Zen Nikkō TsutsujinoYu Community Centre

Visited on April 29th. Opens at 10:00. The mountain azaleas were in full bloom. The mountain was covered in green leaves. The parking lot was spacious and easy to park in. Enter the entrance and put your shoes in the shoe locker. Purchase a ticket for 600 yen. There's a restaurant on the right. To the left, in front, are two tatami-floored resting rooms. It's quite spacious. Where the men's and women's sections are separated, there's a reception desk. Apparently, you can enter and exit once. To the left of that is a valuables box. A 100 yen refund is available. The lockers inside are non-refundable, so keep your valuables there! There are two types of baths: indoor and outdoor. There's a washing area for about 15-16 people. The indoor bath is surrounded by a cypress frame, and the hot spring itself is clear and colorless. I'd heard it was warm, but it was a solid 41°C. There are deep and shallow outdoor baths, and the shallower ones have some bubbles. Even though it's spring, the sun is strong, so it would be nice to have a gazebo or canopy. It's a nice feeling to look at the mountains. I think this hot spring could be even better with some improvements. There is a glamping facility nearby, so it may get crowded early in the morning or in the evening as many people from there also visit.

We finally arrived after a short drive along mountain roads from the Tohoku Expressway. It was a Sunday, but perhaps because it was mid-morning, it wasn't crowded. The bathing fee was a reasonable 600 yen for adults. The facility was very clean, and the bath was spacious and comfortable. The water was a clear, alkaline, simple sulfur spring, and the temperature felt quite high. It's unusual to see rest areas scattered around. It seems like you can bathe as many times as you like, so you can spend the whole day relaxing. The restaurant was open for its "pre-opening." After scanning the menu, I chose the hot chive soba for 1,200 yen, and my friend chose the hot chitake udon for 1,400 yen. The chive soba seems to be famous, but it's a simple soba noodle dish with little chive flavor and is easy to eat. The chitake udon was surprisingly rich. The udon had a unique texture, so it might be a matter of personal preference. It seemed a bit pricey, but we were happy to be able to enjoy local cuisine. By the way, there was a pizza place outside. A food truck was set up.

We descended from the top of the mountain and arrived at this bus stop. The bus waiting room has a restroom, so you can use it before departure. However, depending on the season, it can get quite cold even indoors, so we recommend bringing warm clothing. Reebus only operates morning buses, while during the day, you'll need to use a reservation-based demand bus. The demand bus departs from Tsutsuji-no-Yu. (Reservations can be made up to 30 minutes before departure.) Tsutsuji-no-Yu → Former Awano Town Hall: Four buses per day (as of January 2026): 9:00, 10:40, 1:50, and 3:00 PM. (No bus stop information is provided for Reebus.) To Kanuma Station, take the demand bus from Tsutsuji-no-Yu to Former Awano Town Hall, then transfer to a Kanto Bus. However, if you use the 10:40 demand bus, you will have to wait a long time as there are no buses from the old town hall in the 11:00 and 12:00 hours.

First visit on October 3, 2025! It's located deep in the mountains, in the middle of nowhere, and the roads are narrow, so it was difficult to get there. 😭 The bathing fee is a bargain at 600 yen, but there's only one regular hot spring, one indoors and one outdoors, and no sauna, so you'll probably get bored if you stay for a long time. Perhaps because they're targeting an older clientele, the rest area is a tatami room with no manga, only a TV. Meals are also available. They serve "Nira Soba," a local specialty made with soba noodles and chives, but for some reason it's a bit pricey at 1,200 yen. 😭 Plus, water is self-service, and there's no tea. It's not worth the effort, so it's better to visit Oku-Nikko and stop by for a break instead of just to enjoy the hot springs. Apparently there's no bathing fee if you're just eating or resting, so it's a good alternative to a drive-in.

It's a simple hot spring. Entry is until 5:00 PM, and you can leave the bath by 5:40 PM. Closing is until 6:00 PM. Entry fee is 600 yen. Unusually for a hot spring of this size, lockers are 100 yen and are not returned. So the effective entry fee is 700 yen. There are 10 washing areas, and shampoos and other amenities are provided. Both the indoor and outdoor baths can accommodate about 20 people and are spacious. The water in the outdoor bath is shallow, only reaching slightly above the belly button. It's best to warm up thoroughly in the indoor bath before entering. There are no saunas or other attractions. There are dining and rest areas.