Echigo-Yuzawa Onsen Town
越後湯沢温泉
The hot spring street around Echigo-Yuzawa Station, with five town-run outdoor public baths, including Yama no Yu and Komako no Yu. A tour pass lets you visit them all, and the Yukimi-yu is most evocative of the snow country in winter.
Echigo-Yuzawa hot springs are said to have been discovered at the end of the Heian period. On both sides of the station are scattered hot spring inns and town-run communal baths called “soto-yu,” or outdoor baths. The oldest is Yama no Yu, followed by Komako no Yu, named after “Snow Country,” and outdoor baths such as Kaido no Yu, Iwa no Yu and Shukuba no Yu. Each costs about 500 yen, and a soto-yu tour pass is also available. The station has free foot baths, and the hot spring street has many restaurants serving soba noodles made with seaweed (hegi soba) and rice balls made with Uonuma Koshihikari rice. Snow depths can exceed 2 meters in winter, so walk carefully on icy surfaces.
Opening hours
Outdoor baths approx. 10:00–21:00 (varies by bathhouse; some closed on set days)
Nearby sights
- Ponshukan Sake Museum (Echigo-Yuzawa)
- Yukiguni-kan Museum
- Yuzawa Kogen Ropeway & Alp no Sato
- Takahan Ryokan Kasumi Room
- GALA Yuzawa Snow Resort
- Iwappara Ski Resort
- Ishiuchi Maruyama Ski Resort
- Maiko Snow Resort