Yamabiko-so

やまびこ荘やまびこそう

A decommissioned elementary school turned onsen lodge in West Izu

Lodging

Chubu·Shizuoka

0558-58-7153 ikoyo-nishiizu.jp

Day Use

Yes

12:00–17:00

Open every day.

¥600

Adults ¥600, children ¥350. The outdoor 25 m onsen pool is ¥200 extra and requires a swimsuit.

Bathing & Water

Natural onsen water

Uses natural hot spring water

Indoor BathYes

Enclosed indoor bathing area

A hinoki (cypress) indoor bath, separate from the outdoor swimsuit pool.

Bathing Arrangements

Mixed BathingNo

Shared bathing area for all genders

Separate men's and women's changing rooms; no mixed bathing mentioned.

Policies & Services

KidsYes

Welcomes children and families

WashingYes

Shower, wash stations, soap and shampoo provided

TowelsNo

Towels to rent or borrow at the desk

Listed under the site's item-for-sale price list, not a rental service; guests should bring or buy their own towel.

ParkingYes

On-site or nearby parking available

Water treatment

Not disclosed

from Article 18 disclosure

Added water
Not disclosed
Reheated
Not disclosed
Recirculated
Not disclosed
Disinfected
Not disclosed
Bath additives
Not disclosed

大沢温泉大沢第3号

Osawa Onsen Spring No. 3

Operated by · やまびこ荘

硫

Sulfate

Color: faintly yellow-brown and clear
Taste: tasteless
Odor: odorless

Known good for

Aches & jointsstiff shoulders
Circulationtired legs
Smooth skindry, rough skin

A calcium- and sodium-led sulfate spring, weakly mineralized at 1,758 mg/kg dissolved solids. Alkaline pH gives the slippery feel of Japan's beauty-water family, while the sulfate base brings quiet, settled body to the soak. Source temperature of 39 degrees Celsius leaves it pleasantly lukewarm — well-suited to long, unhurried bathing.

Sampled at wellhead·Analyzed May 28, 2012·静岡県温泉協会衛生科学検査室·Cert no. 静岡第1号

Explore the water

Highlights

Lukewarm Bath

About

Yamabiko-so is a town-run lodge in Nishi-Izu, Shizuoka, built into the old schoolhouse of a decommissioned elementary school. The indoor bath is a hinoki (cypress) tub of kakenagashi (掛け流し) hot-spring water; the source itself runs cool, so the bath sits on the mild, nuru-yu (ぬる湯) side rather than scalding. A separate 25-meter outdoor onsen pool sits alongside it, swimsuit required and closed December through February. The building is as much the draw as the water. The school closed in 1973 after years of declining enrollment, and local residents asked the town to keep it standing rather than tear it down; it reopened three years later as this youth lodge. The old classrooms are now ten tatami rooms, sized for groups of four to seventeen, meals are home-cooked, and there's a barbecue area on the old schoolyard. A hiking trail from the grounds leads down to the Nishina river.

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4.0

1 review

Sergey M

1 year ago· edited

245. Yamabiko-so, Izu ★★ A well-known, off-the-beaten-path abandoned school, converted into a guesthouse with an onsen and a swimming pool filled with onsen water. Inside, everything is very authentic and cool, it feels like time has stopped. There were also guests with children running around the hallway, a full anime effect. I went for a day visit for 600 yen (listed as 12:00 to 17:00, except Thu). They stamp the Shizuoka 60 Onsen 24/25 stamp rally. The onsen in the school is small. Inside there are two baths with clear water. The larger one is 42 degrees, the smaller one is 38.5. It feels a bit stuffy inside. And of course the star of the show is the swimming pool with onsen water and a great view of the mountains. A pipe runs separately along the top, and onsen water comes out of it. The water temperature from the pipe is 38, and the water in the pool at the other end is 30. A truly unique and very cool place, highly recommended to visit. It is in the middle of nowhere, and while you are driving there you really feel it, which makes an impression. I really want to come back to this place. 09.11.2024

Slava

2 years ago

So there was this town called Neginobata, and it had its own small elementary school. The bubble burst, the kids who once studied there are now old, and there are no new kids. They closed the school, along with the post office. An entrepreneurial guy bought the land with the building, did a renovation, and set up his own school — with BBQ and an onsen! Now the classrooms have tatami rooms, there's BBQ outside, and the pool has an onsen. Very atmospheric. Stopped clocks on the wall, children's drawings, name plates on the rooms. I bet you can hear children's laughter in the corridors at night.