The Etiquette of the Sotoyu Walk at Yamada Onsen
Oyu and Takinoyu on Foot: a Bathing Journey from MATSUKAWAKAN

The culture of the sotoyu walk, handed down at Yamada Onsen

At Yamada Onsen in Takayama Village, the baths are not only inside the inns: public bathhouses (sotoyu) within walking distance are still in daily use. Visitors and the people who live here soak in the same tubs — the old form of a hot spring town, still intact.

Staying at MATSUKAWAKAN brings this walk within easy reach. Go beyond the baths inside the inn and step out to the ones outside. That alone changes the way time moves on your trip.

Why the sotoyu walk works so well at Yamada Onsen

• A culture of communal bathhouses going back to the Edo period, still alive as part of daily life
• A hot spring town that has never been over-polished for tourism, continuous with the lives of the people here
• Guests staying at MATSUKAWAKAN can use most of the public bathhouses free of charge, or for a small fee
• Everything close enough to walk to, still in your yukata

Public bathhouse 1: Oyu, the central bath of Yamada Onsen

A public bathhouse at the centre of Yamada Onsen, in use since the Edo period. A historic communal bathhouse, loved by local people for generations.

• Three tubs — hot, slightly hot and lukewarm — so you can choose by how you feel that day
• Free for guests staying at MATSUKAWAKAN
• ¥300 for day visitors

Prices are subject to change.

Public bathhouse 2: Takinoyu, thirty seconds from MATSUKAWAKAN

A communal bathhouse long used by the people who live in the village. Not a place dressed up for visitors, but a hot spring that is part of everyday life. Its charm is in how plain and unpretentious it is. Day-use guests are welcome here as well, though it may occasionally be closed for cleaning. Overnight guests can always bathe there.

• Thirty seconds on foot from MATSUKAWAKAN
• Day-use guests are welcome as well (it may occasionally be closed for cleaning); overnight guests can always bathe there
• If the water feels too hot, the etiquette here is to add cold water and soften it

The etiquette of the walk: warm up, rest in the open air, bathe again

There is a basic cycle of bathing, which we also explain at MATSUKAWAKAN. Warm up, rest a little in the open air, then get back in. Repeat that cycle as many times as feels comfortable, and no more.

• Rather than one long soak, walk from bathhouse to bathhouse with rests in between
• The inner bath at MATSUKAWAKAN, then Oyu, then Takinoyu makes an easy round
• Keep drinking water, and go at the pace your body asks for

Note: this page does not give specific figures for the composition or the effects of the spring water. Please check the notices posted on site for details.

One example of how a day of the sotoyu walk might go

• 15:00 Check in, tea in the lobby
• 16:00 The sotoyu walk (Oyu and Takinoyu, on foot)
• 17:00 Settle in the sauna and the inner bath at MATSUKAWAKAN
• 18:00 Dinner (the kaiseki course at the irori hearth, or the kaiseki course built on fermented dashi)
• 22:00 Gokumu-no-Yu, the private open-air bath
• 7:00 the next morning: a morning bath and a morning sauna
• 8:00 the next morning: a breakfast of zosui rice porridge made with the fermented dashi

Prices, access and frequently asked questions for Oyu and Takinoyu are collected on the “Yamada Onsen & Takayama Village” guide page.

In summary: the sotoyu walk at Yamada Onsen, with MATSUKAWAKAN

Do not let it end with the baths inside the inn; go a little further, to the ones outside. That alone brings the rhythm of Yamada Onsen close to you.

Choose your temperature at Oyu; touch the life of the village at Takinoyu. Walk, soak, and walk again. Please enjoy that etiquette of the sotoyu walk with us at MATSUKAWAKAN.