Meoto-iwa Onsen Rakuyou: Hours, Prices and What to Know Before You Go

Meoto-iwa Onsen Rakuyou is a straightforward ¥400 public bath in Kawachi, Hakusan City. It works best as a pause on a drive along Route 157 toward Torigoe, the Tedori Gorge or Shiramine; it is a long way to come from central Kanazawa for this bath alone.

There is one planning detail easy to miss: a dated Hakusan City notice says Rakuyou now opens at 3pm every day, including weekends and public holidays. Older weekend-noon hours still appear on some official pages. Unless the facility confirms an exception, plan around the newer 3pm schedule.

Check the opening time before setting off

Hakusan City announced on December 5, 2025 that Rakuyou’s hours would change from noon–9pm on weekends and holidays to 3–9pm every day. The same city page still contains an older facility summary showing the former weekend opening, as do the operator’s page and the tourism listing. The notice is the most clearly dated record, so 3pm is the safer arrival time. If you need to bathe earlier, call ahead rather than relying on an undated summary.

Last admission is 8:30pm. The regular closing day is Monday; if Monday is a public holiday, the bath closes the following day. There is also a year-end/New Year closure. An older city page says the third Monday of each month, but that rule was superseded by the operator’s every-Monday schedule in April 2024.

Admission and what to bring

On the third Saturday of each month, Hakusan residents aged junior high and older can pay ¥200 with proof of residence. This is a local benefit, not a visitor discount. The operator lists shampoo, conditioner and body wash, along with a shared bath and a rest area. Bring your own towel: current pages do not give a towel-rental or sales price, so do not assume one is included in admission.

A local bath, not a full spa facility

Rakuyou is best understood as a simple public bath with a rest space. Its current published facility list does not mention a sauna, cold plunge, outdoor bath or private bath. That wording matters: the pages establish what the operator currently lists, not a guarantee that an unlisted feature could never be available. If one of those facilities is essential to your visit, confirm directly before making the drive.

For a quick comparison with four other municipal baths in Hakusan, see the Hakusan public onsen guide. Kobo-no-yu is the better-listed option for a sauna, while Daimon is known for its large windows facing the Tedori River. Rakuyou’s own appeal is simpler: a low-cost soak on the Kawachi stretch of Route 157.

The spring is linked to the Meoto-iwa rocks

The bath takes its name from the nearby Meoto-iwa, or “Couple Rocks,” formations in the Tedori River. Hakusan’s tourism association says the spring comes from the area around the rocks; one formation has a hole at its base and is also called Megane-iwa, or “Glasses Rock.” That is a connection to the local landscape, not a promise of a view of the rocks from the bathing area.

The city and operator classify the water as a sodium-calcium sulfate spring. Their current public pages do not provide a verifiable source temperature, bath temperature, pH or flow rate for Rakuyou, nor do they specify the treatment method for each tub. There is no basis here to claim that the bath is unheated, untreated or 100% free-flowing. For context on those distinctions, see how to read onsen source and bath temperatures.

Getting there: easiest as a Route 157 stop

Hakusan’s tourism listing gives the drive from Hakusan Interchange via Route 157 as about 40 minutes and lists parking. Rakuyou makes sense if your day already takes you through Kawachi, Torigoe or the Tedori Gorge, or if you are driving farther south toward Sena and Shiramine. The Daimon Onsen Center guide and Kobo-no-yu guide cover alternatives farther along the foothills.

Without a car, check the bus route and return before committing. Hakusan’s Meguuru community buses are local services, not a frequent sightseeing shuttle. Most operate Monday through Saturday, with no Sunday service and some holiday exceptions. The standard fare is ¥100 per ride, except on the Tsurugi Hospital route.

Some foothill services are demand-responsive and must be booked by phone by 5pm the previous day. Routes, operating days and reservation requirements vary, so confirm the service for your date; do not assume a bus will line up with the 3pm opening or leave after your bath.

If Kanazawa is your base for a foothills day trip, compare places to stay in Kanazawa before choosing your dates.

For today’s hours or a route question, check Rakuyou’s operator page and Hakusan City’s latest municipal hot-spring notices. The operator’s phone number is 076-272-4126.

Sources

- [Hakusan City: municipal hot springs and the dated Rakuyou hours-change notice](https://www.city.hakusan.lg.jp/kenkofukushi/kenkoother/1002052.html) - [Hakusan Municipal Onsen: Rakuyou facility information](https://hakusan-spa2.com/?page_id=96) - [Hakusan Tourism Association: Meoto-iwa Onsen Rakuyou](https://www.urara-hakusanbito.com/spot/detail_1179.html) - [Hakusan City: Meguuru community bus service](https://www.city.hakusan.lg.jp/machi/kotsu/1007749/index.html) - [Hakusan City: demand-responsive Meguuru bus reservations](https://www.city.hakusan.lg.jp/machi/kotsu/1017325/index.html) - [Hakusan City: former Rakuyou closure-day information (2022)](https://www.city.hakusan.lg.jp/machi/chisanchisyo/1004942/1005068/1005070.html)

Checked: 28 September 2026.