Yururi Sagae or Yu-Cherry? Two ¥350 Baths, Two Different Visits

Checked: September 27, 2026

For an adult visitor from outside the city, both baths cost ¥350. That is about where the similarity ends. Yururi Sagae is a recently rebuilt municipal bath that is easy to reach on foot from the JR Aterazawa Line. Yu-Cherry is a larger day-use facility beside the Sagae Smart Interchange, with three distinct spring types and more places to eat or rest.

Choose by the way you are arriving

Without a car, Yururi Sagae is the easier call. Its operator and Sagae City both give the walk from Minami-Sagae Station as about seven minutes. The standard city-resident discount requires a resident card; visitors from elsewhere pay ¥350, and children under 15 pay ¥100, with preschoolers free.

Yu-Cherry is positioned for drivers: Yamagata Prefecture’s tourism page says it is just off the Sagae SA Smart Interchange. The facility is still reachable from Sagae Station by taxi, but it is not a station-front bath. If you are using local transport, confirm the return option before settling on a late soak; Yu-Cherry closes an hour later than Yururi Sagae.

At Yururi Sagae, the useful distinction is the welfare bath

The city describes Yururi Sagae as a new facility opened in April 2023. Its standard bath area has high- and medium-temperature pools, a cold bath and a sauna. There is no ordinary outdoor bath listed in the current facility details. The setup is fairly direct: choose a temperature, then use the sauna and cold bath if that is part of your routine.

Its two welfare baths, Shimano-yu and Takase-no-yu, are the feature that changes the decision for some groups. They must be booked, are for one group per one-hour slot, and require an accompanying caregiver. Non-residents pay ¥500 for the welfare bath. The city describes the rooms for visitors who need assistance; they are not advertised as general-purpose private baths for any couple or family.

The official pages also carry an operational caveat. In 2026 the city reported instability in the New Sagae source and warned that a sudden closure or supply limit could follow another drop. The city’s May 11, 2026 update said all pools, sauna and welfare baths were available at that time. Check the city’s current operating-status notice before making a special trip; the May update is a dated snapshot, not a guarantee for a future visit.

Yu-Cherry makes more sense when the springs themselves are the point

Yamagata Prefecture lists three pools for each gender, each with a different spring quality, and describes them as 100% source-flowing. There is an indoor and an outdoor option among the baths, alongside sauna facilities.

The official tourism page currently lists adult admission at ¥350 and children aged one through elementary school at ¥150.

It also gives the 6:00 am–10:00 pm hours and monthly first-Monday closure.

Yu-Cherry also has a restaurant, shop and paid rest room, so it is easier to turn bathing into a longer stop without planning a separate meal nearby. That extra range is useful if you are driving through Sagae or visiting the adjoining park. If you mainly want a straightforward hour in a local bath, the extra facilities may not matter.

One of the three spring systems is New Sagae Onsen, which also supplies Yururi Sagae. Sagae City has documented fluctuations in that source’s pumping volume, and it supplies facilities in Cherry Qua Park as well. That history does not mean Yu-Cherry is automatically closed when the source changes: it has other spring systems. If visiting specifically to try all three, check current bath availability first.

The short version

Take Yururi Sagae if you are on foot from Minami-Sagae Station, want a simple municipal bath, or need to ask about the bookable welfare rooms. Pick Yu-Cherry if you are driving, want to compare several spring types, need an outdoor bath, or would use the restaurant and rest space. Their shared ¥350 adult price makes the choice unusually easy to frame: access and bathing style matter more than the ticket.

Neither operator’s current public information checked here gave a clear tattoo policy. If that is relevant, contact the facility before going.

For another local comparison, see the Komatsu-no-Yu and Otayu guide in Higashine.

Sources

- [Sagae City: Yururi Sagae fees, facilities, hours and closures](https://www.city.sagae.yamagata.jp/kurashi/shisetsu/leisureshisetsu/shimin_yokujo.html) - [Sagae City: current Yururi Sagae bath availability](https://www.city.sagae.yamagata.jp/kurashi/seikatukankyo/sagaeonnsenn.html) - [Sagae City: New Sagae spring pumping-volume notices](https://www.city.sagae.yamagata.jp/shisei/zaisei/gensenjyoukyou.html) - [Yururi Sagae: official site and access](https://yururi-sagae.jp/) - [Yamagata Prefecture Tourism: Yu-Cherry fees, hours, access and baths](https://yamagatakanko.com/attractions/detail_10824.html) - [Sagae Onsen Cooperative: spring overview](https://sagaeonsen.com/about/)

Tags: Sagae Onsen, Yururi Sagae, Yu-Cherry, Yamagata day-use onsen, accessible onsen, sauna