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Dōgo Onsen Honkan

Dōgo Onsen Frontpage > Dōgo Onsen Honkan

Bridging the HistoryLegacy for the FutureDōgo Onsen Honkan

The Dōgo Onsen Honkan, the symbol of Dōgo Onsen, which boasts a history of about 3,000 years and is said to be the oldest onsen in Japan, was designated as a National Important Cultural Property in December 1994, as the first public bathhouse.
In order to pass on this national treasure to the next generation, as well as to Matsuyama City of course, conservational repair work has been underway since January, 2019, while the Onsen remains open.
The construction work is scheduled to continue until December 2024, however thanks to the efforts of many people involved in the construction work, including the contractors, construction workers, and local people, the entire building, including the resting rooms, reopened for business on July 11, 2024, for the first time in five and half years, prior to the completion of the work.

Conservational Repair Work

In order to maintain and preserve the historical and cultural value of the Dōgo Onsen
Honkan for future generations, conservational repair work is underway with completion scheduled for the end of December 2024.
We carried out structural reinforcement for earthquake resistance and roofing work, etc.
The replacement of the copper shingle roof, which had developed verdigris blue copper rust over the years, has been completed, giving the roof a copper-colored appearance.

To the Construction Page

Introduction to the each floorTry clicking on each floor to see what's inside!

The First Floor The Second Floor The Third Floor Roof ・Shinrokaku

Two new private rooms will be set up.

With the reopening of the entire building, rooms that were not previously open to guests are now available for private use.

For the reservation page for private rooms, click here.

※Advance reservations required.
※Reservations are accepted on the reservation site until 10:00 p.m. the day before.
※Same-day reservations are accepted by phone (089-921-5141).

In accordance with the reopening of the Dōgo Onsen Honkan,
the design of the bathing ticket will be renewed!

With the cooperation of Yuji Sumikawa, a technical illustrator living in Matsuyama City, we created a design for Dōgo Onsen Honkan bathing tickets with the hope that customers will take their tickets home and use them to tell their family and friends about their experiences at Dōgo.

The design of the bathing tickets for Kami-no-yu downstairs, Kami-no-yu and Tama-no-yu the second floor and Tama-no-yu the third floor depicts a bird's-eye view of the Dōgo Onsen area centering on the Dōgo Onsen Honkan and a diagram of the Honkan interior after full reopening.

Moreover, the design of the bathing tickets for the newly introduced private rooms incorporates a technique from the Edo period called "tatebanko," in which flat pictures are layered to form a single three-dimensional picture, allowing visitors to assemble and enjoy the process on their own.

Fees and Hours of Operation

Kami-no-yu
downstairs
(60 minutes)
6:00~23:00
(Ticket sales stop at 22:30)
Adults(12 years old and up) 700 yen
Children(2-11 years old) 350 yen
Kami-no-yu 2nd floor seats
(60 minutes)
6:00~22:00
(Ticket sales stop at 21:00)
Adults(12 years old and up) 1,300 yen
Children(2-11 years old) 650 yen
Tama-no-yu 2nd floor seats
(60 minutes)
6:00~22:00
(Ticket sales stop at 21:00)
Adults(12 years old and up) 2,000 yen
Children(2-11 years old) 1,000 yen
Tama-no-yu 3rd floor
private room
(90 minutes)
6:00~22:00
(Ticket sales stop at 20:30)
Adults(12 years old and up) 2,500 yen
Children(2-11 years old) 1,250 yen
Tama-no-yu 3rd floor special room
Shirasagi-no-ma Room
(90 minutes)
6:30,9:30,
12:30,15:30,
18:30
Adults(12 years old and up) 6,000 yen for one group
number of people
1,300 yen
Children(2-11 years old) 650 yen
Tama-no-yu 3rd floor special room
The Soaring Room
(90 minutes)
8:00,11:00,
14:00,17:00,
20:00
Adults(12 years old and up) 3,000 yen for one group
number of people
1,300 yen
Children(2-11 years old) 650 yen
  • ※Portions of the bathing and viewing fees for Dōgo Onsen Honkan will be used for the preservation and repair of Dōgo Onsen Honkan, an important cultural property of Japan.

