Hoshi Onsen Chojukan Day Visit: Baths, Hours and What to Know Before You Go
Day bathing at Chojukan costs ¥1,500 and ends at 2 pm, with 1:30 pm last entry. Learn which baths day guests can use and what mixed bathing involves.
Checked: September 27, 2026 Hoshi Onsen Chojukan is worth planning around if you want to see its old wooden bathhouse and bathe in water that rises through the stone floor. It is not a flexible drop-in stop: the day-use window ends at 2 p.m., admission may close early when the inn reaches capacity, and the main Hoshi-no-yu is mixed bathing with no bathing clothes or towel wrap allowed.
The current day-use fee is ¥1,500 for adults and ¥500 for children ages three through elementary school. Check that the inn is accepting day visitors before setting out; Wednesdays are normally closed for cleaning, with additional irregular closures.
The bath access is narrower than an overnight stay
Day visitors use two baths:
- Hoshi-no-yu is the signature mixed bath. Its wooden structure is registered as a Tangible Cultural Property, and hot spring water rises naturally through openings in the rock floor.
- Choju-no-yu is a women-only bath, also fed by water that emerges from the floor.
Hoshi-no-yu does not allow bathing wear or towels wrapped around the body. If that makes the mixed-bath arrangement a no-go, the women-only bath may be an option for some visitors; there is no equivalent men-only bath for day guests. Tamaki-no-yu is not included in the day-use visit. The overnight bathing rotation is different, so do not assume that checking in simply extends the day pass to every bath.
The inn’s three historic buildings—the Main Building, Hoshi-no-yu bathhouse and Annex—are registered cultural properties. That heritage is part of the appeal, but the bathing rules and limited hours should decide whether a day trip suits you.
Hours, closures and the lunch add-on
Day bathing is offered from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The last admission is 1:30 p.m., and the inn may stop accepting visitors earlier on busy days. The property lists Wednesday as its regular cleaning day, alongside other unscheduled closures; day visits are not accepted over the year-end and New Year period.
There is also a lunch-and-rest option, but check its current menu and price directly with the inn. Chojukan posted a correction in August 2026 saying that menu items and prices still shown on parts of its site had changed. Lunch service finishes by 12:30 p.m., so it needs an earlier arrival than a bath-only visit.
Tattoo admission is not clearly stated on the current day-use information. Call Chojukan before travelling if this affects your visit. The same call is useful for checking that the bath is open and admission has not filled for the day.
Getting there takes more planning than the bath itself
The inn is deep in the mountains of Minakami, Gunma. Without a car, the usual route is a Kan-Etsu Kotsu bus from Jomo-Kogen Station to Sarugakyo, followed by the Minakami town-operated Hoshi Line. Those buses do not run often, and the day-use window rules out several otherwise plausible connections.
For the current bus-by-bus route and return timing, use the no-car day-trip timetable guide. If you are weighing a visit against an overnight stay, the day trip vs. staying at Chojukan comparison explains what the extra night changes.
Is a day visit the right call?
Go for the day if Hoshi-no-yu itself is the reason for the detour, you are comfortable with its bathing rules, and your transport plan gets you there well before the last-admission cutoff. Stay overnight if you want access to the inn’s full bathing rotation, a slower visit to the historic property, or a less compressed bus journey.
