Some well-known open-air baths, such as the Zao Onsen Dairotenburo (蔵王温泉大露天風呂), close for the snow season. These five take day visitors through the winter: Midorinokaze Resort Kitayuzawa in Hokkaido, Tsurunoyu in Akita, Ginzanso in Yamagata, Awanoyu in Nagano and Hirayu no Mori in Gifu.
None of the five announces a winter shutdown, though Hirayu no Mori closes November 30–December 11, 2026, and each has its own closing days.
Snow depth varies by year, so check conditions before an early-December trip. Without a car, Hirayu no Mori is a short walk from a bus terminal, while Awanoyu and Tsurunoyu take more planning.
Only Kitayuzawa (last entry 7 p.m.) and Hirayu no Mori (last entry 8:30 p.m.) let you bathe into the evening. Ginzanso's last entry and Awanoyu's day bathing both end at 1:30 p.m., and Tsurunoyu's day bathing ends at 3 p.m., so plan those three for midday.
Day-trip bathing at a glance
Onsen | Adult fee | Day-bathing hours | Closed / watch out for | Booking and payment | Without a car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Midorinokaze Resort Kitayuzawa (Hokkaido) | ¥2,500 weekdays / ¥2,800 weekends and holidays | 3–8 p. | Big outdoor bath runs low until about 6 p. | Weekends and holidays: book the official day-trip plan in advance | Donan Bus from JR Date-Mombetsu Sta. |
Tsurunoyu (Akita) | ¥700 | 10 a. | No day bathing on Mondays (nearest weekday if Monday is a holiday); entry may be limited when busy | Not stated; call ahead | Bus from Tazawako Station, then about a 50-min walk unless the guest shuttle takes you |
Ginzanso (Ginzan Onsen, Yamagata) | ¥1,500 | 11:30 a. | Closed Thursdays and some other days | Bath: no booking, cash only. | See the Ginzan Onsen winter access page |
Awanoyu (Shirahone Onsen, Nagano) | ¥1,000 | 10:30 a. | See the opening calendar; may close at short notice in winter | Call on the day to confirm | One usable bus each way; long waits |
Hirayu no Mori (Okuhida, Gifu) | ¥700 | 10 a. | Closed Nov 30–Dec 11, 2026 | No phone bookings; ticket machine in the lobby | Bus from Takayama (about 60 min), then 2–3 min walk |
Midorinokaze Resort Kitayuzawa (緑の風リゾート きたゆざわ), Hokkaido
This resort hotel in Kitayuzawa Onsen, in the Hokkaido city of Date, has a big outdoor bath ringed by old-growth forest. Its Forest Walk Baths (森の散歩湯) are ten outdoor tubs for men and ten for women, linked by a walkway. The official site shows the big bath under winter snow.
Day bathing costs ¥2,500 on weekdays and ¥2,800 on weekends and holidays, when you must book the official day-trip plan in advance and a towel set is included. On weekdays, the towel set costs ¥300 extra.
Hokkaido prefectural roads 86 and 2 (the Orofure Pass road) can close in winter weather, and the resort asks drivers on the expressway to exit at Date IC.
Without a car, the resort points you to Donan Bus or a taxi from JR Date-Mombetsu Station (the timetable lists the stop as Date Ekimae). The 2:05 p.m. bus reaches Kitayuzawa Onsen at 2:54 p.m., and the last bus back leaves Kitayuzawa Onsen at 6:16 p.m.
The timetable was revised October 1, 2026, and a special schedule runs December 30–January 3. Buses from the other nearby stop leave a few minutes earlier, so ask the resort which stop to use.
The big bath is drained and cleaned every Tuesday, so the water stays low until about 6 p.m. Drivers can wait it out, but bus riders should pick another day.
Tsurunoyu (鶴の湯温泉), Nyuto Onsen, Akita
Tsurunoyu, in Nyuto Onsen, a cluster of hot spring inns in Semboku, draws water with distinct characteristics from four springs: Shirayu, Kuroyu, Naka-no-yu and Taki-no-yu. It also has a mixed-gender outdoor bath (konyoku, 混浴).
JNTO's national parks site says Nyuto gets more than two meters of snow in midwinter, and singles out the snowy view from Tsurunoyu's baths. The inn's map of the grounds also shows a women's outdoor bath; call ahead (+81-187-46-2139) to check which baths day visitors can use.
Hours are 10 a.m.–3 p.m., at ¥700 for adults and ¥300 for children. Day bathing is off on Mondays for cleaning; if Monday is a holiday, it moves to the nearest weekday. When it's busy, the inn may limit entry or close early.
Without a car, take the Ugo Kotsu bus from Tazawako Station to the Tsurunoyu Onsen Iriguchi (鶴の湯温泉入口) stop. The Tazawako tourist information center's winter guide (dated November 2023) puts the inn about a 50-minute walk from there, though day visitors can sometimes ride the guest shuttle from Alpa Komakusa.
Call the inn that morning to ask whether day visitors can use the guest shuttle.
