Hidden Onsen in Kansai: Japanese Bathers Name Their Real Picks — and Flag the Ones That Already Closed
関西の穴場温泉：地元の本命と「もう閉業してる」訂正
By Rakutaro · Tokyo, Japan
A "Kansai's secret onsen" roundup got fact-checked by the Japanese bathers in its own comment section: commenters named more than 25 hot springs of their own, and flagged at least three on or around the list as already closed or changed — one inn shut "three years ago," another closing within days of the video. The thread's verdict on the video's picks: Dorogawa, Totsukawa and Ryujin "are not minor" — one is literally World Heritage. Then they name where they actually go: a lotion-slick bath on the Soni highlands, a dig-your-own riverbed bath in Wakayama, and the spring one local calls "Kansai's strongest — I'd say Japan's best."
“The uploader pretending not to notice the contradiction — a 'minor onsen' with tons of reviews — is delicious lol”
マイナーだけど口コミいっぱい、という矛盾にうp主が全く気づいてないフリしてるのがたまらんw
What Japanese visitors do instead
'The onsen is crowded' is often really a facility problem — even in super-famous onsen towns, book a whole-building rental or an inn that takes only a few parties a night and it's extremely peaceful. Meals come in private rooms or your own room, so you barely see other guests. My formula: good public-transport access, facing the sea or a lake, a detached rental with an open-air bath in the room. It costs, sure — but it beats a foreign-brand designer hotel in the city every time.
温泉が混んでる、というのは施設の問題でもあり、超有名な温泉地でも例えば一棟貸しや宿泊者数組限定とかだと非常にゆっくり出来る。食事も食事処の個室や部屋食だから他の客と顔を合わせる事も殆どない。私の好みは公共交通機関でのアクセスが良くて海や湖に面した温泉で、離れの一棟貸し、部屋に露天風呂がある所かな。まあお値段はするけど、都心の外資がやってるデザイナーホテルとかよりは絶対こっちの方が良い。
— @junesunshine4173 likes
Places named in this article
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- Okame-no-yu (Soni Kogen Onsen)Soni Village, Nara
The thread's most-endorsed pick (34 likes): highland views from the rotenburo and famously slick, lotion-like water.
- Shionoha Onsen Yamabato-yuKawakami Village, Yoshino, Nara
"Kansai's strongest — I'd say Japan's best" per one protective local; golden, mineral-heavy source water by a dam lake.
- Nosegawa OnsenNosegawa Village, Nara
Riverside seclusion and silky water (17 likes) — plus kashiki hot pot with duck, boar and pheasant. Snow season access is genuinely hard.
- Kamiyu OnsenTotsukawa Village, Nara
The deepest-in of Totsukawa's three springs — "gloriously untamed" (17 likes).
- Inunakisan OnsenIzumisano, Osaka
Osaka's mountain onsen by a shugendo temple. Genuinely quiet — but a convenience store is a drive away and phone signal can drop (48 likes). Not for kids.
- Jinzu OnsenKinokawa, Wakayama (Inunaki pass)
The local add just over the pass from Inunakisan — strong-alkaline water.
- Ushitaki Onsen ShikimatsuriKishiwada, Osaka
Closed for a time, reopened under new management as Shikimatsuri — a commenter notes towel rental is no longer free (as of the comments).
- Kawayu Onsen (Sennin-buro)Hongu, Tanabe, Wakayama
Dig into the riverbed and hot water wells up; the giant Sennin-buro river bath appears in winter only (11 likes).
- Tsubaki OnsenShirahama, Wakayama
"Super recommended" quiet alternative just past busy Shirahama (33 likes).
- Hanayama OnsenWakayama City
Carbonated, crystal-crusted water a local rates "denser than Arima's gold spring" (5 likes).
4.00★ from 254 guest reviews on Rakuten Travel (as of Sep 2026)
Named in the source comments. Where a note gives a price, opening status or rule, we checked it against the linked source on the date shown — everything else is what the comments said. All of it can change; check the map listing before you go.
FAQ
- What are some hidden onsen near Osaka and Kyoto according to locals?
- The comment section's strongest picks: Okame-no-yu on the Soni highlands in Nara (34 likes, "the view from the open-air bath is pure healing"), Shionoha Onsen deep in Yoshino ("Kansai's strongest"), Nosegawa Onsen ("full-on secluded"), and Inunakisan Onsen on the Osaka–Wakayama border — genuinely quiet, but not a place for kids (48 likes).
- Are Dorogawa, Totsukawa and Ryujin onsen really hidden gems?
- Japanese bathers in the thread say no — "Dorogawa, Totsukawa and Ryujin are not minor; Yunomine is literally World Heritage." They're still excellent (Totsukawa's deepest spring, Kamiyu, gets called "gloriously untamed"), just don't expect to have them to yourself, especially Dorogawa on shugendo pilgrimage weekends.
- How reliable are 'secret onsen' lists for rural Japan?
- Check before you drive: in this one thread, commenters flagged Inagawa Hoju Onsen as closed "three years ago," Haga Onsen's Kaede-yu as shut down, one spa closing days after the video, and Ushitaki Onsen as reopened under new management (it now operates as Shikimatsuri). Rural onsen close and rebrand often — always confirm on a current map listing.
