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Itineraries · areas · getting here · good to know

Plan your trip.

Book where you'll stay and any dinners first, then build the days around them.

Ready-made routes

Follow an itinerary.

Five routes with the stays, meals, baths and buses already worked out, from a day trip to a slow two-night weekend.

See the itineraries

Where to stay

Find your base.

The town runs from the station and the sea up a long river valley. Pick the area you'll spend most time in, and let the bus or a taxi do the climbing.

  1. 01

    Yugawara Station

    Where everyone arrives: trains, the bus stands, taxis, a few good restaurants and cafés, and the Chibori cookie factory.

    Best for
    Arriving and leaving, short visits, and eating out.
    Getting there
    Buses to the onsen district leave from stand 2; the ryokan are 10 to 20 minutes further up.

    Places here: Hotel Shiroyama · Gosho Shrine · Chibori Sweets Factory · Kappo Shirako · Arai Shoten · Kinsanchi · Chaos · Saluté · Fabio Pizza · Nikori · Yugawara Cafe · West

  2. 02

    Central town and river

    Ordinary streets, shops and restaurants along the Chitose River between the station and the valley, where people in town actually live.

    Best for
    Town walks, local shops and an easy dinner.
    Getting there
    It's walkable in parts, but longer than it looks. The valley bus runs right through.
  3. 03

    The onsen district

    The heart of the old hot-spring town along the Chitose River: Man'yō Park, the day baths, most of the ryokan, cafés and steep little lanes.

    Best for
    Bathing, a walk in the park, and a night at a ryokan.
    Getting there
    Buses from the station take about 10 minutes. Some ryokan are up steep hills; take a taxi with luggage.

    Places here: Kogome no Yu · Soyu Terrace · Miyakami no Yu · Ofuro Café HITOMA · Kōyōkan · Man'yō Park · Yugawara Museum of Art · Sunday morning market · Packy Bowl · SEA ROCK climbing gym · Herlequin Bis · Yoru no Ajito

  4. 04

    Oku-Yugawara

    The top of the valley, past the onsen district: forest, the Fujiki River, Fudō Falls and a handful of the best ryokan.

    Best for
    A quiet stay, private baths and autumn leaves.
    Getting there
    16 minutes by bus from the station to the last stop. Plan to stay put once you're here.

    Places here: Fudō Falls · Ikemine Momiji-no-sato · Fudō Falls Tea House · Sansuirou · Tsubaki · Okuyugawara Yui

  5. 05

    Yoshihama coast

    Yoshihama's beach and the open sea lie east of the station, the other way from the valley, with Fukuura's fishing harbour and its seafood lunches beyond.

    Best for
    Summer swimming, a harbour lunch, and sea air.
    Getting there
    A short bus ride from the station, but in the opposite direction to the onsen district, so give it its own half day.

    Places here: Yutoro Sagasawa no Yu · Yoshihama Beach · Surfing School HANA · WAV'Y Surf Shop · MARBLE · Fukuura Minato Shokudō · Humans Beer

Getting here

Start at Yugawara Station.

The Tokaido Line runs straight from Tokyo in about 1 hour 40 minutes. Lunch is a short walk from the station, Yoshihama beach is a walk or a short bus ride, and buses run up the valley to Man'yō Park, the onsen district and Oku-Yugawara.

Trains, buses and taxis

Getting between areas.

  1. 01

    Start at the station.

    Buses, taxis and hotel pickups all leave from right outside.

  2. 02

    The valley is one line.

    Town, the onsen district and Oku-Yugawara follow the same river and the same bus, uphill all the way.

  3. 03

    The coast is the other way.

    Yoshihama and Fukuura are east of the station. Pair them with lunch rather than squeezing them into a valley day.

  4. 04

    Plan around dinner.

    Ryokan dinners run to set times. Fit the rest of the day around them.

Good to know

Before you go, and while you're here.

What to book ahead, how to pay, what to do with your bags, and who to call if something goes wrong.

Four things to sort out first.

  • Book the fixed times first

    Ryokan dinners, course restaurants and Soyu Terrace all run to set times. Book those, then build the day around them. Remember that last entry at a bath is usually 30 minutes before closing.

  • Carry some cash

    Plenty of small restaurants, cafés and tea houses here take cash only. Buses take IC cards like Suica. Keep ¥10,000 or so in yen for the day.

  • Plan for your bags

    Most ryokan will hold bags before check-in and after check-out; just ask. There are coin lockers at Yugawara Station, but not many.

  • Screenshot the essentials

    Save the Japanese address and phone number of where you're staying, your booking name and the way back. Signal is patchy up the valley.

Bathing, photography, noise, and waste.

  • Every bath has its own rules

    Towels, tattoos, age limits and private baths differ from place to place. Each bath's page in our onsen guide spells it out.

    Read the Onsen guide

  • People live here

    The lanes of the onsen district are people's front doors. Keep your voice down, leave the narrow roads clear, and stay off private land.

  • Ask before you take photos

    Ask before photographing people, inside shops and restaurants, or artwork. Never take photos in the baths.

  • Take your rubbish with you

    Public bins are rare in Japan. Keep a small bag with you and take your rubbish back to your hotel.

Weather and delays.

  • Weather, warnings, and earthquakes

    The Japan Meteorological Agency has the forecast, typhoon tracks, earthquake news and official warnings, in English.

    Japan Meteorological Agency

  • Get alerts on your phone

    JNTO’s Safety Tips app provides push alerts for earthquake early warnings, tsunami warnings, and other weather warnings in multiple languages.

    JNTO · Safety Tips app

  • If the trains are delayed

    Work out your way home first, then call your ryokan if you'll be late for dinner. They'd rather know early.

    Open Transportation

A checklist for the day.

  1. Looked at the weather and any warnings.
  2. Booked the ryokan, dinner and anything with a set time.
  3. Know the train there and the last train back.
  4. Have some cash and a charged IC card.
  5. Know where your bags will go.
  6. Screenshotted addresses, phone numbers and booking names.
  7. Saved 110, 119 and the Japan Visitor Hotline.

Emergency contacts.

For urgent danger, crime in progress, fire, or a medical emergency, call 110 or 119 first. The Visitor Hotline can help with tourist information and assistance, but it does not replace emergency dispatch.