Three Early-Morning Onsen in Ehime’s Toyo Region
Kisuke no Yu and Toyo Onsen open at 6 a.m. daily; Shikinoyu does so on weekends and holidays with a bath-and-breakfast set.
Checked: September 27, 2026 An early onsen in eastern Ehime can be a handy stop before a train or a longer drive—but the three baths that open at 6 a.m. do not follow the same schedule. Kisuke no Yu is the rail-friendly, discounted morning option; Shikinoyu is a weekend-only start with breakfast; Toyo Onsen opens daily for drivers and charges its regular admission.
| Bath | 6 a.m. access | Adult admission | What fits around it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shimanami Onsen Kisuke no Yu | Every day; morning ticket 6–10 a.m. | ¥750 weekdays / ¥800 weekends and holidays | Beside JR Imabari Station; morning-ticket guests may remain after 10 a.m. |
| Yunoura Shikinoyu Beer Kobo | Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays only; weekdays open at 10 a.m. | ¥600; weekend bath-and-meal set ¥1,300, served 7–10 a.m. | A drive-in stop near Imabari-Yunoura Interchange; bring your own soap, shampoo and towel |
| Toyo Onsen Iyashi Resort | Every day | ¥800 weekdays / ¥900 weekends, holidays and busy periods | Large bath complex near Toyo-Tanbara Interchange; last entry 10 p.m. |
Start with where you slept
If you’re staying near Imabari Station or travelling by JR, Kisuke no Yu saves the most time. It is next to the station and opens at 6 a.m. daily. The lower-priced morning admission runs until 10 a.m.; importantly, the operator says guests can continue using the facility after that cutoff. The regular bath opens until midnight, though its standard admission is higher.
Shikinoyu opens at 6 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and Japanese public holidays; weekday opening is 10 a.m. Breakfast is served from 7 to 10 a.m. on weekends and holidays, with a listed bath-and-meal package at ¥1,300. Soap, shampoo and towels are not provided.
For a road trip already heading west or east through Saijo, Toyo Onsen avoids doubling back into Imabari. It opens every day at 6 a.m. Full public-bath admission is ¥800 on weekdays and ¥900 on weekends, holidays and busy periods.
The complex has an outdoor bath, sauna and multiple functional pools, including a source-flow bath. Last entry is 10 p.m.; the bath closes at 11 p.m. The operator announces occasional maintenance days and special rates, so check its latest notice before travelling.
Pick by the morning you actually have
Catching a train from Imabari: Kisuke is the least complicated. You can bathe, return to a nearby hotel for luggage, and walk to the station without arranging a car or bus transfer.
Driving on a weekend: Shikinoyu makes sense if your route passes the Yunoura interchange. The bath opens before breakfast, and the set meal gives you a clear stop before the next leg. It is closed every Thursday, regardless of the weekend schedule.
Already staying around Saijo or travelling by expressway: Toyo Onsen is open at 6 a.m. every day and sits about two minutes by car from Toyo-Tanbara Interchange. It is the strongest fit when you want a fuller bath complex, not a special low-priced morning ticket.
For sauna variety, Kisuke has the broadest facility offer; Shikinoyu has a simpler sauna alongside its spring bath; Toyo Onsen combines sauna with a large bathing complex. Their published spring categories differ, but current pages do not give enough comparable source and tub temperatures to justify crossing the region solely for water temperature. Nibukawa is listed at pH 9.9, while Yunotani has the clearest 100% source-flow description in the wider region.
Shikinoyu’s ¥600 entry is the lowest of the three, but only if its weekend/holiday opening matches your date. Kisuke’s morning ticket costs ¥750 or ¥800 and allows continued facility use after 10 a.m. At Toyo Onsen, there is no separate standard morning rate; the weekday/weekend price applies from opening.
The broader Toyo day-use onsen comparison covers seven baths across Imabari, Saijo and Niihama, including facilities that open later.
For a closer look at the station-side option, see Kisuke no Yu versus Nibukawa Seseragi; Toyo Onsen versus Besshi Tenku no Yu compares two baths suited to a road trip.
For a train from Imabari, give Kisuke about 60–90 minutes, then return to your hotel for luggage before boarding. On a weekend drive, Shikinoyu can be a 6 a.m. bath followed by breakfast from 7 and an expressway departure around 8; this timing does not work on weekdays, when it opens at 10. From Saijo, an early Toyo Onsen visit lets you continue toward Niihama or Kagawa without doubling back through Imabari.