- What is the Sennin-buro at Kawayu Onsen?
- Kawayu Onsen in Wakayama has hot water welling up through the riverbed — commenters note you can dig your own bath there, and in winter the river is dammed into a giant open-air pool called the Sennin-buro ("thousand-person bath"), which one local calls a rare, winter-only experience worth planning around.
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What Japanese visitors said — picked from the top 80 of 140 comments
Dorogawa, Totsukawa and Ryujin are not minor. Yunomine is literally World Heritage. The genuinely good minor ones I'm not writing down — more people would come — but from the other comments here: Shionoha and Yokatan are the best.
洞川、十津川、龍神はマイナーではない。湯の峰に至っては世界遺産。 マイナーで本当に良いとこは人が増えるので書かないけど、他のコメントである入之波、よかたんは最高。
Some of these have already gone out of business, and the last one is nowhere near 'minor.'
閉業してるトコもあるし、最後のはマイナーどころでもない、
I searched Inagawa Hoju Onsen — it comes up as closed three years ago.
猪名川豊壽温泉で検索しましたが、３年前に閉業とでてきました。
Haga Onsen's Kaede-yu has closed. Heads up.
波賀温泉 楓湯は閉館しています。ご注意ください。
Riverge Spa at Hikigawa Onsen is closing the day after tomorrow, apparently 😢 A soak there on the way home from fishing was the best — so sad 😭
日置川温泉のリヴァージュスパは明後日で閉店らしいです😢 釣りの後に入って帰るのが最高だったのに悲しい😭
Ushitaki Onsen had closed for a while — so it's back open now. They used to lend towels for free; that's paid now.
牛滝温泉一時閉館してたんですが、再開してたのですね。 昔はタオルとか無料貸し出ししてくれたんですが今は有料になってる。
I've stayed at Inunakisan Onsen. The only 'sight' nearby is Shippōryū-ji, a shugendō temple — beyond that it's deep mountains, and even the convenience store is a drive away. Depending on your carrier, your phone might not even connect. But it was genuinely quiet. Just note: not a place for kids.
犬鳴山温泉泊まったことありますが、最寄りの観光地は七宝瀧寺という修験道のお寺くらいでその他は山奥ということで、コンビニすら車で行く距離。キャリアによってはスマホすら繋がらないかも。でも本当に静かなところでした。子供向けの場所ではないことに注意
Head from Inunakisan Onsen over toward the Kinokawa side and there's Jinzu Onsen.
犬鳴山温泉を紀ノ川方面へ行くと神通温泉がある
'Okame-no-yu' in Soni Village, Nara, is wonderful! The view from the open-air bath especially — pure healing.
奈良県曽爾村にある「おかめの湯」は良いですよ!特に露天風呂からの景色は最高！癒やされます。
Maybe not that minor, but 'Okame-no-yu' in Soni Village, Nara, is an incredibly slippery, lotion-like bath. Recommended.
マイナーではないかも知れんが、奈良県の曽爾村にある『お亀の湯』めちゃくちゃヌルヌルローション風呂でおすすめ
I worry about the crowds so I don't really want to share, but Kansai's strongest is Shionoha. Personally I'd say it's the best in Japan.
人が増えるのが心配で教えたくないけど 関西最強は入之波ですよね。私は日本一だと思います。
Dorogawa Onsen is a shugendō post town, so it does get busy. Nosegawa Onsen is far, admittedly, but the water is truly silky-slick. Kind to the skin.
洞川温泉は修験道の宿場町なんでそれなりに混んでいます。野迫川温泉は、確かに遠いですが、泉質はホンマにヌルヌル。肌には優しいですね。
Nosegawa Onsen is full-on hidden-valley stuff — soaking while gazing at the river is a joy. For food, try the kashiki hot pot (duck, boar and pheasant in one pot) and the salt-grilled amago trout. It's so remote that going in snow season is seriously high-difficulty.
野迫川温泉は秘境感たっぷりの温泉で川沿いの景色を眺めながらの入浴は気持ちいいですよ。 それと食事ではカシキ鍋(鴨・猪・雉の三種のお肉が味わえる鍋)とアマゴの塩焼きをぜひ食べてみて下さい。 秘境すぎて雪の有る時期に行くのは凄く難易度が高いです。
Totsukawa Village has three onsen, each with different water. The deepest one in, Kamiyu Onsen, is gloriously untamed.
十津川村には 泉質の違う温泉が3つ在るけど 1番最深部に在る上湯温泉が 野趣に溢れてます。
Kawayu Onsen in Wakayama — recommended. Dig into the riverbed and hot water wells up, and the winter tradition, the Sennin-buro river bath, is worth getting into.
和歌山県の川湯温泉オススメです。 河原を掘れば温泉が湧いてきて、冬の風物詩、仙人風呂は入る価値有りです。
'Tsubaki' Onsen in Shirahama, Wakayama — super recommended!
和歌山県白浜町の「椿」温泉超おすすめ！
Hanayama Onsen in Wakayama City truly warms you from the core. I'd say the water is denser than Arima's famous gold spring. Apparently people with atopic skin come regularly too.
和歌山市の花山温泉は、ほんとに身体の芯から暖まる。有馬温泉の金泉より泉質が濃いと思う。アトピーの方も通ってるそうですね。