Katayamazu Onsen Soyu: Lake Views, Bath Rotation and Current Prices

The draw here is the building’s relationship with the lake. Katayamazu Soyu is a glass-fronted public bath beside Lake Shibayama, with one bathing room facing the water and another looking into trees. The lake-facing “Lagoon Bath” is not available to everyone every day: the two sides rotate by calendar date.

Which bath will you get?

The Lagoon Bath faces Lake Shibayama. The Forest Bath looks onto greenery. On odd-numbered dates, the Lagoon Bath is for women and the Forest Bath for men; on even-numbered dates, they switch. If the view is the reason for your stop, check the date rather than assuming the rooms alternate automatically from one day to the next—two consecutive dates can both be odd across the end of one month and start of another.

The public bath is on the first floor. There is also a café and an open terrace upstairs, but its opening days and hours differ from the bath. The café is generally closed Thursdays; check its own listing if you plan to eat there.

Admission and what to pack

The bath is open 6am–10pm. There is no fixed weekly closing day, but monthly maintenance and other temporary closures can interrupt service. The association announced a two-day plumbing maintenance closure on 16–17 September 2026; those dates have passed. Check the official site for any new notice before travelling.

Towels, shampoo, conditioner and body wash are not stocked as free-use amenities. The current price list is:

Bring your own if you want to keep the visit close to the ¥500 admission.

Source water is hotter than the bath

The spring is classified as a sodium-calcium chloride spring. The facility lists a source temperature of 72°C; the tourism association gives 72.5°C. Those figures refer to the source, not the pool: the operator says bathing pools are typically around 42–44°C. That is on the hot side, so keep soaks brief if you are not used to hot water, and take breaks to drink water.

The stated supply method combines flowing spring water with filtered recirculation. It is not accurate to describe every bath as 100% flow-through. This distinction is useful here because the operator publishes it directly, rather than leaving visitors to infer the water treatment from the spring classification.

Reaching the bath

From Kaga Onsen Station, take the Onsen-Katayamazu Line to Katayamazu Onsen Soyu-mae; the stop is about a minute’s walk from the entrance. Yamashiro and Yamanaka use the different Onsen-Yamanaka Line. Local buses have limited departures, so check the return service before a late soak. The adult fare from Kaga Onsen Station to Soyu-mae is ¥290.

By car, the tourism association estimates about ten minutes from Katayamazu Interchange. Free parking is available for around 50 vehicles.

Katayamazu Soyu is a good choice for an early or evening soak with a view, but not for visitors looking for a sauna, many different pools or a long spa day. For a broader look at the four districts, see which Kaga Onsen area fits your trip.

Sources

- [Katayamazu Onsen Tourism Association: Soyu](https://www.katayamazu-spa.or.jp/sightseeing/soyu.php) - [Katayamazu Soyu: Official site, notices and water details](https://sou-yu.net/) - [Katayamazu Soyu: Admission and amenities](https://sou-yu.net/rate) - [Katayamazu Soyu: FAQ, pool temperature and maintenance closures](https://sou-yu.net/qanda) - [Katayamazu Soyu: Access](https://sou-yu.net/access) - [Katayamazu Onsen Tourism Association: 2025 admission revision](https://www.katayamazu-spa.or.jp/news/2854/) - [Kaga Onsen Tourism: Onsen-Katayamazu Line timetable and fares, revised 15 March 2026](https://www.tabimati.net/rosen_bus_new/)

Checked: 27 September 2026. Tags: Katayamazu Onsen, Katayamazu Soyu, Lake Shibayama, public bath, day-use onsen