Right Onsen › Gunma › Kusatsu
Chiyono-yu
4.4★ · 484 Google ratings · Kusatsu, Gunma · 千代乃湯（無料共同浴場）
✓ Natural hot-spring water✓ Free-flowing source water
Before you go
Can you bathe here?
Day visitors
✓ YesOne of only three Kusatsu communal baths officially open to tourists.stated by 4 visitors · Feb 2026 – Aug 2026
Hours
06:00–23:00from the facility listing
Price
FreeFree, unmanned communal bath, one of Kusatsu's tourist-open baths.stated by 5 visitors · Jan 2026 – May 2026
Bathing arrangement
Men and women separateSeparate men's and women's bathing areas.stated by 2 visitors · Mar 2026 – Aug 2026
Tattoos
Not known · call aheadno policy stated in the 40 recent reviews we read
The bath
What you’ll find
One of Kusatsu's three tourist-accessible free communal baths, a small single indoor tub fed by the Yubatake source, generally regarded as the mildest-temperature of the public baths thanks to an adjustable cold-water valve.
Outdoor bath
NoFacility is described only as a small indoor tub room with a separate changing area; no outdoor bath is mentioned in any review.stated by 1 visitor · Mar 2026
Indoor baths
1One small indoor tub holding roughly 2-6 people at a time.stated by 3 visitors · Dec 2025 – Apr 2026
The water
Free-flowing (kakenagashi)
✓ YesFresh acidic source water pours continuously from the tap into the tub.stated by 2 visitors · Jan 2026
Spring type
Acid sulfur-aluminum-sulfate-chlorideFed by the acidic Yubatake source, a sulfur-aluminum-sulfate-chloride spring.stated by 1 visitor · Jan 2026
Bath temperature
43°CUsually cited around 42-44C, though it can spike hotter (46-48C) depending on how the valve was left, making it the mildest of Kusatsu's tourist baths on average.stated by 6 visitors · Feb 2026 – Aug 2026
pH
pH 2.1One detailed reviewer cites the Yubatake source analysis at roughly pH 2.1.stated by 1 visitor · Jan 2026
Water added
✓ YesA valve lets bathers add cold water to cut the heat, which is why this bath runs cooler than Kusatsu's other public baths.stated by 2 visitors · Jan 2026 – Mar 2026
Guide
What visitors add
The water
Temperature is disputed and appears to vary: at least nine reviews call it the mildest / easiest to enter of Kusatsu's tourist-accessible baths (thermometer readings of 42 C and 42-44 C reported), but five reviews report it very hot (one measured 48 C, one 46 C on the men's side, one could not get in, one found the women's side near-scalding at 6am while the men's side was fine). Two reviewers explain the cause: an adjustable hot-water valve - throttled it runs lukewarm, opened full it gets scorching.
stated by 14 visitors · Dec 2025 – Aug 2026Price
Free of charge - at least eight distinct reviews (Dec 2025 - Aug 2026) confirm no admission fee, several noting tourists are welcomed if rules and manners are observed.
stated by 8 visitors · Jan 2026 – Aug 2026Outdoor bath & sauna
Indoor bath only - a single small tub; no reviewer mentions an open-air bath or sauna. At least six reviews describe the tub as tiny, with capacity estimates ranging from 2 to about 6 people, and one notes the changing room is cramped for four.
stated by 6 visitors · Jan 2026 – Aug 2026The water
One reviewer identifies the water as Yubatake-source acidic sulfur spring - acidic, sulfur-aluminium-sulfate-chloride, around pH 2.1 - with strong antibacterial power. Acidity effects conflict: one reviewer got very rough skin on face and hands after four baths and warns acid-sensitive rings, while another with sensitive skin had no problems; a third notes a tingling (piripiri) feel.
stated by 5 visitors · Jan 2026 – Mar 2026Towels, soap & lockers
No lockers - one reviewer found only open shelves; the same reviewer notes a toilet on site, and two reviews mention a cold drinking-water fountain in front of the bath. One reviewer reports soap/detergent cannot be used (attributing it to the acidic water), and another that there is no tap-water rinse, so towels and clothes keep the onsen smell afterwards.
stated by 5 visitors · Jan 2026 – Jul 2026Bathing arrangement
Gender-separated men's and women's baths (at least four reviews reference separate sides; one maps the entrances: men front-right, women back-left). Two reviewers mention an additional bath room reserved for locals.
stated by 4 visitors · Mar 2026 – Aug 2026Timing
When to go
Quietest Monday around 11:00; busiest Sunday around 10:00. Measured by Google over past visits, not a forecast.
| 8A | 9A | 10A | 11A | 12P | 13P | 14P | 15P | 16P | 17P | 18P | 19P | 20P | |
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Quiet Busy
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday | 06:00–23:00 |
| Tuesday | 06:00–23:00 |
| Wednesday | 06:00–23:00 |
| Thursday | 06:00–23:00 |
| Friday | 06:00–23:00 |
| Saturday | 06:00–23:00 |
| Sunday | 06:00–23:00 |
Practical
Plan your visit
📍 367-4 Kusatsu, Agatsuma District, Gunma 377-1711
🚃 Haneo station, 8.2 km
📋 Show at the counter: 千代乃湯（無料共同浴場）
Nearby
Other baths close by
Kusatsu · 4.3★
Kusatsu · 4.2★
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