# Kinugawa Onsen

> A long line of big hotels on both banks of the Kinu River gorge, about two hours from Asakusa on Tobu's limited express. Come for the boat ride down the river, the 140-metre suspension bridge to Tateiwa rock and the free footbath outside the station. The town's public bathhouse closed in 2024, so a soak in the water itself now means a hotel's day-bathing hours.

- Prefecture: Tochigi
- Type: Onsen
- Address: Nikko, Tochigi, Japan
- Official site: https://www.nikko-kankou.org/

Kinugawa is a hotel town more than a village. Big concrete hotels stand shoulder to shoulder on the cliffs above the Kinu River, built for the company trips and tour groups of the boom years, and a few of them now stand empty. It is still the easiest hot spring town to reach from Tokyo without a car. One account puts the first spring, Taki Onsen on the west bank, in 1691. It belonged to the Nikko temples and was used by their priests and by daimyo; only when those lands were taken away in 1869 was it opened to everyone, and the Fujiwara spring was found on the east bank around the same time. Together they became Kinugawa Onsen. The water is a clear alkaline simple spring with no smell. The best thing to do here is get on the river. The Kinugawa Line Kudari boats leave from a landing about five minutes' walk from the station, run about 30 minutes down past rocks with names like Tateiwa and Tsumiki-iwa, and a free bus brings you back. The Kinu Tateiwa Otsuribashi, a 140-metre footbridge 37 metres above the water, is free and links the hotel side to the rock. Outside the station, Kinuta no Yu is a free footbath under a statue of Kinuta, the town's ogre mascot. Edo Wonderland Nikko Edomura is a short ride away, and the Nikko city bus to Meotobuchi, the walking start for the Okukinu inns, leaves from the station.

## FAQ

### Where can I take a bath without staying the night?

At the hotels. The town's public bath, Kinugawa Koen Iwaburo, closed on 31 March 2024. Kinugawa Onsen Hotel's riverside bath takes day bathers from 14:00 to 17:00 for 1,650 yen for adults (880 yen for ages 3 to 12, plus 50 yen bathing tax), and other hotels have their own hours. If you only want warm feet, Kinuta no Yu outside the station is free from 9:00 to 18:00.

### How does the Kinugawa river boat ride work?

Boats leave from a landing about five minutes' walk from Kinugawa-Onsen Station, twelve times a day between 9:00 and 15:45, from mid-April to late November. The trip down takes about 30 minutes and a free bus brings you back, so allow an hour. Adults pay 3,500 yen. Check in at least 20 minutes before your boat, and everyone wears a life jacket.

### Is Kinugawa worth it as a day trip from Tokyo?

It works: two hours each way by Tobu limited express, then the boat, the suspension bridge, the footbath and an afternoon hotel bath. The town itself is not pretty, and some hotels along the river are empty, so if you want an old-style onsen street, look elsewhere. Combining it with Nikko's shrines in one day is a stretch.

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Source: Kinugawa Onsen — Japan Voyage