Jiyugaoka Hot Spring

Visited Jiyugaoka Onsen on Friday, November 7, 2025, at 5:30 PM. Located in a quiet part of Obihiro City, this day-trip hot spring facility offers both hot and cold mineral springs. It's a moor-spring hot spring with a sauna and cold bath. The spring water is supplied to all of the baths and faucets, and the cold bath is cold mineral spring water pumped up from deep underground water 200 meters below ground, making it drinkable. The water is smooth, pleasant to the palate, and slightly hard, and you can even take it home (up to 4 liters per person). Unfortunately, there's no open-air bath, so you can't bathe in the open air, but from the indoor bath you can view an elegant garden that's hard to believe you're in the city. When I visited, it was quite crowded, and it seemed like most of the customers were local regulars, but there was no exclusive atmosphere, and everyone was welcoming and respectful to outsiders. According to the records of past owners, this was originally the site of a lodging facility founded by the previous owner in 1970. In 1984, hot springs began flowing out after drilling 1,300 meters deep in the area, and the current owner opened the facility in 1986. Open from 10:30 AM to midnight (last order 11:30 PM), admission is 500 yen for adults (cash only), with a JAF member discount. There are free shoe lockers and changing lockers, but no amenities such as body soap or shampoo are provided. There is one Tescom Ione hair dryer (10 yen for 3 minutes), a Nishiyama water dispenser, and a Tanita scale. The bathing area is indoors and separated into men's and women's sections. There is a dry sauna on the men's side and a wet sauna on the women's side. The men's bath features three separate faucets (3x6) with fixed showers and hot water, eight plus three hose-operated showers and hot water, five hot water-only faucets, a 42°C main bath (with electricity), a 42°C secondary bath, a 40°C vibrating bath, a waterfall bath, a 15°C cold bath, and a dry sauna (with two far-infrared faucets for 10 people, a TV, and two 5-minute hourglasses). According to the 2018 hot spring analysis report, the temperature is 42.3°C, the pH is 8.2, and the dissolved salts are 727mg. The water is a hypotonic, alkaline, simple spring with a high alkaline content. It appears almost colorless, transparent, tasteless, and odorless, but is more of a sodium bicarbonate-containing moor spring with a higher concentration of fulvic acid than the humic acid commonly found in the Tokachi Plain. Its pale amber color and smooth, viscous consistency make it a moisturizing, dry, and non-sticky "hot spring for beautiful skin." The facility has a tatami room and two lounge-style rest areas, and although there is no dining area, it is instead connected to the ramen shop next door, so you can go back and forth between them. The price is reasonable, about the same as a public bath, and I thought it was a great hot spring to experience an authentic moor spring in a local atmosphere.

Obihiro Jiyugaoka Onsen ♨️ Today, after the Food Valley Tokachi Marathon, Suikoen was closed, so it was super crowded, but I went to the cold water bath that smelled of hydrogen sulfide and to make a wish by throwing water on Amabie. I happened to see Yoshinobu's heroic figure in the sauna, so that was great!❣️The sauna is muted, so you have to stare intently at the screen. The cold water bath here is the best! It reeks of hydrogen sulfide! I've never seen anything like it anywhere else. Each person can draw up to 4 liters of water. Only the indoor bath has smooth, flowing water. There is also an electric bath and a waterfall bath. In the sauna, you can throw water on the wooden carved Amabie statue in front of the gas stove. It's 88°C, fits 10 people, and has a muted TV. The cold water bath that smells of hydrogen sulfide is about 15°C.

With free-flowing hot spring water, a moor spring, and a hot sauna, it's absolutely amazing. While there's no open-air bath, the quality of the spring water makes up for that, and there's a relaxing space to unwind. One of the best things about this hot spring is that it doesn't lose heat after you get out, leaving you feeling warm and cozy for hours. With its perfect size, ambiance, and friendly staff, it's a very relaxing hot spring. ♨️ Because of its excellent facilities, it seems to see a lot of regulars between 9 PM and 10 PM. The sauna, with its high temperature and just the right humidity, is a must-see. Depending on the day, the sauna's fire is turned off right up until closing time, so you can finish your bath in no time!

This hot spring is located in a residential area off National Route 38. It is open from 10:30 AM to 12:00 AM. The fee is 500 yen. There is a discount if you show your JAF membership card. There are no amenities, and hair dryers cost 10 yen for 3 minutes. Lockers are free and come with keys, and there is a water cooler. The baths include an indoor bath, a jet bath, a rock bath, a waterfall shower, a sauna, and a cold bath, with the indoor bath being a little deep. The water is a little hot, and it is a moor spring, so the water is slightly cloudy and brownish. There is a large parking lot, and there is a ramen shop and a rest area next door, so you can relax and enjoy yourself.

I was surprised to find a rock bath even though it's a public bath. It's located a two-minute walk from the Jiyugaoka 3-chome bus stop. The mineral water bath smells of sulfur (?). I think the facility is good, but I felt the users had a slightly bad attitude. From what I saw, there were people dipping their towels in the bathtub, more than enough for one hand. There were also several people splashing around vigorously. This is just unacceptable... I visited around 4:30pm on a Sunday, and there were over 20 people in the bath. It seems to be a popular facility, so it's only natural that people with bad manners are more noticeable.