Built in 1894 for 135,000 yen: the mayor paid for it by giving up his own salary.
The current building, a three-storey wooden tower with a bronze heron on the roof, dates from 1894: the first mayor of Dōgo, Isaniwa Yukiya, turned down his salary to fund it, at a time when an elementary school teacher earned 8 a month. In December 1994 it became the first public bath in Japan to be designated a national Important Cultural Property. A restoration lasting five and a half years, begun in January 2019, ended on 20 December 2024, with the full reopening on 11 July 2024.
The oldest and best-known public bath in Dōgo, the hot-spring district of Matsuyama, with a tradition of about three thousand years. Legend has it that the waters were discovered by watching an injured white heron heal itself by dipping one leg in them.
ℹ️ The lower floor of the Kami no Yu (神の湯階下) is open 6:00–23:00, last entry 22:30. The ticket giving access to all three facilities of the complex (周湯チケット) costs 1,440 yen for an adult; shorter routes are available at a lower price. Source: official website.
🚉 Dogo Onsen · 3 min walk
Holidays in Japan? Plan them with us.Over 2,000 real places, a day-by-day itinerary.FreeOpen the map →Sources: dogo.jp · dogo.jp · city.matsuyama.ehime.jp · city.matsuyama.ehime.jp
Nearby
Ishite-ji1 kmphoto by Dokudami · CC BY-SA 4.0
Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum2 kmphoto by Tamago915 ( talk ) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Bansuisō2 kmphoto by osamu tanaka · CC BY-SA 3.0
Matsuyama Castle2 kmphoto by Yamaguchi Yoshiaki from Japan · CC BY-SA 2.0