Tsubame Onsen

燕温泉36°54′ N 138°09′ EOnsen townSeasonal

Tsubame Onsen is Myoko's highest hot spring at about 1,100 m, with milky sulphur water and two free wild baths, and it suits hikers coming off Mt. Myoko between late spring and early November; the wild baths shut for winter under snow.

Photo Siriusplot · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 and others, credited in the gallery

Know before you bathe

Kawara no Yu is a mixed bath with a changing shelter. Keep to the path, carry your rubbish out and get out of the water before dark.

Getting there

Tsubame Onsen sits at about 1,100 m on the road above Seki Onsen. Park at the village car park; Kogane no Yu is a 10-minute walk and Kawara no Yu about 15 minutes down the gorge.

A few inns stand at the trailhead for Mt. Myoko here, and Myoko Tourism calls the village the highest of the mountain's seven spa villages. Legend credits the monk Kobo Daishi with finding the water. The tourism office also repeats the story that warlord Uesugi Kenshin bathed here in secret.

Kogane no Yu sits ten minutes from the car park with separate pools for men and women. Kawara no Yu draws more people. It is a mixed rock pool beside the river about fifteen minutes down the gorge, and it stayed closed for years after the bridge on the path fell until it reopened in September 2024 over a temporary crossing.

Both wild baths are free and both close on Monday and Friday mornings for cleaning. The prefecture's guide gives Kogane no Yu from April and Kawara no Yu from July. Myoko Tourism adds that dates move with the snow, so ring the Myoko Kogen tourist office before a spring trip.

Worth knowing

From 1 October to 30 November 2026 the Tsubame Onsen trailhead trials a voluntary digital entry fee paid through the YAMAP app; Myoko City spends it on ptarmigan protection and trail work.

The essentials

In Japanese: 燕温泉(つばめおんせん)
Kind: Onsen town
Prices: The two wild baths, Kogane no Yu and Kawara no Yu, are free. Hotel Iwatoya charges ¥800 at weekends and Hotel Hanabun ¥600 to ¥1,200 on Myoko Tourism's April 2026 list.
Hours: The wild baths open from sunrise to sunset in the snow-free months and close on Monday and Friday mornings for cleaning. Kawara no Yu closes from about November to June.
Closed: Wild baths closed in winter under snow
Water: Milky white sulphur water with floating white flakes, listed by Myoko Tourism as a sulphur-bearing sodium and calcium bicarbonate, sulphate and chloride spring.
Spring types: sulphur spring, bicarbonate spring, sulphate spring, chloride spring
Colour: Milky white
Outdoor bath: Yes
Mixed bathing: Yes
Tattoos: Not published. No rule is posted for the free wild baths or the two hotels on Myoko Tourism's pages.
Bring: Bring a towel and a bag for wet things. Myoko Tourism says rubber boots are a must when Kogane no Yu opens with snow still on the ground.
Address: Sekiyama Tsubame Onsen, Myoko, Niigata 949-2235

Tsubame OnsenNiigata

Quick answers about Tsubame Onsenよくある質問

Are Tsubame Onsen's wild baths free?

Yes. Tsubame Onsen's Kogane no Yu and Kawara no Yu cost nothing to use.

Is Kawara no Yu at Tsubame Onsen mixed bathing?

Yes. Kawara no Yu is a mixed outdoor bath; Kogane no Yu next to the village has separate pools for men and women.

Can you bathe at Tsubame Onsen in winter?

Not in the wild baths, which close under snow. Hotel Iwatoya and Hotel Hanabun list day bathing, and Hanabun's outdoor bath is closed in winter.

What are the opening hours of Tsubame Onsen?

Tsubame Onsen: the wild baths open from sunrise to sunset in the snow-free months and close on Monday and Friday mornings for cleaning. Kawara no Yu closes from about November to June.

Within 12 km