A rare onsen that uses 100-percent natural hot spring water pumped directly from the source.

It can be hard to find a good, authentic, rustic onsen hot spring complex that isn’t geared towards tourists in Tokyo, so whenever we find one we’re always tempted to keep it a secret. However, one of our most recent finds turned out to be so good it’d be a shame not to share it, so shhhh…let’s keep this a beautiful secret between ourselves.

Called Maenohara Onsen Sayano Yudokoro, this onsen is hardly known beyond local circles, but it has a lot of perks that make it a gem worth visiting. One of the main drawcards is it’s said to be the only onsen in Tokyo’s 23 wards that uses 100-percent natural hot spring water pumped directly from the source without any filtration or alteration.

▼ Then there’s the location, as it’s just 30 minutes by train from downtown Tokyo to Shimura-Sakaue Station on the Mita line, with the onsen being a 10-minute walk from the exit.

The scenery here isn’t that different from other residential areas in Tokyo, so it’s hard to believe that you’re headed towards a hot spring that flows direct from the source.

However, as you approach the destination, you’ll see the sign for “さやの湯処” (“Sayano Yudokoro”), in front of a large building beside an equally large parking lot.

The entrance immediately gives you the sense that you’re about to enter another world, and that sensation continues when you step inside.

In the rest area where people unwind and relax, usually post-bath, time seems to flow differently. The concrete jungle seems worlds away as the calm and laid-back atmosphere transports you to another place and time, and the beautiful Japanese garden is the centrepiece to this experience.

This beautifully manicured area draws the eye out towards an invisible horizon, making you feel an abundance of time and space, and there are a number of other green areas scattered around the hot spring facility.

There are a wide variety of baths to choose from, with open-air types as well as bedrock styles, pot-shaped baths, and hydro-massage options. Those containing olive-green water have minerals added to them, with a kelp-like scent due to the high salt concentration, while the milky white baths are the pure, unadulterated types, pumped straight from the source underground to nourish both your soul and your skin.

With sauna and massage rooms on site, you could easily spend half a day here, and if you arrive in the afternoon, you get to enjoy the beauty of the Japanese garden both in the daylight and after sundown.

All this pampering can work up an appetite, and thankfully the complex has a great restaurant, with juwari soba (100-percent buckwheat soba) being the signature dish.

▼ There’s a lot to choose from on the menu, and there are no bumped-up tourist prices here.

Guests can even reserve private rooms to dine or relax in, with room charges starting at 2,200 yen (US$14.89) for two hours, and from 1,100 yen for each additional hour thereafter.

▼ Some of the rooms have views of the Japanese garden.

Those wanting to simply use the baths can do so after paying the admission fee of 930 yen for adults on weekdays, or 1,300 yen for adults on weekends and public holidays (primary school-aged children and under pay 600 yen on weekdays and 900 yen on weekends and public holidays).

During busy times, guests may be charged 100 yen per hour after five hours of admission, but most people are able to fit in a bath, a meal and a wind-down within this time frame so you won’t ever feel like you’re being rushed out the door. Plus, time moves extra slowly here, so you can sit back and let your troubles wash away as you soak in the traditional atmosphere of one of Tokyo’s best-kept secrets.

Site information
Maenohara Onsen Sayano Yudokoro / 前野原温泉さやの湯処
Address: Tokyo-to, Itabashi-ku, 
Maenocho 3-41-1
東京都板橋区前野町3-41−1
Open: 9:00 a.m. to midnight (last entry 11:00 p.m.)
Closed: Several times throughout the year for maintenance
Website

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