Nasu Yumoto Onsen: Sessho-seki, Nasu Onsen Shrine and Shika-no-yu

This guide covers Sessho-seki, Nasu Onsen Shrine and the Shika-no-yu bath in Nasu Yumoto Onsen, with the routes, times and fees you need.

In Nasu Yumoto you can follow a boardwalk across a stony valley below a bare hillside, pass rows of small stone statues in red caps, climb a stone staircase lined with lanterns to a shrine, and bathe in a wooden bathhouse beside a clear stream. All of it sits within the same hot-spring village.

The notes below follow that order, then explain how to reach the village by public transport or by car. Times and prices come last, set out side by side, so you can compare them at a glance and plan your day around the bath.

Sessho-seki, the Jizo Statues and Nasu Onsen Shrine

Sessho-seki is described as an outdoor historic site in the middle of the Yumoto hot-spring district. A guidebook notes that the large rock is the biggest of the lava blocks scattered over a barren slope, where the air carries a smell of sulfur. Guidebooks describe the rock as split, after a crack was confirmed in it.

The stone is said to be what remains of a fox spirit that took the shape of a beautiful woman, was exposed by a diviner and turned into a huge poisonous rock. Along the walk, countless stone Jizo statues are described as standing in neat lines.

According to a guidebook, Nasu Onsen Shrine traces its founding to the reign of Emperor Jomei, when a hunter who found a wounded deer healing in a hot spring built a shrine. The archer Nasu no Yoichi is said to have prayed there for victory. A treasure hall there is described in guidebooks as holding items linked to him.

Bathing at Shika-no-yu

The day bath at Shika-no-yu is open through the day, and the last admission comes a little before closing. Each bath is guided for a set length of time, so plan your soak around it.

A cure ticket that covers part of the day costs more on weekends and holidays than on weekdays. Lockers come in a large size and a small size, and they are charged separately. Elementary school children have a separate admission at the day bath.

Getting to Nasu Yumoto

The Tohoku Shinkansen runs from Tokyo Station to Nasushiobara Station. From the west exit of Nasushiobara Station a bus goes to Nasu Yumoto Onsen.

Cash passengers take a numbered ticket when they board, and IC card users touch the card to the reader. Kuroiso Station also has a bus to Nasu Yumoto. Drivers can reach the village from Nasu IC by prefectural road. Each leg is timed in the table below.

Item	Detail
Tokyo Station by Tohoku Shinkansen to Nasushiobara Station	about 75 minutes, excluding transfer and waiting time
Nasushiobara Station West Exit by bus to Nasu Yumoto Onsen, adult fare	1,170 yen
Kuroiso Station by bus to Nasu Yumoto	about 45 minutes to 1 hour, excluding transfer and waiting time
Nasu IC by car on the prefectural road to Nasu Yumoto	about 20 minutes

If you would rather have the day arranged for you, look at guided tours around Nasu.

Hours and Fees

Walking around Sessho-seki is described as free at any hour. The table below lists the bathing times and the prices at Shika-no-yu.

Item	Detail
Shika-no-yu bathing hours	8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, last admission 5:30 PM
Shika-no-yu guided time for one bath	about 15 minutes
Shika-no-yu day-bath admission, elementary school child	300 yen
Shika-no-yu half-day hot spring cure ticket	1,500 yen on weekends and holidays, 1,200 yen on weekdays
Shika-no-yu lockers	200 yen for a large locker, 100 yen for a small locker