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Watarase Onsen large open-air bath

わたらせ温泉 大露天風呂わたらせおんせん だいろてんぶろ

Public Bathhouse

Day Use

Yes
06:00–21:30

08:00-19:00 (for private baths)

¥1,000

Bathing & Water

Natural onsen water

Uses natural hot spring water

Outdoor BathYes

Open-air outdoor bath

Indoor BathYes

Enclosed indoor bathing area

Capabilities

Mixed BathingNo

Shared bathing area for all genders

Policies & Services

WashingYes

Shower, wash stations, soap and shampoo provided

TowelsYes

Towels available to rent or borrow

Water treatment

Treated and recirculated
from Article 18 disclosure
  • Added water
    Yes
  • Reheated
    Yes
  • Recirculated
    Yes
  • Disinfected
    Yes
    塩素系薬剤
  • Bath additives
    No

わたらせ温泉 天翔の湯

Watarase Onsen Tensho-no-Yu

Operated by · 株式会社わたらせ温泉

Bicarbonate
+ Chloride
Color
colorless and transparent
Taste
not recorded
Odor
odorless

Sodium Bicarbonate-Chloride spring

High silica
Composition fingerprint1.3 g/kg dissolved · Hypotonic
Na⁺89
HCO₃⁻70
Cl⁻25
CationsAnions
Sodium Na⁺
salt's cation — pairs with chloride to make the water salty.
Bicarbonate HCO₃⁻
"soda" — softens skin, leaves it smooth.
Known good for
  • Smooth skindry, rough skin
  • Warmingcold sensitivity
  • Cutsminor wounds

A sodium-led bicarbonate spring with a chloride sub-type — the classic jūsō-sen (soda-water) style, soft and smooth on the skin. With neutral pH and a generous 124.6 mg/kg of metasilicic acid, it sits squarely in Japan's beauty-water family, leaving the kind of silica film that makes skin feel noticeably smoother. Moderately mineralized at 1,274.6 mg/kg of dissolved solids, the water is colorless, transparent and odorless.

Analyzed Jul 19, 2019·株式会社ケイ・エス分析センター·Cert no. No.R-0061-1

Explore the water

Programs

About

The open-air bath at Watarase Onsen is what people drive out to Hongu for: a spread of pools built into natural boulders, among the largest open-air baths in western Japan, split into sections held at different temperatures and said to take around 500 bathers at once. The water is a clear sodium bicarbonate chloride spring, poured in without recirculation, soft and slightly slippery, the sort locals call a beauty bath (bijin no yu, 美人の湯). Men's and women's sides are separate. It sits among the Kii (紀伊) mountains beside a stream, in the same cluster of Hongu springs as Yunomine and Kawayu, and once it gets dark there is very little light around to compete with the stars.

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Sergey M
1 year ago

611. Watarase Onsen Large Open-air Bath, Wakayama ★ Onsen for 1000. There are private outdoor baths for 1800 (didn't try those). Operating hours stated as 06:00 to 21:30 (public bath) and 08:00 to 19:00 (private baths). They stamp the 88 Onsen of Wakayama booklet. They sell the 12 Onsen of Wakayama stamp. Known for its large rotenburo area, but the onsen is undergoing additional excavation work to ensure water flow. Because of this, part of the infrastructure is blocked, including one section of the men's outdoor bath area. 1. Outdoor area. No real view to speak of, but even with the construction white fence, it's cozy. 1.1. Small outdoor stone bath near the entrance. Clear water, slight smell. 42 degrees. 1.2. Large outdoor stone bath. Clear water, slight smell. 41.5-42 degrees. 2. Indoor bath. Clear water, slight smell. 44-45 degrees. There's a water passage to the outdoor bath. Breathable inside. The excavation and construction work didn't let the place reveal its full potential, but I still liked it. Worth keeping in mind when visiting Kawayu and Yunomine Onsen; after the work is finished - recommended for a visit. 14.06.2025

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Last updated August 4, 2026