Yunotsu Onsen is a hot-spring town where the Motoyu public bath opens at six in the morning and a regular night performance of Iwami Kagura at Tatsunogozen Shrine begins at eight in the evening. Below are Motoyu's timetable and fees, including the Monday and Thursday restriction, the town's eating and drinking places, what a kagura seat costs, and the morning connections to Motoyu and on to Iwami Ginzan.
Motoyu Hours, Fees and the Monday and Thursday Rule
Motoyu is the public bathhouse this guide is built around, and from March to November it is open from six in the morning until eight in the evening, with last entry at half past seven. The timetable shifts by season and on certain weekdays, so the two tables below give times first and fees second.
| Period | Hours |
|---|---|
| March to November | 6:00-20:00 (last entry 19:30) |
| December to February | 6:00-19:00 (last entry 18:30) |
| Mondays and Thursdays (general use) | 6:00-8:00 (last entry 7:30) |
| Monday, October 19 (periodic cleaning) | 6:00-8:00 (last entry 7:30) |
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Adults (junior high school age and up) | 500 yen |
| Children (age 1 to elementary school age) | 250 yen |
| Book of 10 tickets | 4,000 yen |
| Face towel | 300 yen |
| Monday or Thursday cancellation slot, per person including a towel | 1,000 yen |
| Yakushi-yu private bath, 40 minutes, per adult | 800 yen |
On Mondays and Thursdays, general bathing is limited to six until eight in the morning, with last entry at half past seven, and later times are kept for reserved members. If a member cancels on one of those days, general visitors, adults and children alike, may take the slot for one thousand yen per person, towel included.
Monday, October nineteenth, is listed as a shortened day for periodic cleaning, with a six-to-eight window and last entry at half past seven. As for the water, an old gazetteer describes the spring as a salt-type water that held a temperature of about forty-five degrees Celsius, rising from third-period strata.
Where to stay
Places to stay near Yunotsu, Shimane, Japan →
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Where to Eat and Drink in the Onsen Town
The onsen town has a few places to eat and drink between baths, and the table below sets out when each serves. Fureai-kan, for example, serves meals and pancakes from eleven in the morning until three in the afternoon on weekdays, with the last order taken at two.
| Place | Hours |
|---|---|
| Fureai-kan, Monday to Friday, meals and pancakes | 11:00-15:00 (last order 14:00) |
| Fureai-kan, Saturday, Sunday and holidays, meals | 11:00-16:00 (last order 14:00) |
| Fureai-kan, Saturday, Sunday and holidays, pancakes | 13:30-16:00 |
| Cafe&BarMAHORA, cafe | 15:00-20:00 |
| Cafe&BarMAHORA, bar | 17:00-20:00 (last order) |
| KAN, breakfast, arranged in advance only | 7:30-9:00 |
Fureai-kan also lists one small extra: tokamitsu syrup as an optional add-on for its teppan pancake, at one hundred fifty yen. For an early start, KAN is listed as serving breakfast from half past seven until nine, arranged in advance only, which leaves room for a first soak at Motoyu beforehand.
Night Kagura at Tatsunogozen Shrine
The regular night performance of Iwami Kagura is held at Tatsunogozen Shrine, and watching it comes down to a seat fee: two thousand yen per seat, paid in cash only at the shrine. The viewing time is listed as eight in the evening until half past nine.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Regular night Iwami Kagura seat fee | 2,000 yen per seat, cash only, paid at Tatsunogozen Shrine |
| Viewing time | 20:00-21:30 |
The fee is charged per seat and settled in cash at the shrine, so have the amount ready before the evening. The performance is listed to end at half past nine, late enough that the evening and the early bath belong to the same stay. To fit both the evening performance and the early bath, browse places to stay in Yunotsu.
Getting to Motoyu and Onward to Iwami Ginzan
From JR Yunotsu Station, the ride to Motoyu takes about five minutes on the Oda City life bus. For the onward leg, a shared taxi to Iwami Ginzan leaves from each ryokan at half past eight, once a day; the fares and a JR-to-bus alternative are in the table below.
| Option | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Shared taxi from each ryokan, once a day | 8:30 | - |
| Shared taxi, 1 person | - | 4,200 yen |
| Shared taxi, 2 people | - | 2,100 yen per person |
| Shared taxi, 3 to 4 people | - | 1,400 yen per person |
| JR-to-bus option from Yunotsu | 7:31 departure, 8:55 arrival | 790 yen |
The shared-taxi fare is split by group size, so a party of three or four pays the lowest per-person rate. Both are bound for Iwami Ginzan, and this guide ends at the departure point. The bathhouse is pinned at Motoyu on Google Maps. Since both leave in the morning, compare places to stay in Yunotsu and sleep in town the night before.