Yokohama Onsen Koganeyu

Another day, another day. Not to the Kogane-yu in Kinshicho, but to the Kogane-yu in Yokohama. It's a very Showa-era public bath. It still has a counter, and there are hardly any people there. The jacuzzi and other amenities are the type that start when you press a button, so I thought, "This is what silence feels like." After washing my body, I went to the black bath with natural fossilized seawater. The temperature was around 40 degrees Celsius, so I felt like I could fall asleep in it. Entering the sauna, there were seats on both sides and one throne-like chair in the middle. And I was the only one in the sauna, so of course I sat in the throne-like chair. The temperature was 90 degrees Celsius. I felt myself slowly sweating profusely. The cold bath was also a hydrogen bath with something about magma written on it, but the temperature was 24 degrees Celsius, so I could have stayed in there for a while, or even reached a state of deep relaxation there. However, it was only big enough for one person, so I stayed in for a little longer, sat on a round stool in the changing room and enjoyed the fan. I repeated this three times, and finally went into the black bath one more time to finish. It was empty the whole time, so if you want to experience a Showa-era public bath sauna in silence, this is the place for you! *There is a parking lot, but it's difficult to get in unless you back in. Also, a kei car (mini car) is recommended for parking.

Yokohama Onsen Koganeyu, Butsumuki-cho, Hodogaya Ward Hoshikawa, where I worked in my 20s, has undergone a dramatic transformation, resembling a Shinkansen station, but the neighboring Wada-cho station is an old Sotetsu platform without even an escalator. I always thought this was a spa bathhouse, but it's actually a venerable public bathhouse, founded over 70 years ago. The attendant is a young woman. The bathhouse itself features a mountaintop Osaka Castle painted by the previous owner in the center, while Mizuki Tanaka has painted Mount Fuji in the men's and Tower of the Sun in the women's baths, preserving that image. The mosaic tiles below the bathhouse painting are lovely, and the carp tile painting in the bathtub is rare. There are also retrofitted tile paintings of the wind gods and thunder gods and a painting of the 53 Stations of the Tokaido Road. The water is lukewarm at 40°C, with black and white water. The black water is good, but the most comfortable are the push-button vibrating white water and the reclining bath. "It might become a bit addictive." And the single-person cold bath is, surprisingly, a magma hydrogen bath. There's a cold shower installed above—I've never seen anything like it. There was beer, so I put on my pants and had a naked beer. There are so many things I want to say, but even though it's an old-fashioned public bath, it's a positive and energetic one.

This is a rare public bathhouse with a traditional counter, where you can bathe in a hot spring♨ made with black groundwater heated with firewood. Though old, they actively accept electronic payments like QR codes and use LED lighting, suggesting a commitment to modernizing their facilities and management. The price is the standard price for Kanagawa Prefecture, ¥500. The paid sauna is currently closed. There are 13 wall-mounted shower faucets, five hose-equipped showers, plus one at the edge of a partition for some reason. One elevated shower for standing baths. The bathtub is divided into three sections, the largest of which is a black hot spring (digitally displayed at 40.9°C). The description says it's a fossil seawater hot spring, but I think it's a type of moor spring. There's a push-button switch on the wall to activate the black hot spring jet bath. The remaining two baths appear to be freshwater: a single-person sitting bath with bubble jets, and a vibrating bath with powerful bubbles shooting from the bottom. Both are activated by a push-button on the wall. (The fresh water here has an analog display of 44 degrees)

July 29, 2025 - Here's the public bath I visited on the second day of the long weekend 😃 I thought I'd conquered all the public baths in Kawasaki and Yokohama by now, but I'm not done yet (lol) Today I wanted to incorporate some hot spring elements, so I went here❗ It's called Ogon-yu❗ or rather, it's actually Kuro-yu (black hot spring) 😅 The parking lot is behind the building, accessed by turning left from the front entrance, and I think it can only fit two cars at most. Moreover, it might be difficult to turn around if you have a large car 💧 It's on a hill and there's no fence, so be careful not to fall in 😅 There's a monitor at the entrance, a thoughtful design ☺️ Let's check here to see if there are any spaces available 😃 The baths include black hot spring water and regular hot spring water, and there's a small cold bath in one corner. The water temperature is all around 40℃, which is lukewarm, and I think this is just right for me in the summer ? The changing room is decorated with figurines and has sofas, so you can relax ✨ It was a public bath where you could just unwind ✨

I stopped by here after running to Yodobashi in Yokohama and doing some shopping. This completes my tour of Yokohama's public baths along the Sotetsu Line. It's located in a residential area, a short walk from the Sotetsu Line station. I think I was the only other local resident there. It's a Showa-era style public bath, and while compact, it still has a full range of baths available: bubble bath, jet bath, black water bath, and cold water bath. The cold water bath is small enough for just one person. The fact that it's black water just adds to the satisfaction. The jets are also strong, and they hit the shoulders and soles of the feet with pinpoint accuracy, which feels great! I loved it. It might even be worth coming just for that lol. By the way, this was a bathhouse with a ticket counter, which is rare these days. The person sitting at the counter was a much younger woman than me, so it was a bit embarrassing for an old guy like me (lol).