Iya Onsen

Onsen Hikyo

Prefecture

Tokushima

Type

Onsen · Hikyo

N/A

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Restaurant

About This Destination

A single inn, Hotel Iya Onsen, on the rim of the Iya gorge, with its own cable car that drops 170 meters down a 42-degree slope to open-air baths beside the river. Day visitors are welcome, but the bus out here runs only three times a day.

Hotel Iya Onsen is the only building at this hot spring, and it sits on the edge of the Iya gorge rather than at the bottom. To reach the baths you ride the inn's own cable car: 250 meters of rail, 170 meters of drop, a 42-degree slope, about five minutes each way. The current car, the fourth, went into service in spring 2023. At the bottom are two open-air baths built out over the Iya River. They are not mixed: men and women swap between the two daily. The water is an alkaline simple sulfur spring, piped straight from the source without recirculation, a little slippery with white flecks floating in it. No swimsuits, and towels stay out of the water. Day bathing costs 2,000 yen for adults, cable car included, from 7:30 to 17:00 with last entry at 16:00; the inn is closed to day visitors on Wednesdays (moved when Wednesday is a holiday). There is also a private open-air bath, but day visitors cannot book it and take it only if it is free when they arrive. The old road along the gorge is narrow, and on stretches you will be backing up for oncoming cars. Iya Kazurabashi, the vine bridge, is about 20 minutes away by car.

Location

Prefecture: Tokushima

Address: Miyoshi, Tokushima, Japan

Nearest Station: Hotel Iya Onsen bus stop

Best time to visit: Open all year (closed to day visitors on Wednesdays); autumn color fills the gorge around November, and in winter (January 4 to the end of February) the river baths close at 19:00 for overnight guests

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Visitor Information

Credit Cards: Unknown

Official Website

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I visit Iya Onsen as a day trip by bus?

Yes, but the timing is tight. Under the Shikoku Kotsu timetable revised October 1, 2026, the Iyakei line bus reaches the hotel only three times a day, and you change to it at Kazurabashi Yume Butai. Leave Oboke Station at 10:08, arrive at 10:49, and take the 13:52 back; the last bus leaves the hotel at 14:52.

Is the open-air bath at Iya Onsen mixed bathing?

No. There are two riverside baths, and men and women swap between them daily. Swimsuits are not allowed and towels must not go in the water. Couples or families who want to bathe together can use the private open-air bath (3,000 yen plus tax for 60 minutes, on top of the 2,000 yen bathing fee); day visitors cannot reserve it.

How steep is the cable car at Iya Onsen?

The slope is 42 degrees. The rail is 250 meters long with a 170-meter drop, and the ride takes about five minutes. The ride is included in the day bathing fee, and it is how you get down to the river baths.