Right Onsen › Gunma › Nakanojo
Kawara-no-yu Public Bath
3.9★ · 249 Google ratings · Nakanojo, Gunma · 河原の湯
✓ Natural hot-spring water✓ Free-flowing source water
Before you go
Can you bathe here?
Day visitors
✓ YesA community bath open to non-resident day visitors during set hours.stated by 8 visitors · Jun 2025 – Aug 2026
Hours
09:00–15:00from the facility listing
Price
FreeFree to enter, run on voluntary donations for upkeep rather than a fixed fee.stated by 10 visitors · Jun 2025 – Aug 2026
Bathing arrangement
Men and women separateMen's and women's baths are separate small rooms, but doors have no lock and multiple reviewers report tourists opening the door on bathers.stated by 2 visitors · Jul 2025 – Dec 2025
Tattoos
Not known · call aheadno policy stated in the 36 recent reviews we read or on the facility's website
Watch out
Bathing arrangement
Men's and women's baths are separate small rooms, but doors have no lock and multiple reviewers report tourists opening the door on bathers.
stated by 2 visitors · Jul 2025 – Dec 2025The bath
What you’ll find
A tiny, free riverside community bathhouse in Shima Onsen with a hot, naturally-flowing sodium-calcium chloride-sulfate spring, open 9:00-15:00, but with real privacy and safety caveats: no toilet, no door lock, and repeated reports of tourists peeking in while bathers undress.
Outdoor bath
NoOne reviewer confirms the bath is indoor only, not open-air.stated by 1 visitor · Oct 2025
Rest area
✓ YesA small rest area sits above the bath overlooking the riverbank.stated by 2 visitors · Apr 2025 – Feb 2026
The water
Free-flowing (kakenagashi)
✓ YesRepeatedly confirmed as genuine kakenagashi with continuously overflowing source water and no added water.stated by 6 visitors · Sep 2025 – Apr 2026
Spring type
Sodium-calcium chloride-sulfate spring (low-tonicity, neutral, high-temperature)Classified as a sodium-calcium chloride-sulfate spring, low-tonicity, neutral, high-temperature.stated by 3 visitors · Dec 2025 – Apr 2026
Source temperature
63.5°COne detailed review measures the source at 63.5°C.stated by 1 visitor · Dec 2025
pH
pH 6.5One review cites a measured pH of 6.5.stated by 1 visitor · Dec 2025
Practical
What to bring
Soap & shampoo
Not provided — bring your ownNo soap or shampoo is provided or permitted; bathers rinse off before entering.stated by 4 visitors · Jun 2025 – May 2026
Guide
What visitors add
Price
Admission is free; there is a voluntary donation box ('kokorozuke'/tip box) for upkeep. At least eight reviews from Jun 2025 to Aug 2026 confirm free entry with a donation box.
stated by 8 visitors · Jun 2025 – Aug 2026The water
The spring is a sodium-calcium chloride-sulfate spring; one reviewer gives source temperature 63.5 degrees C and pH 6.5. The bath itself runs hot: at least eight reviews call it hot ('atsume'), one estimating around 44 degrees C, and two reviewers note a metallic/iron smell.
stated by 8 visitors · Jun 2025 – Jul 2026Outdoor bath & sauna
Indoor bath only, no open-air bath (one reviewer laments it is not rotenburo, citing the busy footpath); no review mentions a sauna. The tub is tiny: at least six reviews say it fits only 2-3 people, though one reviewer describes two small tubs (hotter and slightly cooler).
stated by 6 visitors · Jun 2025 – Apr 2026Day-use visits
Open to the public from 9:00 to 15:00; five reviews state these hours, one specifying that 9:00-15:00 applies to non-residents (outside visitors).
stated by 5 visitors · May 2025 – Jul 2026Water handling
The bath is gensen kakenagashi (free-flowing from the source, no recirculation); at least five reviews state this, and one describes water pouring in heavily and overflowing the tub.
stated by 5 visitors · Sep 2025 – Apr 2026Bathing arrangement
Baths are gender-separated (separate men's and women's doors per one reviewer), but privacy is a documented problem: four reviews report tourists opening the doors or peeking in, including one (Mar 2026) who saw a man look around and open the women's door and strongly advises women against using it; another warns the door opens directly onto the tiny changing area, exposing it.
stated by 5 visitors · Jun 2025 – Aug 2026Timing
When to go
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday | 09:00–15:00 |
| Tuesday | 09:00–15:00 |
| Wednesday | 09:00–15:00 |
| Thursday | 09:00–15:00 |
| Friday | 09:00–15:00 |
| Saturday | 09:00–15:00 |
| Sunday | 09:00–15:00 |
Practical
Plan your visit
📍 4228-2 Shima, Nakanojo, Agatsuma District, Gunma 377-0601
🚃 雁ヶ沢 station, 13.0 km
📞 +81279-64-2321
📋 Show at the counter: 河原の湯
Nearby
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