Watarase Onsen, Hongu, Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture
Watarase Onsen Large Open-Air Bath
The clearest large day-use option in Hongu if you want a spacious open-air bath, riverside scenery and long hours. Choose Yunomine or Kawayu for lower-cost or World Heritage bathing.
Check before bathing
- Opening hours
- 06:00–22:00; last admission 21:30. Open daily. Adult admission ¥1,000; child admission ¥500.
- Tattoo policy
- The current first-party information reviewed does not confirm a tattoo policy. Ask before visiting.
Spring & water temperature
- Spring-source temperature
- Not published.
- Bathing temperature
- Not published.
- Spring source
- Watarase Onsen; the current main page does not identify the individual spring source.
- Spring classification
- Sodium bicarbonate-chloride spring.
- pH
- Not published in the current main text pages.
- Flow rate
- Not published in the current main text pages.
- Water handling
- The operator describes the large open-air bath as source-flowing natural spring water. The day-use open-air bath and private family open-air baths are available to visitors. Current pages do not publish source temperature, pH or yield.
Bathing indications
The operator lists general bathing information for skin, digestive conditions, neuralgia and diabetes. These are not treatment guarantees.
The large open-air bath is described as source-flowing. Full per-pool treatment details are not published.
An older notice says that three of the five men's baths were unavailable because of drilling work announced in July 2024. The hotel's homepage said completion was expected in early 2026, but a clear completion notice was not found in the current research; do not assume full restoration without checking.
How to read a bath profile
Spring-source temperature and actual bathing temperature are kept separate. Each score is shown independently for comparison rather than collapsed into one overall score.
