Photo by Red panda bot, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
🇯🇵 Japan · Ishikawa Prefecture, Hokuriku
Photo by Red panda bot, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
🇯🇵 Japan · Ishikawa Prefecture, Hokuriku
♨ Temperature
45.2°C
⛰ Altitude
350 m
⚗ pH
7.6
💧 TDS
480 mg/L
🌊 Flow rate
multiple sources
📅 Established
Nara period (c. 718 CE)
✓ Verified on 2026-07-22
Yamanaka Onsen occupies a narrow gorge carved by the Daishoji River in Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan coast of Honshu. The spring was discovered, according to tradition, in 718 CE — making it one of the oldest continuously operating onsen in Japan. The water is classified as a simple alkaline spring (tanjun onsen), emerging at 45.2°C: clear, smooth on the skin, and mildly alkaline. The gorge setting — known as Kakusenkei — features forested cliffs, historic wooden bridges (Kohrogi Bridge, Ayatori Bridge), and walking trails above the river. The haiku master Matsuo Basho visited in 1689 during his famous journey through the Tohoku and Hokuriku regions, writing that he wished to stay indefinitely. The public bathhouse Kiku-no-yu (Chrysanthemum Bath) has served as the town's communal centre for centuries. Yamanaka is part of the Kaga Onsen cluster, alongside Katayamazu, Yamashiro, and Awazu, and is celebrated for its lacquerware craft tradition — Yamanaka-nuri — which has produced the finest Japanese lacquer bowls for over 400 years.
| Sodium | 89 mg/L |
| Bicarbonate | 218 mg/L |
| Calcium | 31 mg/L |
| Silica | 52 mg/L |
| Chloride | 44 mg/L |
| Magnesium | 8 mg/L |
Yamanaka Onsen is listed among the three premier hot springs of Japan (Nihon Sandai Meisen), alongside Arima Onsen (Hyogo) and Gero Onsen (Gifu). The Kakusenkei gorge and its historic bridges are designated scenic areas within Ishikawa Prefecture. The town is also renowned for Yamanaka-nuri lacquerware, a craft tradition exceeding 400 years designated as a traditional Japanese craft by the Ministry of Economy.
In 1689, the haiku poet Matsuo Basho visited Yamanaka during his journey documented in Oku no Hosomichi (The Narrow Road to the Deep North), praising the springs so highly that he wrote the chrysanthemums need not be picked when the scent of the water already perfumes the air. This verse made Yamanaka famous throughout Edo-period Japan and remains central to the town's identity. The Yamanaka Bushi folk song, performed seasonally at the Yamanaka-za theatre, is one of the oldest onsen folk songs in Japan.
The Yamanaka Onsen Tourism Association manages the hot spring district collectively, coordinating water use across ryokans and public facilities to preserve flow rates that have remained stable for over a millennium. The Kaga Onsen area has invested in geothermal monitoring to ensure the aquifer is not overdrawn, and the Kakusenkei gorge is maintained as a protected natural landscape with strict building restrictions along its banks.
Phone+81-761-78-0479
Websiteyamanaka-spa.or.jp
AddressYamanaka Onsen, Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture 922-0114, Japan