Yachiyo or Kotohira Kadan? Two Day-Use Baths Compared
Compare day-use baths at Yachiyo and Kotohira Kadan: prices, short afternoon hours, Yachiyo’s odd/even rooftop sauna schedule, towels and access.
Yachiyo and Kotohira Kadan both let non-guests use a public bath in Kotohira, but the visits are quite different. Yachiyo is the shorter, less expensive stop, with a rooftop open-air bath and two barrel saunas. The rooftop area alternates by gender: men use it on odd-numbered dates, women on even-numbered dates. Kadan charges more and opens its day-use bath for only two hours, but provides towels and a garden-inn setting.
| Konpira Onsen Yachiyo | Kotohira Kadan | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult day-use price | ¥1,000 | ¥1,500 |
| Public bath hours | 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m.; last entry 2 p.m. | 1–3 p.m. |
| Rooftop bath | Odd dates: men; even dates: women | Open-air bath is part of the public bath |
| Sauna | Two rooftop barrel saunas, on the same odd/even schedule | No public sauna listed |
| Towels | Small towel ¥100; bath-towel rental ¥300 | Face and bath towels provided at the bath entrance |
| Day-use caveat | May close for maintenance or on inn closure days | May refuse day visitors on closed or busy days; call ahead |
At Yachiyo, check the date before you go
Yachiyo’s public bath costs ¥1,000 for adults, including the ¥150 bathing tax. Children through elementary-school age pay ¥600, and infants are free. The day-use window is 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with last reception at 2 p.m. Shampoo, conditioner and body wash are provided in the baths.
Its rooftop has two open-air baths and two barrel saunas. For day visitors, the rooftop changes by date: men on odd-numbered days, women on even-numbered days. The main indoor baths remain separate for men and women, but if the rooftop or sauna is your reason for choosing Yachiyo, make sure the date works for the person who wants to use it. The inn notes that maintenance, water preparation or a closure day can suspend day bathing, so confirm before setting out.
Yachiyo is also the easier walk from the stations: around four minutes from Kotoden-Kotohira Station and seven minutes from JR Kotohira Station. It is a practical bath after a walk around the approach to Konpira Shrine, although the shrine itself is uphill and the visit can take much longer than the station-to-inn walk.
Kadan offers a short afternoon bath, not a full spa day
Kotohira Kadan’s public bath, Kisshō no Yu, accepts day visitors from 1 to 3 p.m.
| Guest | Admission |
|---|---|
| Adult | ¥1,500 |
| Child aged 3 through elementary school | ¥1,000 |
| Child under 3 | Free |
The inn may turn away outside bathers on closure days or when guest bookings are busy. Contact it before making the bath a fixed part of your itinerary.
The public bath has an indoor bath and open-air baths, with views across the Sanuki Plain and the Asan Mountains. The facility does not list a public sauna. Face towels and bath towels are provided at the entrance, which makes the higher price easier to understand if you are travelling without bathing gear.
Do not assume Kadan’s private open-air baths are an add-on for day visitors. Nagomi-yu and Mori-no-yu are reserved for overnight guests; the standard day-use ticket covers Kisshō no Yu only. The bath uses Chikoin Onsen from Kotohira Town, classified as a simple, weakly radioactive cold mineral spring.
Getting there and fitting the bath around Konpira Shrine
Kadan is about a 15-minute walk from the stations, with complimentary station pick-up available on request. During busy holiday periods, road congestion can affect the pick-up service, and the inn may ask guests to walk. Yachiyo is closer to both stations and lists free parking for overnight and other visitors; check current arrangements if driving.
The time windows shape the day. Kadan’s two-hour public-bath slot sits neatly after a morning visit to the shrine, but a late lunch can eat into it. Yachiyo gives you a slightly longer window, though it still closes to day visitors in mid-afternoon. Neither is an evening soak for visitors staying in Kotohira.
Choose Yachiyo for the ¥1,000 admission, the short walk from the station and the rooftop sauna—provided the odd/even schedule suits you. Choose Kadan if towels and the inn’s garden setting matter more, or if your party wants a public open-air bath without Yachiyo’s alternating rooftop access. For more local options, see the Kotohira day-use onsen guide.
