Is Kaga Onsen Worth It? "The Station Front Isn't an Onsen Town": Japanese Visitors on Yamanaka, Katayamazu and the Tsuruga Transfer

What Japanese visitors said — picked from the top 200 of 739 comments

• There's no such place as Kaga Onsen. Kaga Onsen-kyo is the collective name for four small hot springs, Awazu Onsen, Katayamazu Onsen, Yamashiro Onsen and Yamanaka Onsen. The biggest factor is that they're spread far apart from each other, and far from the Hokuriku Shinkansen's Kaga-Onsen Station too.

  加賀温泉というのは無く、「粟津温泉」「片山津温泉」「山代温泉」「山中温泉」の4つからなる小規模の温泉の総称が、加賀温泉郷といい、それぞれの温泉の距離が、離れている事と、北陸新幹線の加賀温泉駅からも、離れているのが、1番、影響しています。

  — @らいたけ-o3f2 likes

• Losing the Thunderbird is insanely inconvenient. It was so handy for getting to and from Kansai.

  サンダーバード無くなったのは超絶不便 関西方面行くのに凄え便利だったのに

  — @bio-cancer1903Most liked272 likes

• The main visitors were from Kansai and Nagoya, and the shinkansen opening made things less convenient for them, so a net drop is inevitable, I think. People were saying this before it opened, though.

  メインだった関西、中京からの観光客が新幹線開業で不便になったからトータルで減るのは必然かなと思う。 開業前から言われてる事だけど

  — @わっきぃ-j3k176 likes

• With small kids, a transfer is a really high hurdle. You used to get from Umeda to Kaga Onsen on one train, so it worked even with a stroller, but if there's a transfer now, I'll pick somewhere else to stay. The kids are small, so a long-distance bus is out too.

  小さい子供がいてると、乗り換えのハードルが本当に高い。 以前は梅田から一本で加賀温泉に行けてたのでベビーカーでも行けたけど、乗り換えが発生するのなら、他の宿泊地を優先してしまう。 子どもが小さいので長距離バスも使えないし。

  — @じぇいじぇいぶー43 likes

• I live in Hokuriku, and getting out to Kansai has become a real pain. Kanto, on the other hand, is two hours direct by shinkansen, and there's a flight of under an hour to Haneda.

  北陸民だけど、関西圏に出るのは本当に面倒になった 対して関東圏は新幹線で直行2時間だし、羽田まで1時間弱の空路もある

  — @アトム刑務所101 likes

• Isn't the main factor a lack of appeal as a destination, more than whether there's a transfer? If it's somewhere people want to go, they'll go.

  乗り換えの有無よりも、観光地としてのアピールが足らないのが主な要因なのでは？行きたいところなら行くでしょうし。

  — @teriyaki-chi-cken42 likes

• Apparently onsen towns used to be lively because there were things like company trips back then.

  昔は社員旅行とかあったから温泉街は賑わったらしいね

  — @Nke124146 likes

• The reason really is that company trips have collapsed. Looking through my father's old albums, I found loads of group photos: about fifty people in the banquet hall in the inn's yukata and haori, lined up in three rows or so, with the okami off to one side. And the employees were almost all men. Apparently the women on staff weren't allowed to take part.

  やっぱり社員旅行が激減したのが理由ですね。父の古いアルバム見てたら、大広間に五十人ぐらいが旅館の浴衣と羽織着て3列ぐらいに並び、女将さんを脇に添えた集合写真がいっぱい出てきました。しかも社員はほぼ全員男性。女子社員は参加できなかったらしいです。

  — @junesunshine41755 likes

• Most of the Kaga Onsen-kyo towns were built around group customers too (some even ran ads pushing hardcore hostess service up front), so the ones that couldn't adapt when tastes changed just sink. The shinkansen has nothing to do with it.

  加賀温泉郷の各温泉も多くは団体客主体（ハードコンパニオンのサービスを前面に打ち出したCM流してた所もあったぐらい）だったから嗜好の変化に対応出来なかったところは沈んでいくだけ。新幹線は関係ない

  — @oumin121320 likes

• The Kaga hot springs were never really a package deal with sightseeing around them; it's mainly about eating and drinking at the inn and nearby. Katayamazu has the lakeside scenery to enjoy, but the others are flat townscape. Lately a lot of smaller inns have opened with open-air baths in the rooms fed from the source, and the old group-oriented hotels are being weeded out.

  加賀の温泉郷は元々周辺観光とセットというより、旅館やその周辺で食べて飲んでがメインかな。片山津は湖に面した風景が楽しめるけど、他は平坦な市街地です。最近は客室に源泉を引いた露天風呂付きの小さめの宿が多く出来ていて、かつての団体客メインのホテルは淘汰されてます。

  — @junesunshine41710 likes

• Visitors from Kansai and Tokai seem to have dropped, so it'll only get tougher from here... People aren't going to come all the way from Kanto either. Personally I like Yamanaka Onsen, the atmosphere is nice...

