While Minami-Echizen in Fukui is better known for its hot springs, it’s also becoming a desirable destination for sauna enthusiasts in the know. Cradled between the mountains and the sea, the area offers unique chances to relax in the full embrace of its beautiful natural surroundings. We’ve handpicked three hot spring facilities, the likes of which you won’t find anywhere else, that are perfect for a quick refresh or a longer weekend getaway.

Hanahasu Onsen Somayama
Exquisite Outdoor Bathing in the Forest

Hanahasu Onsen Somayama is a hot spring facility located next to the famous Hanahasu Park. The indoor baths include the “lotus bath,” with lotus extracts, which are said to have nourishing and rejuvenating properties.

After enjoying the unique lotus bath, it’s time to head to the sauna. Fresh from the baths, the sauna’s 85℃ will slowly warm you to your bones.

Open-Air Bath Surrounded by Lush Greenery

After working up a sweat in the sauna, refresh your senses with a dip in the cold water bath before heading to outdoors. The true highlight of Somayama is undoubtedly the open-air forest bath. Surrounded by verdant forest as far as the eye can see, the fresh mountain air will bring you the deepest relaxation.

Fully refreshed by the sauna and baths, next head to the on-site restaurant, Hasunoya. With an array of delicacies to choose from, including set meals, soba noodles, and rice bowls, you’re sure to find something that suits your fancy. One of the more popular items is the Echizen Set, which allows you to enjoy two of Fukui’s local specialities in the same meal: sauce katsudon (breaded pork cutlet dipped in a Worcestershire-based sauce on rice), and Echizen oroshi (grated daikon radish) soba noodles. With its slightly sweet broth, the gentle soba and rich sauce katsudon are a perfect pair.

A sit in the sauna among the famous local lotus flowers and abundant natural beauty of Minami-Echizen is a great way to treat yourself to a full recentering.

Sauna Details

-Sauna temp: approx. 85℃
-Cold bath temp: approx. 17℃
-Sauna capacity: approx. 5 persons
-Sauna mat: provided
-Rest area: open-air rest space with two chairs

Facility Information: (current as of January 11, 2026)

Hanahasu Onsen Somayama
60-1 Nakagoya, Minami-Echizen-cho, Nanjo-gun, Fukui Prefecture
Tel: 0778-47-3368
Hours: day use: 8am to 10pm (last admission 9pm)
Hasunoya restaurant hours: 11:30am to 2:pm (last order 1:30pm), 5pm to 8pm (last order 7:30pm)
Closed: Tuesdays
Bathing fee: day use: 650 yen for adults (12 and up), 350 yen for kids (3 years and up)
Rest area: 1st floor
Smoking area: available (indoor smoking area)
URL/https://www.hanahasu.jp/

Kono Seaside Onsen Yubae
Wash Away Cares with Ocean Views

View of the Sea of ​​Japan from the Indoor Bath

Standing on the Echizen coast, Kono Seaside Onsen Yubae is a hot spring beloved by travelers, touring groups, and locals alike, whose chloride waters have a tangy, salty taste, and are said to be effective in soothing nerves and muscle fatigue. It is, of course, a great place to relax away any fatigue from your travels as well. The large indoor bath allows bathers to stretch out their legs and and enjoy the magnificent view of the Sea of ​​Japan.

The sauna room’s small window lets in pleasant rays of natural light during the day, and the clear waters of the cold bath is the perfect finishing touch. Just outside the sauna are chairs where you can take a break, allowing you to enjoy a nearly endless loop of warming and cooling to your heart’s content.

First floor rest area comes complete with massage chairs

Panoramic view of the ocean from the second floor restaurant and rest area

Between baths, you can relax in the spacious rest areas on the first and second floors (open from 11am to 3pm).

Sashimi Set Meal (1700 yen)

“After a relaxing sauna, enjoy some seafood!

The restaurant on the second floor, overlooking the ocean, offers a lunch menu of seafood dishes and rice bowls prepared by nearby guesthouses and inns between 11:00 and 14:00.
The Sashimi Set Meal (1,700 yen) is a luxurious tasting dish featuring fresh sashimi caught off the Echizen Coast and a small bowl filled with local vegetables.