Shop Items

Amenities
Rental towel/50yen
Rental bath towel/200yen
Mikan-soap/50yen
Two-blade razor/50yen
Hairbrush/70yen
Shower Cap/30yen
Menu for Soft Drinks
Milk /170yen
Coffee-milk/160 yen
Fruity milk/160 yen
Drinkable yogurt/160 yen
POM Juice/150 yen
Kirin mineral water/140 yen
Coke/180 yen
Dōgo Cider/350 yen
Gift Items・Souvenir
Dōgo Onsen Honkan original towel/220 yen
Dōgo Onsen Honkan original bath towel/1,200 yen
Original fan(small)/400 yen
Original fan (large)/800 yen
Hot water seal (handmade washi paper with ears)/600 yen
Hot Water Seal/400 yen
Botchan Dango (5 in a box)/864 yen
Meisho Sembei (16 in a bag)/540 yen
Meisho Sembei (24 in a box)/810 yen
Dōgo Yuagarino-Shirasagi (3 in a box)/648 yen
Dōgo Yuagarino-Shirasagi (6 in a box)/1,296 yen

※ All prices are tax included.

Categories and types of acceptable payment services

For your convenience, we have introduced cashless payment such as credit cards and electronic money. Acceptable payment services are as follows:

Credit card
Debit card

*Since November 16, 2020, the type of acceptable debit card has been changed from J-Debit to branded debit.

Electronic money
Traffic related IC card
QR code
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Roof ・Shinrokaku
Shinrokaku
Shinrokaku

The red Diamante-glass of the windows and the white heron on top of the tower are the symbols of the main building. The "Toki-daiko," a drum that announces the time, echoes from this building. The "beating drum," which have been played since the building was renovated in 1894, have been selected as one of the "100 Best Soundscapes of Japan.

Details of Constructions

The white heron's wings of the Shinrokaku are engraved with the names of those who were involved in the construction of the Kami -no-Yu main building.So the those wings have been used as they were though the Shirasagi was repaired and re-installed.

The Third Floor
Botchan no ma Room
Botchan no ma Room

Soseki Natsume, who was transferred to Matsuyama in 1895, is said to have used this private room (northwest corner of the private room on the third floor of the main building) with Shiki Masaoka in October of the same year. The room was named "Botchan-no-ma Room" by Yuzuru Matsuoka, the son-in-law of Soseki in 1966. The room still retains the atmosphere of the days when the great writer Soseki Natsume came to bathe here.

Details of Constructions

New plaster walls are being painted following the Dōgo Onsen Honkan's original plastering method, Shoji screens are being repapered and tatami mats are being replaced.

Tama-no-yu Private Rooms on the Third Floor
Tama-no-yu Private Rooms on the Third Floor

The rooms on the third floor were once called "Jōtō (upper class)" and in a passage from the novel "Botchan," it goes, "I always bathed in the Jōtō bath." You can relax in private rooms after taking a hot bath.

Details of Constructions

In some rooms, urushi (lacquer) is used. Lacquer, clay walls, shoji screens, and tatami mats are repaired, repainted or repapered to show their beautiful condition.

Introduction to the Bathing Tickets
Shirasagi-no-ma Room
Shirasagi-no-ma Room

With the reopening of the entire building, rooms that were not previously open to guests are now available for private use. When you view a Shirasagi located on the Shinrokaku from your rooms, it looks like a shirasagi flapping and dancing with joy from recovering its wounds. The name "Shirasagi-no-ma Room" came from reflecting the overlap between this Shirasagi and the current Honkan, which is now completing conservational repair work, and the desire to share the joy of this occasion with as many people as possible.

Details of Constructions

New plaster walls are being painted following the Dōgo Onsen Honkan's original plastering method, in which clay walls are painted on the surface of the original plaster.

