Fukagawa Onsen Irumu no Yu: A Forest Hot Spring for 500 Yen

By Chaporo, a Sapporo local Published
Fukagawa Onsen Irumu no Yu: A Forest Hot Spring for 500 Yen

Quick answers

  • Clear, smooth water; outdoor rock and tub baths facing the forest
  • Sauna at about 100°C with a very cold plunge and fresh air outside
  • 500 yen; towel set 300 yen; open every day
  • About 1 km (2 minutes) from Fukagawa IC; free parking for about 100 cars

Fukagawa Onsen Irumu no Yu is the hot spring at Agri Studio Maabu, a farm-and-outdoors center with a campsite and cottages, a little way up the hill above Fukagawa. It looks out over the Sorachi plain to the mountains, and you can hear the Otoe (Irumu) River running nearby.

The view and the baths

The lawns of Agri Studio Maabu and the plain beyond in autumn
The snowy plain and mountains seen from Agri Studio Maabu in winter

The water, from the Fukagawa Irumu spring, is clear and smooth and leaves you feeling fresh. In the outdoor area there are a rock bath and tub baths facing the forest, open to the sky, so you can lie back and look at the sky; in mid- to late October you bathe among the autumn leaves.

The sauna is around 100°C and warms you right through; the cold plunge and the drinking water are ice cold, and you cool off in the open air surrounded by trees.

Lunch at Maabu's Kitchen Shunsai

The restaurant in the same building, Maabu's Kitchen Shunsai, cooks with Fukagawa produce. The photo is the Fukagawa pork tonteki with sausage and bacon: free-range local pork three ways, the tonteki very tender, with Fukagawa rice.

Fukagawa pork tonteki with sausage, bacon and rice at Maabu's Kitchen Shunsai

The restaurant also looks out over the town and the plain.

The view over the plain from the window of Maabu's Kitchen Shunsai

Cider across the road

Opposite, Appleland Yamanoeki Otoe sells cider made from Fukagawa apples.

The Appleland Yamanoeki Otoe building
A bottle of Fukagawa cider on sale at Appleland Yamanoeki Otoe

Price, hours and parking

WhatDetails
Price500 yen adults, 300 yen elementary school children
TowelsBath and face towel set 300 yen; shampoo and body soap provided
Hours10:00–22:00 (last entry 21:30) from April to November; 10:00–21:00 (last entry 20:30) from December to March
ClosedOpen every day
ParkingFree, about 100 cars

See the official site (in Japanese) for details.

How to get there

From Sapporo: a little under two hours including a break. Take the Do-o Expressway toward Asahikawa and leave at Fukagawa IC (tolls apply).

From New Chitose Airport: a little over two hours on the same expressway. At Sapporo JCT, keep right for Asahikawa, not left for Otaru.

From Fukagawa IC: turn right onto Prefectural Road 79; it is about 1 km on.

Near Irumu no Yu

Fukagawa, Hokkaido: Things to Do on a Day Trip from Sapporo by CarA local's day trip from Sapporo to Fukagawa in central Hokkaido: the Kamui Kotan rapids, a rice-pot lunch at Riceland Fukagawa, the Totoro Pass catbus, local cider, and a forest hot spring for 500 yen. Totoro Pass, Fukagawa: Hokkaido's Totoro Catbus Photo SpotA local's guide to the "Totoro bus" at Totoro Pass in Fukagawa, Hokkaido: an old bus painted like the Catbus from My Neighbor Totoro, the bus-stop timetable, the view over the Sorachi plain, parking and the winter closure. Onsen Near Sapporo: A Local's Guide to Day-Trip Hot SpringsThe best onsen near Sapporo for a day trip, chosen by a local who has bathed at all of them: Jozankei, Lake Shikotsu, Noboribetsu, Shakotan and Lake Toya, with prices, tattoo-friendly and private baths, and shuttle buses.

FAQ about Irumu no Yu

Q1. How much is Irumu no Yu?

500 yen for adults.

Q2. Can I rent towels?

Yes, a bath and face towel set is 300 yen.

Q3. Is there a sauna?

Yes, at about 100°C, with a cold plunge and an outdoor cooling area.