Why not spend a day satisfying both your stomach and your soul with the ocean’s delights?”

Sauna Details

-Sauna temp: 80℃
-Cold bath temp: 16 to 20℃
-Sauna capacity: approx. 4 persons
-Sauna mat: provided
-Rest area: indoor rest area with one chairs

Facility Information: (current as of January 15, 2026)

Kono Seaside Onsen Yubae
7-31-1 Kaburaki, Minami-Echizen-cho, Nanjo-gun, Fukui Prefecture
Tel: 0778-48-2388
Hours: 11am to 9pm (last admission 8pm)
Closed: Wednesdays (or the following day if Wednesday is a holiday)
Bathing fee: day use: 600 yen for adults (12 and up), 330 yen for kids (6 years and up)
Rest area: 1st floor, 2nd floor (closes at 3pm)
Smoking area: available (indoor smoking area)
URL/https://www.instagram.com/yuubaeonsen/

Imajo 365 Onsen Yasuragi
Stunning Mountain Views that Captivate in Every Season

Imajo 365 Onsen Yasuragi is found among the thick mountain forests of Minami-Echizen’s Imajo area. Enjoy spectacular and sweeping alpine views as you bathe. Watch the seasons change before your eyes as you bathe, and on clear days you can even see Mt. Hakusan, more than 70 km to the northeast. The hot spring is a simple sulfur alkaline (pH 9.8), and is known for leaving beautiful skin.

The sauna here is spacious and a steamy 90-100℃. There is a bracing cold water bath as well.

The view from the open-air bath

After the cold bath, next head to the open air bath. Breathe in the mountain scenery, changing with the seasons, and find ultimate relaxation. Now you are one of the lucky few that know about this hidden gem of a sauna.

You can also enjoy the mountain views from the first floor rest area

Inside the Asobase Cafe & Lounge at the campground nearby

After relaxing in the sauna, head to Asobase Cafe & Lounge, located within the campsite a short three-minute walk away. This stylish cafe catering to campers serves black roast beef buns (900 yen) and tacos (800 yen).

Taco (800 yen) and iced coffee (400 yen)

The must-try item is its authentic taco, which can be enjoyed with one hand. The fragrantly grilled tortilla is filled with juicy homemade meat and guacamole, a perfect treat to go with a refreshing sauna session.

Sauna Details

-Sauna temp: 90 to 100℃
-Cold bath temp: 8 to 15℃
-Sauna capacity: approx. 10 persons
-Sauna mat: provided
-Rest area: indoor area with two chairs and open-air rest space

Facility Information: (current as of January 19, 2026)

Imajo 365 Onsen Yasuragi
85-6 Itadori, Minami-Echizen-cho, Nanjo-gun, Fukui Prefecture
Tel: 0778-45-1113
Hours: 11am to 9:30pm (last admission 8:30pm)
Closed: Tuesdays (except public holidays)
Bathing fee: day use: 600 yen for adults (12 and up), 300 yen for kids (3 years and up)
Rest area: 1st floor, 2nd floor (closes at 4pm)
Smoking area: available (outdoor smoking area)

URL/https://imajyo365.jp/yasuragi/

Cafe Information: (current as of January 22, 2026)
Asobase Cafe & Lounge
85-36 Itadori, Minami-Echizen-cho, Nanjo-gun, Fukui Prefecture
Tel: 0778-67-7972
Hours: 9am to 5:30pm, (or until 9pm Saturdays and the day before a public holiday)
Closed: Tuesdays & Wednesdays

Menu: Taco (800 yen), Black roast beef bun (900 yen)

URL/https://imajyo365.jp/yasuragi/

These superb sauna experiences can only be had in Minami-Echizen, surrounded by both sea and mountains. Take a moment to truly relax among exquisite scenery and soothe both body and mind. Take a trip to Minami-Echizen and take home memories to last a lifetime.