Kogome no Yu
The town's own day bath, next to Man'yō Park: big indoor and open-air baths, a free tatami rest room, and cheap entry after 7pm.
- Open-air bath
- Free rest room
- Half price after 7pm
Culture · Rakugo · every weekend
Weekend rakugo
Sat 5 Sept – Sun 29 Nov · Sat & Sun 13:30; Sat 20:00. No shows 3–4 Oct
Japanese comic storytelling every Saturday and Sunday afternoon in the geisha house, plus a Saturday-night show with a bath.
On now
About the event
Rakugo is a solo storyteller, a cushion, a fan and a cloth, playing every part in a comic tale. On weekends you can catch it in two places: an afternoon show upstairs at the Yugawara geisha house, and a Saturday-night show at Hotel Shiroyama by the station, where a ticket can include a bath.
Afternoon shows are Saturdays and Sundays; doors open at 13:00 and the show starts at 13:30 (about an hour). The evening show is Saturdays; doors 19:30, start 20:00. No need to book unless you're a group of six or more. The geisha house venue is on the third floor, up the stairs.
Make a weekend of it
Catch the afternoon show at the geisha house, then a bath and dinner in the onsen district. On Saturdays there's a second show at 20:00 at Hotel Shiroyama by the station, where the ticket can include a bath. There are no shows on 3–4 October.
A bath and a walk
Kogome no Yu is the town's cheap and cheerful day bath by Man'yō Park (closed Mondays). Soyu Terrace is the long, lazy option with lunch, so book it. Walk the stream through Man'yō Park and have a coffee at the Genkan Terrace, or see the art museum up the road (closed Wednesdays).
Soyu Terrace
A quiet, beautifully designed bathhouse in the woods of Man'yō Park. Book a half day with lunch, the baths, a sauna and a library.
- Lunch and baths
- Sauna and library
- Ages 12+
Man'yō Park
A wooded park along the Chitose River in the heart of the onsen district, with stream-side decks, a thatched tea house, a café and a day spa.
- Stream-side decks
- Tea house
- Free to enter
Yugawara Museum of Art
The town's small art museum in the onsen district, with a café terrace, a garden and a foot bath by the stream.
- Café terrace
- Foot bath
- Good in rain
Genkan Terrace
A glass-walled café and library at the entrance to Man'yō Park. Free to walk in, with terraces among the trees and by the river.
- Free to enter
- Library and Wi-Fi
- Riverside terraces
Dinner and a drink in the onsen district
Book ahead: Torisuke for yakitori over charcoal (closed Mondays and Tuesdays), Yoru no Ajito for Italian wine and gibier, or Iroha for hamburg steak (closed Mondays). Beer Stand Kadoya pours craft beer by the Ochiai-bashi bus stop every day until 22:00.
Torisuke
A husband-and-wife yakitori house grilling over binchōtan, with clay-pot rice cooked to order.
- Binchōtan yakitori
- Kamameshi
- Cash only
Yoru no Ajito
A small evening spot for Italian wine with cured ham, cheese, house bread, and Yugawara wild boar and venison.
- Italian wine
- Local wild boar and venison
- Evenings
Iroha
A cosy evening yōshoku restaurant with wood-panelled walls, known for hamburg steak and tomato curry.
- Hamburg steak
- Tomato curry
- Evenings
Beer Stand Kadoya
The only place in the onsen district to drink fresh local beer on tap, with a terrace over the Chitose River.
- Local beer on tap
- River terrace
- Open daily
Before the Saturday-night show
Kappo Shirako cooks fish straight from the ports (closed Mondays), Arai Shoten serves Peruvian lunches and dinners (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays), and Saluté is easy Italian with children (closed Mondays). In the evening, Kinsanchi fries kushiage to order and Bar The King mixes fresh-fruit cocktails by the river (both closed Sundays).
Kappo Shirako
A small kappo two minutes from the station, cooking fish bought straight from the ports and vegetables from local growers.
- Fresh fish
- Lunch sets
- 2 min from the station
Arai Shoten
A Peruvian kitchen that moved here from Shimbashi after 18 years. Casual lunches, and dinner courses planned with you by phone.
- Peruvian
- Dinner courses by phone
- Lunch till sold out
Saluté
A relaxed Italian place four minutes from the station, with pizza, pasta, house cakes and imported wine, and a lift from the car park.
- Pizza and pasta
- Step-free
- Imported wine
Kinsanchi
An izakaya two minutes from the station, frying kushiage to order and serving it with a sweet sauce that takes three days to make.
- Kushiage
- 2 min from the station
- Cash only
Bar The King
A tiny English bar by the Chitose River, full of antiques, pouring fresh-fruit cocktails, Guinness and Irish coffee.
- Fresh-fruit cocktails
- Guinness
- Garden
Where to stay
For a group, Shiroyamakan (formerly Shiroyama Bekkan) rents out the whole annex of an onsen inn two minutes from the station, with a spring-fed bath and room for 12. Or stay in the onsen district, where the baths, Man'yō Park and dinner are all a short walk away. Hotel Shikisai and Megumi are easy with children, Genzan Uenoya is old Yugawara in a 1930 wooden inn, and The Ryokan Tokyo is the budget pick. For dinner served in your room, Fukiya. Treeside is four minutes from the station, if you'd rather come and go by train. Friends of Matt's run Shiroyamakan.
Shiroyamakan
The detached annex of an onsen inn two minutes from Yugawara Station, rented whole: three bedrooms, room for up to 12, and a half-open-air bath fed from the hot spring.
- Whole annex to yourselves
- Spring-fed bath
- 2 minutes from the station
Hotel Shikisai
A big, easygoing onsen hotel by the river with buffet dinners, a station shuttle, table tennis and a summer pool. Good value for families and groups.
- Buffet dinner
- Station shuttle
- Summer pool
Onyado Megumi
A family-friendly ryokan with rooms for four, a children's playroom, a bookable private bath, and meals in the room in the larger suites.
- Family-friendly
- Kids' playroom
- Private open-air bath
Genzan Uenoya
One of Yugawara's oldest inns, in a four-storey wooden building from 1930 that's a registered cultural property. Two springs of its own, free private open-air baths, and a hinoki foot bath on the top floor.
- Registered cultural property
- Free private open-air baths
- Rooftop foot bath
The Ryokan Tokyo Yugawara
A relaxed, modern onsen inn for writers and solo travellers, with a library lounge, desks, ink-making, and a spring-fed bath.
- Writing plans
- Solo-friendly
- Day bath and lounge
Fukiya
A sukiya-style ryokan with seven baths, including two hinoki tubs on the roof, and dinner and breakfast served in your room. Good with children.
- Meals in your room
- Rooftop hinoki baths
- Family-friendly
Treeside Yugawara
A small design hotel and apartments four minutes from the station, with rooms that look out to the hills and a restaurant downstairs.
- 4 minutes from the station
- Apartments with kitchens
- Restaurant downstairs
Tickets and details
Plans can change with the weather. The organiser's page has the latest.
Also coming up
On now
From 24 Nov 2025, no end date
Dragon God's Secret Hot Spring
A puzzle game you play on foot from Fudō Falls down to Man'yō Park, following a story on your phone. Go any day.
On now
Tue 1 Sept – Sat 31 Oct
The 1,200-Year Mystery: a puzzle trail round Yugawara
Pick up a free puzzle booklet, walk the town from the station to the onsen district collecting clues, and enter a draw for ¥1 million in prizes.
On now
Sat 10 Oct – Thu 17 Dec
Mikan picking
Pick and eat sweet Yugawara mandarins in hillside orchards above the sea, from October to mid-December.