  関西や東海からの客が減ったみたいなので、今後ますます厳しくなるでしょうね… わざわざ関東からは来ないでしょうし 個人的に山中温泉は雰囲気いいから好きなんですがね…

  — @bluesoul430934 likes

• In Kaga, Yamanaka Onsen is fun for strolling the Kakusenkei gorge, and the fresh greenery and autumn leaves are beautiful.

  加賀市では、山中温泉は鶴仙渓の散策も楽しいし、新緑や紅葉がきれいなんだよなあ。

  — @hanjuk-tamagoo2 likes

• Only two Kagayaki from the Tokyo direction stop here, both around midday, and the connections to the CAN BUS (the Kaga loop bus) are bad. Without a bit more effort, visitors from the Tokyo side aren't going to increase much either. It's far from Kanto as it is.

  東京方面からのかがやき、昼に2本止まるだけだし、キャンバス（加賀周遊バス）の接続も悪い。 もう少し工夫しないと、東京方面からの観光客もそんなに増えない。ただでさえ関東からは遠いのに。

  — @ayupaso21121 likes

• For the Kaga hot springs (Yamashiro, Katayamazu), a fair number of guests go on Yukai Resort's own buses. The bus is cheaper, after all.

  加賀（山代、片山津）温泉については、湯快リゾートの専用バスを利用して行く客が割といる。バスのほうが安いし。

  — @naoyasano869519 likes

• I'm from Aichi, and between family trips and work year-end and New Year parties I've stayed in Kaga Onsen-kyo twenty-odd times by now. I stayed three times at the Kaga Kanko Hotel in Katayamazu that was in this video, so when I heard it had closed I felt kind of sad. All by car, mind you...

  愛知県民だが加賀温泉郷には家族旅行や職場の忘年会新年会でかれこれ２０数回は宿泊してるが、今回映っていた片山津温泉の加賀観光ホテルには３回泊まったので廃業したと聞いた時は、何だか悲しかったな。 ちなみに全て車訪問ですが・・・

  — @ノーザンライツ-k3y39 likes

• From Nagoya it's Gero Onsen, and from Osaka it's got to be Kinosaki Onsen ♪

  名古屋からなら下呂温泉・大阪からなら、やっぱり城崎温泉だね♪

  — @門亭栗数12 likes

• From Kansai, Awara Onsen and the Kaga city hot springs are close in distance, and if you're pairing them with a winter crab tour, the choice comes down to them versus the Kinosaki area or Misasa in Tottori. In that case the roads carry a snow risk depending on the weather, so the train was the safe bet, but once that means an inconvenient change at Tsuruga, I can understand the priority dropping. Visitors from Kanto using the shinkansen are presumably visiting the sights along the extended Hokuriku Shinkansen since this March because they'd never been before, but building repeat visitors won't be easy. From Kanto there are plenty of hot springs close to home, Hakone, Nikko, Kinugawa, Kusatsu, Ikaho and so on, and even on the Hokuriku Shinkansen itself, Nagano and Toyama are closer and have famous hot springs all over. And within Ishikawa, once Wakura Onsen reopens for business, it will move up the priority list as support for the disaster area. In Fukui, Awara Onsen is well known as the base for the Echizen sightseeing package with Eiheiji, Tojinbo and the dinosaurs, so individuals and tours alike seem likely to pick it as the place to stay, whereas Kaga Onsen-kyo also has competition within the area, between Yamashiro, Yamanaka and Katayamazu.

  関西からだと芦原温泉や加賀市の各温泉は距離的に近く、冬場の蟹ツアーとセットなら城崎方面や鳥取の三朝あたりとの選択でどちらをとるかになります。その場合、道路交通は天候によっては雪道リスクがあり鉄道が安心でしたが、それが敦賀乗り換えで不便となると優先度が下がるのは理解できます。 関東方面から新幹線利用の客も、今年3月以降はこれまで行ったことがないから北陸新幹線延長部分の観光地を訪れているのでしょうが、リピーターを増やすのは容易ではないでしょう。というのも関東からだと箱根・日光・鬼怒川・草津・伊香保等近場の温泉が多い上に、北陸新幹線上でももっと近い長野や富山にも有名な温泉は各地にあるので。 また石川県内では和倉温泉が営業を再開したらそちらが被災地支援で優先順位が上がるでしょう。 福井だと永平寺や東尋坊、恐竜とのセットで越前観光の枠組みとして芦原温泉が有名なので個人でもツアーでも宿泊地としてそこを選ぶ比率が高そうですが、加賀温泉郷の場合、山代、山中、片山津など域内での競合もありますね。

  — @xiaochaiperuro384326 likes

• Rather than Kaga Onsen, Awara Onsen with Tojinbo seems more likely to get picked as the classic course. Different prefecture, though (lol)

  加賀温泉ならあわら温泉からの東尋坊とかの方が王道コースに選ばれそう 県違うけど()

  — @やまげん-j9q12 likes

• SaveYamanaka Onsen↗山中温泉Kaga, Ishikawa

  The town Japanese visitors like most: the atmosphere (34 likes) and the Kakusenkei gorge walk with fresh greenery and autumn leaves (2 likes). About 30 minutes by bus from Kaga-Onsen Station.

