Takayu Onsen, Fukushima - The Best Place To Enjoy A Relaxing Holiday

Getting to the Takayu Hot Spring

Coming from Tokyo

It takes roughly an hour and a half to get from Tokyo Station to Fukushima Station on the JR Tohoku shinkansen, and costs 8430 yen one way for a non-reserved seat. If you prefer to take the bus, those departing at midday will take about five hours to reach Fukushima Station, while overnight buses will take about six hours. Bus tickets start at 4000 yen.

Coming from Osaka

Traveling from Shin-Osaka Station to Tokyo Station on the JR Tokaido shinkansen takes about two and a half hours, after which you will need to transfer to the JR Tohoku shinkansen, which will take you all the way to Fukushima Station. Non-reserved seats on this route will cost 19,670 yen, one way. On the other hand, an overnight bus will take roughly twelve hours, with tickets costing roughly 11,600 - 12,700 yen.

Coming from Fukuoka

By Train

It takes roughly five hours to travel from Hakata Station to Tokyo Station via the JR Sanyo and JR Tokaido bullet trains, but after transferring trains you’ll arrive at Fukushima Station before you know it! It costs 27,650 yen for a non-reserved seat.

By Plane

There are six flights a day operated by JAL, ANA, and IBEX from Fukuoka Airport to Sendai Airport. The flight takes an hour and forty minutes and it costs 48,000 yen for a standard one-way ticket. After arriving at Sendai Airport, you will need to take the Sendai Airport Access Line to Sendai Station, which takes about 25 minutes. Then, you will need to transfer to the JR Tohoku shinkansen; it will take about 30 minutes to reach Fukushima Station from there. The fare for this train costs 3180 yen.

Reaching Takayu Hot Spring from Fukushima Station

From Fukushima Station you will need to take the bus in order to reach Takayu Hot Spring; head out of the west exit of the station and go to the Number 1 bus stop. Please be careful though: there are only five buses on weekdays and three on weekends/holidays that head to Takayu Hot Spring. This trip will cost 820 yen.

If you are staying at an inn in the town, double check when making your reservation as there may be a free shuttle service from the station to your hotel.

Baths at the Takayu Hot Spring for Day Visitors

Image courtesy of: the Takayu Hot Spring Tourism Association

Atakayu - Public Bath

Here you can enjoy an open air bath along with a private bath. There are set times for when you can use it, but there’s also a lounge along with the Ataka hot spring park that’s maintained 50 meters above. Here you can view the Takayu hot spring.

Atakayu Public Bath
Fee: Adults 250 yen per hour, children 120 yen per hour
Private baths cost 1000 for 50 minutes (bathing taxes and other taxes are included in the price).
Address: Fukushima city, Machiniwasaka-aza,, Takayu 25
Website:Atakayu Public Bath (Japanese)

Takayu Nonbiri Onsen

Here there is a main hall and another separate hall, both of which have their own indoor baths as well as open air baths.

Takayu Nonbiri Onsen
Fee: Adults 700 yen, children 350 yen (bathing taxes and other taxes are included in the price).
The private bath in the main hall costs 1080 yen for 50 minutes, while the private bath in the separate hall costs 2160 for 50 minutes (consumption tax included; there’s a separate entrance fee and bathing tax which costs 700)
Address: Fukushima, Fukushima, Machiniwasaka-aza, Takayu 14-1
Website: Takayu Nonbiri Onsen (Japanese)

Seishin Sanso

This is an area in where the temperature of the water in the baths is set slightly lower than the others; the baths are closer to lukewarm than steaming hot. These are perfect for those who find the water in the other baths too hot to bath in. Here you can comfortably enjoy the hinoki or Japanese cypress baths too.

Seishin Sanso
Fee: 400 yen (before tax)
Address: Fukushima city, Machiniwasaka-aza, Yuhanazawa 1-15
Website: Seishin Sanso (Japanese)