Sainokawara Outdoor Bath (西の河原露天風呂) is located in Sainokawara Park. If you are interested in bathing in the middle of nature, this is the bath you would want to visit. Moreover, it is one of the few public bath houses in Japan where you can enjoy the hot spring with a different gender and with bathing suits. But note this exception only limit to Friday night.
About Sainokawara Outdoor Bath
Especially during the fall foliage season from late October to early November, Sainokawara Open-Air Bath is particularly popular amongst visitors. You can avoid the crowd by heading there in the early morning or at night.
- In the early morning, there might be a chance that the public bath is covered with steam when the temperature is low. So if you want to experience that, get there as early as possible before the mist disappears in the sun’s heat.
- The hot spring pools are illuminated at night, giving you a completely different bathing experience.
While you might be wondering why even bother to venture out of your hotel to a park to bathe, the experience will just be different.
Sainokawara Open-Air Bath is as spacious as 500 square meters. The onsen pools are so spacious that they could fit hundreds of people at one given time!
Walking on the promenade surrounded by nature, bathing there is almost no different than bathing in the wild nature!
One funny thing about Sainokawara Outdoor Bath is its spring source. Although Sainokawara Park has 1,400 litres of hot springs flowing out per minute, the bathhouse uses the Bandai spring source.
Things to Keep in Mind About Sainokawara Outdoor Bath
- There is no showering space at Sainokawara Outdoor Bath.
- The further back you go, the hotter the water is going to be.
- The Male Open-Air Bath becomes a mixed-gender bath on Friday night from 5:30 pm to 8 pm. Remember to put on your swimming suit or rent out the special bathing wear before you head out of the changing room!
- Hair dryers are not available at Sanowakara Outdoor Bath.
- If you need a face towel or a bath towel, you can purchase them from reception.
- Avoid visiting Sainokawara Outdoor Bath from late morning to afternoon on a hot sunny day. There is no shade to hide under when using the hot spring pool.
- The stone pavements leading to Sainokawara Outdoor Bath will be slippery when wet.
- There are bugs around the area as it is an outdoor bath.
Sainokawara Outdoor Bath’s Opening Hours, Admission Fee, and Access Information
- Sainokawara Outdoor Bath is open from
- 7 am to 8 pm from April to November
- 9 am to 8 pm from the 3rd of December to March
- The last admission is 30 minutes before closing time.
- The admission cost is
- 800 yen for adults
- 400 yen for children from the age of 3 to elementary school students
- Sainokawara Outdoor Bath is around a 10 to 15-minute walk from Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal.
Discover Other Attractions in Kusatsu Onsen
In addition to Sainokawara Outdoor Bath we have introduced, Kusatsu Onsen has much more to offer. Whether it is soba noodles, traditional sweets or outdoor activities, such as obstacle courses and skiing, you surely won’t be bored during your time at Kusatsu Onsen!
For more information, refer to our article on Kusatsu Onsen (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ.
