Yurara no Yu Nara: A Long-Hours Onsen for City Stays
Check Yurara no Yu Nara’s ¥850 weekday or ¥910 weekend admission, late hours, sauna options and cash-only payment; tattoos are not allowed.
Checked: September 27, 2026
Yurara no Yu is not beside Nara Park or either main rail station, but its daily 7 a.m. opening and midnight closing make it easier to fit around a city stay than the rural baths. The natural spring is most clearly identified in the outdoor Suzaku-no-yu bath. Other pools add variety, though the operator does not provide enough current spring data to label every bath as natural-source water.
Admission, hours and what to bring
| Item | Weekdays | Weekends and public holidays |
|---|---|---|
| Adult, junior high school and older | ¥850 | ¥910 |
| Child, age 4 and older | ¥390 | ¥450 |
| Under 3 | Free | Free |
| Opening hours | 7 a.m.–midnight | 7 a.m.–midnight |
| Last admission | 11:30 p.m. | 11:30 p.m. |
A rental set with one bath towel and one face towel costs ¥200. Body wash, shampoo and conditioner are provided. The bathing ticket is for one entry that day. The facility closes occasionally for maintenance, so check its notices before making a late-night trip.
One current wrinkle: the Nara branch’s September 2026 notice says it has temporarily suspended credit-card and other cashless payments because of its payment processor’s bankruptcy proceedings. The operator’s October notice still says Nara is cash only, while Oshikuma continues to accept cashless payment. Bring yen rather than assuming the two branches share the same payment setup.
The outdoor spring bath and the rest of the pool lineup
The operator identifies the outdoor Suzaku-no-yu as a natural spring bath, set among Japanese-garden-style landscaping. There is also a carbonated bath, jet and bubble pools, an electric bath, a ceramic pot bath, a footbath and a cold plunge. These give the facility a broad super-sento feel, but the listed spring claim applies most clearly to Suzaku-no-yu. The carbonated bath is a separate feature; it is not evidence of a second natural carbon dioxide spring.
The facility also describes an overflow system in which bathwater flows over the edges of the tubs. That is a water-management feature and should not be confused with proof that every tub is supplied with untreated source water. The operator does not currently publish a full spring analysis with source temperature, pH and flow rate for this branch.
For an explanation of why overflow does not by itself mean source-water flow-through, see the onsen water-temperature and circulation guide.
Four saunas, with a gender-specific catch
The Nara branch advertises four sauna types: a mist sauna, a women-only salt sauna, a stone-heated power sauna and a far-infrared sauna. The total is not four options for every guest because the salt sauna is women-only. The facility also has a cold plunge for cooling down between rounds.
Women aged junior high school and older can use the separate bedrock-bath area:
| Bedrock-bath detail | Published terms |
|---|---|
| Hours | 10 a.m.–10 p.m.; last admission 9:15 p.m. |
| Admission, weekdays except Thursday | ¥670 |
| Admission, Thursday | ¥400 |
| Admission, weekends and public holidays | ¥770 |
This charge is separate from the bath ticket.
The 2026 summer promotion lowers the usual weekday bedrock rate to ¥500 through September 30; Thursday remains ¥400. Recheck the rate from October onward rather than carrying the promotion forward.
Getting there and choosing between the two branches
The Nara branch is at 5-351-1 Hachijo, south of the central sightseeing area. The operator lists bus access from both JR Nara and Kintetsu Nara, and a combined 250 parking spaces across its first and second lots. It is easier to reach by car, but public transport is possible; check the timetable for the stop nearest your route and lodging.
The Oshikuma branch has the same standard adult admission but opens at 9 a.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. on weekends and holidays. It is farther north, with different bus approaches and Japanese- and Bali-style outdoor baths.
The Nara branch fits an early weekday soak, the women-only bedrock area or a stay south of central Nara. For north Nara or southern Kyoto, see the Yurara no Yu Oshikuma guide.
On weekends and public holidays, the Nara branch restaurant opens at 8 a.m.; breakfast runs from 8 to 10:30 a.m., so a 7 a.m. bath followed by breakfast works. It closes at 11:30 p.m. (last order 11 p.m.) every day; weekday restaurant service begins at 11 a.m.
Who should skip it
Guests with tattoos, fake tattoos or tattoo designs are refused entry under the operator’s visitor rules. It does not list a cover-up exception. Children aged seven or older, or at least 130 cm tall, may not use the bath for the opposite sex; either threshold is enough to require the child to use the corresponding bath. Guests who need a specific accommodation after surgery or use an ostomy appliance should contact the facility in advance, as the operator requests prior notice and may confirm the arrangements before bathing.
For a quick neighborhood bath close to the old town, this large complex may be more facility than you need. The Nara day-use onsen guide compares it with city and countryside alternatives.
The Nara branch is cash-only. Yurara Day is usually the third Wednesday of each month, with admission at ¥500 for adults and ¥250 for children aged four and older; the date can shift.
| Multi-use ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Counter, 10 visits | ¥7,200 |
| App, 5 visits | ¥3,800 |
| App, 10 visits | ¥7,000 |
These passes are aimed at repeat visits. See the facility profile for bath details.