Overnight guests have it easier: they ride the same bus line to the Alpa Komakusa stop, where the inn's shuttle picks them up, and phone the inn from Tazawako Station to say which bus they're on.
Ginzanso (銀山荘), Ginzan Onsen, Yamagata
Ginzanso, an inn in Ginzan Onsen, has indoor and outdoor baths on both the men's and women's sides, including an outdoor bath you can lie down in. The inn describes its winter outdoor bath as surrounded by white snow.
Day bathing runs 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m. (last entry 1:30 p.m.), at ¥1,500 for adults and ¥1,000 for children. You don't need to book, but it's cash only, and you get about an hour once you pay at reception. Ginzanso closes Thursdays and some other days, so call first (+81-237-28-2322).
From December 19, 2026 to March 7, 2027, cars can't enter the hot spring town. Day visitors park at Taisho Roman-kan (大正ろまん館) and switch to a timed shuttle.
The car ban may run longer after heavy snow, and the Ginzan Onsen association asks visitors not to walk into town from Taisho Roman-kan.
Booked in advance, a round-trip shuttle costs ¥700–1,200 depending on the time, plus a ¥165 booking fee per order, with sales closing at 5 p.m. the day before (credit card only, so bring cash for the bath too).
Same-day tickets cost ¥300 more and are sold at the Taisho Roman-kan machine only if seats remain.
Shuttles leave on the hour and at :20 and :40. Your return seat is guaranteed on the shuttle 90 minutes after your outbound departure; miss it and you wait for a free seat.
So allow for Ginzanso opening at 11:30 a.m. and about an hour in the bath, and since ride times aren't published, leave margin for the 1:30 p.m. last entry. Full times and fares are on the Ginzan Onsen winter access page.
Awanoyu (泡の湯), Shirahone Onsen, Nagano
Awanoyu, an inn in Shirahone Onsen, Matsumoto, has a mixed-gender outdoor bath of about 70 tsubo (roughly 230 square meters). The milky water ranges from 37 to 40°C (about 99–104°F), depending on the air temperature. Nagano's official tourism site lists it among the prefecture's snow-view onsen.
Women get their own entrance, with steps leading from a changing room behind a noren curtain straight into the water. Day visitors can also use separate men's and women's indoor and outdoor baths.
Free bathing wraps are for overnight guests only. Day visitors pay for a bath towel (¥800) or bring their own.
Day bathing runs 10:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. (out by 2 p.m.) and costs ¥1,000. The official site says children of elementary-school age and younger aren't admitted, though its day-bathing page lists a children's fee, so call first if you're bringing kids.
The site also has a calendar of closing days, but bad weather or fuel supply problems can close it at short notice in winter, so call on the day (+81-263-93-2101).
Alpico's winter bus between Shin-Shimashima Station and Shirahone Onsen runs daily from November 16, 2026 to April 16, 2027. Only one morning bus works for a day visit: the 8 a.m. from Shin-Shimashima (connecting with the 7:15 a.m. train from Matsumoto), reaching the Awanoyu stop at 9:08 a.m.
The bus back leaves at 3:50 p.m. That means about 80 minutes of waiting between arrival and the 10:30 opening, and nearly two hours between the 2 p.m. exit and the bus home.
If you're coming by bus, staying the night may make more sense. Drivers need winter gear such as tire chains.
Hirayu no Mori (ひらゆの森), Okuhida Onsen, Gifu
Hirayu no Mori is a day-bathing facility with guest rooms in Hirayu Onsen, one of the Okuhida hot spring villages in Takayama.
It has 16 outdoor baths, seven on the men's side and nine on the women's, and one photo on its official site carries the caption "in winter, cool off outdoors in the snow."
It stays open until 9 p.m. (last entry 8:30 p.m.), the latest of the five, but closes November 30–December 11, 2026. Adults pay ¥700 and children (age 3 through sixth grade) ¥500.
Buy a ticket at the lobby machine and show it at the front desk; there are no phone bookings.
Gifu's tourism federation lists buses bound for Shin-Hotaka Onsen from the Takayama Nohi Bus Center, about 60 minutes to Hirayu Onsen. From the Hirayu bus terminal it's a two- to three-minute walk, or about 40 minutes by car from Takayama IC. Roads are plowed, but bring snow tires or chains.
Winter closures and a tattoo note
The Zao Onsen tourism association says the Dairotenburo closes from late November to mid-April. For Zao in winter, see Zao Snow Monsters 2026-27: When They Peak, After-Dark Viewing, and Riding the Ropeway.
Shirahone Onsen's public outdoor bath (公共野天風呂) also closes for winter from November 25.
If you have tattoos, contact each onsen before you go. For how Japanese hot springs handle tattoos, see Onsen with Tattoos: Can You Bathe in Japan if You Have Ink? A 2026 Guide to Cover-Ups, Private Baths & Tattoo-Friendly Spots.
This article was translated from the original Japanese with AI assistance and reviewed by our editorial team. The Japanese version is authoritative.
