Saturday or Sunday Morning Sento in Osaka: Showayu vs Mitsuya Onsen
Showayu offers a short Saturday soak near Awaji Station, 7–9:30 a.m. Mitsuya Onsen opens Sundays at 6 a.m. and stays open until 11 p.m.
For an early bath in northern Osaka, the day of the week decides the shortlist. Showayu runs its morning session on Saturdays; Mitsuya Onsen does so on Sundays. Both are regular neighbourhood sento, with the current standard adult admission of ¥600, but the morning windows and sauna styles differ.
| Showayu | Mitsuya Onsen | |
|---|---|---|
| Morning opening | Saturday, 7–9:30 a.m. | Sunday, 6 a.m.–11 p.m. |
| Regular hours | 2:45–11 p.m. | 1:30–11 p.m. on listed weekdays |
| Weekly closing | Wednesday | Thursday |
| Nearest station | Hankyu Awaji, about 3 minutes | Hankyu Kanzakigawa, about 10 minutes |
| Sauna | Steam sauna | Dry sauna |
| Other listed features | Soft water, radon bath, cold bath | Medicinal bath, electric bath, cold bath |
Mitsuya’s Sunday hours are continuous, not a short morning slot followed by a midday break. Showayu’s Saturday session ends at 9:30 a.m.; the next listed opening is 2:45 p.m. If breakfast plans run late, Mitsuya leaves more room to change your mind.
The choice is mostly about timing and location
Showayu is the simpler fit if you are staying near Awaji or eastern Shin-Osaka. Walk through Awaji Honmachi shopping street from the station; the association estimates about three minutes. The steam room is fed with boiler-generated steam, and the facility lists a cold bath around 17°C. Its “radon bath” is a facility feature, not proof of a natural radon spring: no source analysis is published.
Mitsuya suits a Sunday morning when you are closer to Kanzakigawa or the western side of Yodogawa Ward. Expect roughly a ten-minute walk from the station. Its dry sauna and medicinal bath make for a different visit from Showayu’s steam-focused setup. The association does not publish a detailed current sauna surcharge, so ask at the counter if that affects your budget.
Neither bathhouse is a substitute for a resort-style spa. They are useful precisely because they are local sento with a clear weekend opening pattern. For more options by opening time, browse the Osaka early-morning and late-night bath guide or the Osaka sento overview.
The standard fare is ¥600 for adults, ¥200 for elementary-school children and ¥100 for younger children. That is the basic bath admission; sauna and towel add-ons may cost extra. Neither association listing gives a complete current hands-free bundle, so ask at the front desk rather than assuming the bath-only price covers everything.
Showayu’s short Saturday session is the better fit if you want a wash and soak before breakfast and are staying near Awaji. Its wet steam setup is the main sauna draw; third-party visitor readings put the cold bath around 17°C, but that is a snapshot, not a fixed specification. For Sunday, Mitsuya is more flexible: the 6 a.m. start continues through the day to 11 p.m., so there is no need to squeeze the visit into a two-hour dawn window.
The two are not documented natural hot springs. Showayu’s radon-labelled bath and Mitsuya’s name do not establish a natural radioactive spring or any other source classification. Tattoo policies are not clearly stated in the cited listings; check directly if that affects your decision. If you want a weekend dawn bath, choose by the morning you are actually free: Saturday points to Showayu, Sunday to Mitsuya.
Sources
Checked: 2026-09-27 - [Osaka Public Bathhouse Association: Showayu](https://osaka268.com/sento/%E6%98%AD-%E5%92%8C-%E6%B9%AF/) - [Osaka Public Bathhouse Association: Mitsuya Onsen](https://osaka268.com/sento/%E4%B8%89%E6%B4%A5%E5%B1%8B%E6%B8%A9%E6%B3%89/) - [Osaka Public Bathhouse Association: current admission fees](https://osaka268.com/price/) - [Showayu photograph, Osaka Public Bathhouse Association](https://osaka268.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/121_showa01.jpg) - [Mitsuya Onsen photograph, Osaka Public Bathhouse Association](https://osaka268.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/75c140d3601436d9bf49d9f8aa3af58a-1100x550.jpg)Tags: Osaka sento, weekend morning bath, Awaji, Kanzakigawa, Showayu, Mitsuya Onsen