Introduction to the Bathing Tickets
The Soaring Room
The Soaring Room

With the reopening of the entire building, rooms that were not previously open to guests are now available for private use. When they look up the statue of “Shirsagi a white heron” located on the Shinrokaku from their rooms and it looks like a shirasagi soring to the sky after its wounds had healed.
The name "Soring Room" was chosen in the hope that the main building, which is celebrating its 130th anniversary, will continue to prosper like the white heron that took flight, in accordance with the passionate wishes of the first mayor of Dōgo-Yuno-Machi, Isaniwa Yukiya, who had a vision for the town of Dōgo 100 years in the future.

Details of Constructions

New plaster walls are being painted following the Dōgo Onsen Honkan's original plastering method, in which clay walls are painted on the surface of the original plaster.

Introduction to the Bathing Tickets
The Second Floor
Kami-no-yu, the Second-floor Hall
Kami-no-yu 2nd floor seats

The large hall, often featured in magazines, has a spacious feeling, and between June and September, the shoji screens are removed and sudare (sliding screens) are hung, creating an even more liberating atmosphere. With a maximum capacity of about 70 people, this is a rest room that can easily be used by groups.

Details of Constructions

The plywood is reinforced in the walls and floors for earthquake reinforcement.

Introduction to the Bathing Tickets
Tama-no-yu 2nd floor seats
Tama-no-yu 2nd floor seats

The lounge, located in a wing, built in the Taisho era (1912-1926), has lamps hung in the motif of a white heron (shirasagi), giving the historic building a modern feeling.

Details of Constructions

Tatami mats will be replaced and air conditioning units will be installed.

Introduction to the Bathing Tickets
Exhibition Room
Exhibition Room

Visitors can see valuable items that remain in the Dōgo Onsen Honkan, such as old Yufuda (a kind of prepaid Tickets for bathing), tea ceremony utensils, etc.
*Free to visit

Details of Constructions

The ceiling panels on the west side of the exhibition room have been partially scraped, but the materials used at the time of construction are still in place.

Yūshinden
Yūshinden

This is the only bathhouse in Japan exclusively for the Imperial Household, with its luxurious and gorgeous spaces including the Throne Room, the Luxurious living Room and the Special Bath Room.

Details of Constructions

Repairs were carried out using techniques from the Meiji period. Such as adhering needed parts of the paintings were mended by using traditional glue called nikawa.

Women's Dressing Room
Women's Dressing Room

Women's dressing room equipped with a hair dryer and mirror stand.
*For customers who use the course on the Kami-no yu, the second floor or higher.

The First Floor
Shopping Area
Shopping Area

Newly established with the reopening of the whole Onsen to business. As well as selling store merchandise, luggage storage is also available.

Details of Constructions

New air conditioning units have been installed. Newly available as a Shopping Area.

Kami-no-yu for women
Kami-no-yu for women

The Dōgo Onsen Honkan has long been a favorite of the locals, and some of them come here almost every day to take a bath. Visitors can enjoy bathing just like a public bathhouse.

Details of Constructions

As with the Kami-no-yu for men, earthquake-resistant work has been performed. Earth anchors were also cast to connect the foundation to the ground.

Introduction to the Bathing Tickets
Tama-no-yu for women
Tama-no-yu for women

Before the conservational repair work, this bathing room was used as "Kami-no-yu for women". The bathing room features a spacious bathtub with two statues of deities, Okuninushi-no-Mikoto and Sukunahikona-no-Mikoto, watching from a hot spring pot placed in the center of the bath.

Details of Constructions

Reinforced concrete walls have been installed on the outer side to improve earthquake resistance.

Tama-no-yu for men
Tama-no-yu for men

Although smaller in size than Kami-no-yu, the bathroom is made of Ajiishi-stones and Oshimaishi-stones, which are said to be the finest granite, and the walls are made of marble, providing a luxurious atmosphere.

Details of Constructions

The equipment has been updated and expanded, and the lighting is now LED. In addition, a new washbasin counter was installed for enhanced convenience.

Kami-no-yu for men
Kami-no-yu for men

The Dōgo Onsen Honkan has long been a favorite of the locals, and some of them come here almost every day to take a bath. Visitors can enjoy bathing just like a public bathhouse.

Details of Constructions

Steel-concrete walls were installed inner side of the previously existing walls for quake-resistant reinforcement.

Introduction to the Bathing Tickets
Current Waiting Time