  Sources: yamanaka-spa.or.jp — checked 2026-09-06

• SaveKakusenkei Gorge↗鶴仙渓Kaga, Ishikawa

  The riverside walk that makes Yamanaka the one Kaga town with somewhere to go after the bath (2 likes).

• SaveKatayamazu Onsen↗片山津温泉Kaga, Ishikawa

  On the shore of Shibayama-gata, the one town with a view (10 likes), and where the report filmed the abandoned hotels. An Aichi regular of twenty-odd stays mourns the Kaga Kanko Hotel here, closed as of the comments (39 likes).

• SaveYamashiro Onsen↗山代温泉Kaga, Ishikawa

  Named with Katayamazu as the towns the Yukai Resort budget chain runs its own buses to, which many guests take because it is cheaper than the train (19 likes).

• SaveAwazu Onsen↗粟津温泉Komatsu, Ishikawa

  The fourth Kaga hot spring, listed in the 2-like comment that explains there is no single place called Kaga Onsen.

• SaveKaga-Onsen Station↗加賀温泉駅Kaga, Ishikawa

  The shinkansen stop since March 2024, in none of the four towns (2 likes). A 21-like comment counts only two midday Kagayaki from Tokyo and poor connections to the CAN BUS loop.

  Sources: westjr.co.jp — checked 2026-09-06

• SaveTsuruga Station↗敦賀駅Tsuruga, Fukui

  Where the Thunderbird from Osaka now ends. The transfer Japanese visitors complain about most (272 likes), and the one a parent with a stroller calls a real hurdle (43 likes).

• SaveGero Onsen↗下呂温泉Gero, Gifu

  Where the Nagoya side goes instead (12 likes): the onsen town starts right outside the station, which is exactly what Kaga-Onsen Station lacks (39 likes).

• SaveKinosaki Onsen↗城崎温泉Toyooka, Hyogo

  Where the Osaka side goes instead (12 likes), and the rival for winter crab trips from Kansai now that Kaga needs a transfer (26 likes).

• SaveAwara Onsen and Tojinbo↗あわら温泉・東尋坊Awara and Sakai, Fukui

  The pairing a 12-like comment expects to win the classic-route slot over Kaga: Awara Onsen with the Tojinbo cliffs, Eiheiji and the dinosaur museum as the Fukui package (26 likes).

• SaveHachiban Ramen↗8番らーめんHokuriku chain

  The Hokuriku ramen chain an 8-like comment vouches for, not excerpted above.

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.

Is Kaga Onsen worth visiting?

Yes for a ryokan night in Yamanaka, no if you expect a lively hot-spring town. Japanese visitors describe the Kaga towns as places where you eat and drink at the inn rather than sightsee (10 likes): Katayamazu has the lake, the others are flat townscape, and the old group hotels are giving way to small inns with open-air baths in the rooms. Yamanaka gets the warmest words, for its atmosphere (34 likes) and the Kakusenkei gorge walk. Budget for a bus: the station is not in any of the four towns (2 likes).

How do you get from Kaga-Onsen Station to Yamanaka Onsen or Yamashiro Onsen?

By local bus or taxi, because the shinkansen station stands apart from all four towns. The Yamanaka Onsen tourist association lists the Hokutetsu Kaga Bus Onsen-Yamanaka Line at about 30 minutes to the Yamanaka bus terminal for 430 yen, or a taxi at about 20 minutes and roughly 3,500 yen; Yamashiro Onsen is on the same bus line, closer to the station. Ishikawa's tourism site puts Kanazawa to Kaga-Onsen at about 25 minutes by conventional train. A 21-like comment warns that the CAN BUS sightseeing loop connects poorly with the trains from Tokyo.

Sources: yamanaka-spa.or.jp · hot-ishikawa.jp — checked 2026-09-06

How long does it take to reach Kaga Onsen from Kanazawa, Tokyo and Osaka?

From Kanazawa it is one shinkansen stop in most timetables, 14 to 19 minutes, 2,640 yen unreserved. From Tokyo the fastest Kagayaki takes 2 hours 43 minutes and 15,150 yen with a reserved seat, but only some Kagayaki stop at Kaga-Onsen; Hakutaka trains stop more often and take longer. From Osaka you ride the Thunderbird to Tsuruga and change to the shinkansen, about 2 hours 9 minutes with one connection and 7,950 yen reserved. That Tsuruga change, between the limited-express platforms downstairs and the shinkansen upstairs, is the thing Japanese visitors complain about most (272 likes), and a parent with a stroller says it is enough to make them book elsewhere (43 likes).

Sources: ekitan.com · ekitan.com · ekitan.com · westjr.co.jp — checked 2026-09-06

Why are there abandoned hotels in Katayamazu and the other Kaga towns?

Because the customer they were built for disappeared. Commenters date the boom to company outings: one found his father's album full of fifty-man groups in yukata lined up in the banquet hall, women staff excluded (55 likes); another says the towns ran ads pushing hostess service and never adapted when tastes changed (20 likes). The expressways and the loss of the through train from Osaka finished the group business, though one visitor says the ruins were there long before the shinkansen (13 likes). The small inns that switched to couples and solo guests are the ones still open.