Sumatakyo Gorge in Shizuoka: A Quiet Day Out

This guide covers the way to Sumatakyo, the suspension bridge and the lake, the promenade course, the timing and the practical details for a day out.

From Kanaya, the route is a local train to Kayama Station, a Kawanehon town bus to Senzu Station and a Sumatakyo line bus to the hot spring town of Sumatakyo Onsen. Above the blue water of the lake hangs the suspension bridge Yume no Tsuribashi. The town-run open-air bath Bijo-zukuri no Yu sits a short walk from the bridge entrance.

Getting to Sumatakyo

The steps below run from Kanaya to the Sumatakyo hot spring town, and the table adds the car and winter options.

1. Take the Oigawa Railway local train from Kanaya Station to Kayama Station, where the adult fare is 830 yen.
2. From Kayama Station, the Kawanehon town bus runs to Senzu Station, and the adult fare is 500 yen.
3. From Senzu Station, the Sumatakyo line bus to Sumatakyo Onsen takes about 40 minutes.

From	Route	Time or fare
Senzu Station	Sumatakyo line bus to Sumatakyo Onsen, adult fare	900 yen
Shimada-Kanaya IC	By car to Sumatakyo	About 90 minutes
Senzu Station front	By car to Sumatakyo Onsen	About 40 minutes
Sumatakyo Onsen bus stop, in winter	Buses terminate here, and the walk continues to the Yume no Tsuribashi entrance gate	5 minutes

The Bridge and the Lake

Yume no Tsuribashi spans the lake, and visitors are asked to cross in a set direction. It is an old and small suspension bridge. In very clean water with few dissolved particles, short-wavelength blue light is reflected and long-wavelength red light is absorbed, which is the Tyndall phenomenon.

Oma Dam Lake was built at the meeting of the Oma River and the Sumata River for hydroelectric power generation. Because the red light is absorbed by the Tyndall phenomenon, blue light is what reaches deeper into the water of Oma Dam Lake.

The Promenade Course and the Hot Spring Town

The Sumatakyo Gorge conservation cooperation fee is voluntary and set as a basic amount per person per day, and the table at the end gives the amount. Payment is made to staff at the promenade course entrance gate. Railcars from the forest railway of an earlier era are displayed at the Ozakizaka Lookout rest area.

The water at Sumatakyo Onsen is an alkaline simple sulfur spring, and the table below gives the pH, the source temperature and the source flow rate. The town-run open-air bath Bijo-zukuri no Yu stands near the suspension bridge entrance, and the table at the end gives the walking time from there.

Item	Detail
Spring type	Alkaline simple sulfur spring, pH 8.9
Source temperature	43.7 degrees
Source flow rate	540 liters per minute

Timing Your Visit

The entrance gate opens in the morning, and the opening time can change with the season and road conditions. The entrance gate closes earlier in winter than in summer, and the table at the end gives the times.

The wait to cross can grow long during long holidays and the autumn foliage season, and the table gives the longest wait. The bridge limits how many people can cross at a time, and the table gives the limit. Visitors planning more of the prefecture can browse things to do across Shizuoka.

Hours and Fees, and Planning the Day

The tables below set the gate times and the fees beside the walking times.

Item	Time
Entrance gate, opening	7:00, which may change with the season and road conditions
Entrance gate, closing	18:00 in summer and 16:00 in winter
Wait to cross the bridge, during long holidays and the autumn foliage season	Up to about 3 hours
Bijo-zukuri no Yu, onsen hours on Monday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays	10:00 to 17:30, with reception ending at 17:00

Item	Price
Local train, Kanaya Station to Kayama Station, adult	830 yen
Town bus, Kayama Station to Senzu Station, adult	500 yen
Sumatakyo line bus, Senzu Station to Sumatakyo Onsen, adult	900 yen
Conservation cooperation fee, basic amount per person per day, voluntary	500 yen
Bijo-zukuri no Yu admission	600 yen for adults and 300 yen for elementary school students

Item	Time or number
Sumatakyo hot spring town to the suspension bridge, on foot	About 30 minutes
Entrance gate to the bridge entrance, on foot	20 minutes
Promenade loop from the gate	60 to 80 minutes
Full promenade course from the gate	About 90 minutes
Bridge capacity	10 people at a time
Bijo-zukuri no Yu from the suspension bridge entrance, on foot	2 minutes