Day-use baths

Day-Use Onsen in Yunohama: Kamiku, Shimoku or Tatsunoyu?

Choose Yunohama’s Kamiku or Shimoku public bath, or Tatsunoyu: current prices, morning hours, family-bath costs and access from Tsuruoka.

YUBIYORI Editorial TeamUpdated 2026-09-27

Yunohama is best known for its Sea of Japan sunsets, but you do not need a hotel booking to bathe here. Kamiku and Shimoku are local public baths; Tatsunoyu is the more fully equipped day-use option. For a quick, inexpensive soak, Kamiku costs ¥290. Choose Shimoku if you need a shower or want the 6 a.m. bathing window. Tatsunoyu costs more, but adds several pools, a sauna and a bookable-on-the-day private family bath.

The practical differences

Facility	Adult admission	Hours	What stands out
Kamiku Public Bath	¥290	10:00–21:30; last entry 21:00	Lowest price; no shower
Shimoku Public Bath	¥400	6:00–7:00 and 10:00–21:30; last entry 21:00	Morning session and showers
Tatsunoyu	¥800 standard; ¥1,000 on designated peak dates	Check the day’s notice	Multiple baths, sauna and private family bath

The public-bath prices and hours are from Tsuruoka City’s current page. Kamiku is closed on the second and fourth Tuesdays; Shimoku on the second and fourth Thursdays. Both have a 100-yen refundable locker. Shampoo, conditioner and body wash are not supplied, though the city says they are available for purchase.

Kamiku and Shimoku are simple for different reasons

Kamiku is the cheaper choice when you only want a bath. It has no shower, so it is a poor fit after swimming, cycling or a long day on the road if you need to wash properly. Its former 6:00–7:00 session has ended; Tsuruoka City now directs early bathers to Shimoku.

Shimoku costs ¥110 more, but that buys the shower and the only public-bath morning window. It sits inside the Yunohama Community Centre, Kosupa, close to a footbath and drinking-water point. The city says normal operation resumed on 31 January 2026 after renovation work; an earlier alternating-days restriction for men and women is no longer in effect.

Both baths use sodium-calcium chloride spring water and are described by Tsuruoka City as free-flowing from the source. That is a district-level description; it does not give a separate measured temperature for either tub.

When Tatsunoyu is worth the extra cost

Tatsunoyu is a ryokan with day-use bathing, two spring types, indoor and outdoor baths, and a sauna. The extra cost over Kamiku or Shimoku buys more bathing options and access to a private family bath; check the prices and restrictions before choosing it.

Day-use option	Price	Conditions
Standard admission	Adults ¥800; elementary-school children ¥500; children aged 3 and over ¥300	Per person, including tax
Designated peak dates	Adults ¥1,000; elementary-school children ¥800; children aged 3 and over ¥600	Golden Week, summer and the year-end/New Year period
Bath Day admission	Adults ¥650; elementary-school children ¥350; children aged 3 and over ¥150	Weekdays with a 6 in the date, excluding busy periods such as summer and year-end/New Year
Private family bath, Komorebi	¥1,650 for 45 minutes, plus each guest’s regular admission	Day-use guests: from 11:00 until closing; no advance bookings
Breakfast-and-bath plan	Adults ¥2,800; elementary-school children ¥1,800; children aged 3 and over ¥1,300	Reception 6:30–8:30; bathing 6:30–9:30; facility use until 10:30

Two adults pay ¥3,250 for standard admission plus one 45-minute Komorebi session. Ask at the front desk on arrival; overnight guests have priority after 3 p.m. On Wednesdays, day-use bathing starts around 1 p.m. because of equipment checks.

For the breakfast plan, breakfast is served 7:00–9:10 and must be booked by 7 p.m. the previous day. It may be unavailable on busy mornings after overnight stays, so confirm before building a transfer around it. Day-use bathing is closed on 1 and 2 January. Tatsunoyu’s listed day-use hours can vary by date, so check its current notice before travelling.

Tatsunoyu does not publish one fixed day-use schedule on its main page. Check its “today’s hours” notice before travelling, especially if you have a bus to catch. Hotel guests’ bath hours are not the same as day-use opening hours. Kameya Hotel, another prominent property on the beach, does not currently accept ordinary day-use guests for its public baths; the source guide notes that sauna-only day use is a separate offer.

Getting to the baths

Shonai Kotsu buses from Tsuruoka Station take about 40 minutes to Yunohama, though the exact route and return departures matter. The timetable changed on 1 April 2026, and the operator issued a route-change notice in May. Check the current timetable for your date rather than planning around a remembered departure. If you are driving, the city lists parking for both public baths; Shimoku uses the community-centre lot.

There are two useful bus approaches: via Zenpōji, or via Kamo Aquarium. The aquarium route can make a same-day aquarium-and-bath outing possible, but do not assume the bus or airport transfers advertised by Tatsunoyu are available to day visitors; its access page describes several transfers as guest-only. Kameya Hotel likewise is not a regular walk-in public-bath option at present; its day-use offer is limited to the Ryūgūden sauna.

For a short visit, a sensible plan is bus to Shimoku, a soak, then a walk by the coast. In summer, the shower at Shimoku is handy after the beach. Kamiku is better when all you want is a low-cost bath and you arrive after 10 a.m. Save Tatsunoyu for a longer visit or when the sauna, variety of pools or private bath is the point of the stop.

The tattoo policies at these facilities are unconfirmed. Ask the operator before visiting if it affects your plans.

Sources

Tags: Yunohama Onsen, Tsuruoka, day-use onsen, public baths, Yamagata