Two nights · Oku-Yugawara · no rush
A slow onsen weekend.
Two nights at Sansuirou at the top of the valley. Soak in the rooftop bath, eat kaiseki, take one gentle walk to a day bath and the museum café, and don't plan much else.
- 2 nights / 3 days
- Slow
- 19 stops
Best for
Couples, first visits, and anyone who wants to unpack once and stay put.Budget
High. Sansuirou is most of it (from about ¥41,000 per person a night with meals). Add ¥1,100 for Kogome no Yu, ¥600 for the museum, lunch, and buses.The route
Three days, from the top of the valley to the station.
No walk is longer than 30 minutes, and the long valley rides are by bus or taxi.
Friday: arrive and stop
Saturday: one gentle loop
Sunday: drift down to the station
Friday: arrive and stop
The direct Green Car to Yugawara, a bus up the valley, and the evening at the ryokan.
Friday · around 13:00
Take the direct Tokaido Line Green Car
The direct Green Car from Tokyo takes about two hours with no change. Buy the Green Car ticket before you board; it's cheaper than on the train.
115:00–16:00
Arrive at Yugawara Station
The buses up the valley leave from the stops right outside.
Bus or train · 16min · Up the valleyAbout 16 minutes by bus, then a minute on foot.Directions ↗
After arrival
Up to Sansuirou
Take the Oku-Yugawara bus to the last stop, or a taxi. Walking would take well over an hour.
Walk · 1min · A minute from the bus stopStraight across the bridge.Directions ↗
216:00
Check in at Sansuirou
Cross the bridge from the bus stop and you're there. Leave the rest of the afternoon empty.
On site · 0min · In the ryokanNo need to go out.
17:30
First bath
Go up to Ōzora, the rooftop bath, while there's still light on the hills.
On site · 0min · In the ryokanNo need to go out.
19:00
Kaiseki dinner
Dinner is served in a private dining room, and it's the end of the day. Nothing else to plan.
Saturday: one gentle loop
A walk down to a day bath and the museum café, then back to the ryokan for the afternoon.
08:00
Breakfast
Breakfast comes with Sansuirou's own pulled yuba. Take your time; nothing starts until mid-morning.
Walk · 30min · 2.3 km30 minutes on foot, mostly downhill.Directions ↗
10:30
Walk down to Kogome no Yu
A 30-minute walk downhill along the valley. In rain or heat, take the bus instead.
On site · 0min · At Kogome no YuNo need to go out.
311:00–12:30
Kogome no Yu
The town's own day bath, with big indoor and rock open-air baths. Give it an hour and a half, with a rest in the tatami room after. It's closed on Mondays.
Walk · 8min · 500 m8 minutes on foot.Directions ↗
412:30
Walk to the art museum
An eight-minute stroll up the road.
On site · 0min · Next to the museumThe café faces the museum garden.
513:00–14:30
Lunch at the museum café
Have a tofu lunch on the garden terrace at MUSEUM CAFE and garden, then put your feet in the foot bath by the stream. The museum next door is small and worth half an hour. Both are closed on Wednesdays.
Walk · 30min · 1.8 km30 minutes on foot, uphill.Directions ↗
14:30–15:00
Back up to Sansuirou
Thirty minutes uphill, or hop on the bus from Bijutsukan-mae.
On site · 0min · In the ryokanNo need to go out.
15:00 onward
The rest of the day
Bathe, read, nap. There's nothing else on the list.
On site · 0min · In the ryokanNo need to go out.
19:00
Second dinner
Another kaiseki dinner in the ryokan. Book a plan with dinner both nights.
Sunday: drift down to the station
Check out at 10:00, ride down to the station area, and stop for tea before the train.
08:00
Breakfast
Pack before breakfast so checkout is easy.
On site · 0min · In the ryokanLeave with your bags.
10:00
Check out
Take everything with you; the day heads one way, down the valley.
Bus or train · 18min · Down the valleyAbout 18 minutes by bus, including a short walk.Directions ↗
10:10
Down to the station area
Take the bus from the Oku-Yugawara stop, or a taxi, toward the station.
Walk · 3min · A short walk from the busAbout three minutes on foot.Directions ↗
610:45–11:30
Tea at Tea Stand Sagyō
A bright little tea stand five minutes from the station. Watch the leaves open in a glass pot, or try the cheese-cream oolong. Open from 10:00 on Sundays.
Walk · 5min · 300 m5 minutes on foot.Directions ↗
711:30–11:35
Walk to the station
Five minutes to the platform and the train home.
Good to know
Keeping the weekend slow.
Book the ryokan first
Book two nights at Sansuirou on a plan with dinner and breakfast both days. Saturdays fill early.
Swap walks for the bus
Both Saturday walks are 30 minutes and hilly. The Oku-Yugawara bus runs the same road, so take it whenever you like.
Pick a Saturday that works
Kogome no Yu closes on Mondays and the museum café on Wednesdays, so a normal weekend is fine. Holidays can move closing days.
Leave the ryokan at 10:00
Pack everything before checkout. The last day runs down the valley to the station, with no going back.