valuables (100 yen deposit) next to the changing room entrance, and an unmanned reception desk, so I wonder if it used to be a traditional reception desk system? Apparently, you put your clothes in a basket or in a wooden locker without a lock (there are signs on the door indicating "occupied" or "vacant"). The indoor baths are called Tsuru-no-yu and Mera-no-yu. Tsuru-no-yu has a smooth, almost ultra-soft feel. Mera-no-yu is said to suppress melanin production, making it effective for skin whitening. The open-air baths have a hot spring with a slight sulfurous smell and a cold bath, allowing for alternating soaks. Beyond the open-air baths is the famous medicinal bath, Nagi-no-yu, but as many visitors have mentioned, soaking your whole body in it causes a tingling or burning sensation, so it's best to avoid long soaks. There's also Nami-no-yu, a less stimulating medicinal bath, but you should use that before Nagi-no-yu. Using it afterwards will only result in pain... Personally, it felt more like soaking in chili pepper water than a medicinal bath. A middle-aged man I chatted with in the rest area said he had been going in and out of the medicinal baths for about seven hours without even eating lunch, and that he had become accustomed to the pain. Incidentally, that person couldn't get a reservation in the accommodation building and was using the facilities for several days, commuting from a hotel further away. I'd like to use it again, but the distance is a bit of a drawback... From Chiba Prefecture, it easily takes over two hours, so if your purpose is long-term therapeutic bathing, you might want to consider staying overnight.

Visited in September 2025 I used the hot springs for a day trip. The entrance fee is a bit pricey at 1500 yen, but I think it's a very good hot spring facility. Perhaps because it's a bit expensive and has a medicinal bath, it doesn't have the cluttered atmosphere of a health center. It's a calm, adult-oriented hidden hot spring, and the rest area is clean, quiet, and relaxing. In short, it has a very calm atmosphere. The hot springs include an open-air bath, a medicinal bath, an indoor bath, a sauna, and a footbath, and the changing rooms are spacious and well-organized. The medicinal bath isn't particularly hot, but it warms you up enough to make you sweat. As rumored, it can tingle and hurt in sensitive areas of the skin, haha. The rest area doubles as a restaurant, and the menu is extensive and reasonably priced. I've been to many day-trip hot springs, but I think this is a very good one. I'd like to stay overnight sometime.

It was absolutely amazing!! The atmosphere from the parking lot to the hot spring entrance was so well-thought-out that I was excited even before I got in. The baths were beautiful and there were many different types of tubs, and the herbal sauna was especially great! The medicinal bath? seems to be famous, so I tried it, but I couldn't last 10 minutes lol. The tingling started to hurt so much I gave up lol. People who are used to it stayed in for a long time! There was also a restaurant, and I forgot to take a picture of the menu, but everything looked delicious! The adjacent hotel also looked nice! I'd like to stay there one day. It seems it's been featured on TV many times! There were also several photos of celebrities. I'd love to visit again!

I used the hot spring for a day trip. It was very quaint and I really liked it. It reminded me of a Ghibli movie (Spirited Away). I used it at night, so it was half the price of the daytime (750 yen per adult), which felt like a great deal. Personally, I like the Tsuru no Yu hot spring the best. It's highly alkaline, so it feels great at dissolving dead skin cells. The herbal bath also has a strong smell. Be careful, as men's private parts may feel a tingling sensation after a few minutes in the bath. Next time I'd like to stay overnight.

The Mera no Yu bath is said to be effective against blemishes and freckles, so I find myself soaking for a long time. The herbal bath makes my private parts tingle after just two minutes. The water is incredible. You can also relax in the large hall, and it really feels like a hot spring. I also like that it's half price from 4pm. While relaxing in the large hall, I'm drawn to the large menu items and end up eating a lot. The Ashino Gozen set meal is my favorite.