Nara Kanmaki Town
A premier bathing facility in Nara combining natural hot springs and authentic saunas
Nijinoyu Nishiyamato is a day-use natural hot spring facility located in Kamimaki-cho, Kitakatsuragi-gun, Nara Prefecture. Its sodium chloride spring wells up from about 1,500 m underground in strata dating back roughly 80 million years, producing a distinctive olive-green water that is offered as a flowing spring in the open-air baths. The outdoor area features Shigaraki ceramic tubs and a ceramic cold plunge bath, plus a rare source-fed cold plunge bath using the natural spring. The facility includes a radon ceramic-plate sauna, an outdoor barrel sauna, and a herbal mugwort steam sauna for women, along with restaurants using Nara-produced ingredients and ample relaxation areas, making it a flagship bathing facility in northern Nara.

The spring is a sodium-chloride hot spring. It wells up from strata about 80 million years old at a depth of 1,500 m, giving the water a salty taste and a substantial warming after-effect. The outdoor tsubo baths and ceramic baths are clearly designated as flowing directly from the source, which enhances skin feel and heat retention. After bathing, muscle tension and coldness ease, leaving a balanced, refreshed sensation.

An egg-shaped single-person tub made of Shigaraki ware ceramic kneaded with radon. The ceramic contains radon, which may help the elimination of waste products that cause stiffness and can aid recovery from fatigue. It offers a private onsen experience you can enjoy alone, with the smooth texture of Shigaraki ware feeling pleasant against the skin.

A carbonated spring bath located in the outdoor area. Carbon dioxide dissolved in the water envelops the body, promoting blood circulation, relaxation, and potential skin-beautifying effects. You can enjoy the pleasant fizzing sensation in the open-air setting.

An open-air onsen bath where you can soak while watching a waterfall. Underwater lighting is installed so the atmosphere shifts from natural daylight by day to a fantastical scene in which light glows from beneath the water at night. It provides a luxurious moment away from daily bustle, accompanied by the sound of falling water.

Seating is lined with radon ceramic plates and an automatic löyly operation runs every 30 minutes, creating a vortex of heat. From the moment you sit, heat-induced sweating begins and warmth gradually spreads across the front of the body. Despite being a large room, the seating layout and heat supply are well balanced, and the flow from sweating to cooling and resting is smoothly designed.

A small cylindrical sauna filled with the scent of wood, designed for quick, concentrated heating. It sits close to the outdoor cooling deck, allowing efficient set rotation.

A women-only herbal sauna combining mugwort steam with salt. The distinctive aroma and steam of mugwort fill the room, offering potential beauty benefits for the skin and a detoxifying effect from the inside out. The temperature is relatively low so it feels less oppressive, making it suitable for alternating with high-temperature saunas or for a relaxed solo session.

Designed to about 90 cm depth so you can immerse to your shoulders, this cooling bath is placed with the radon sauna’s heat-to-cold flow in mind, enabling an efficient progression to recovery.

A cold plunge bath in the outdoor area that uses the onsen source. The spring water flows directly into the bath (non-recirculated), offering a sensation different from tap water.
Irregular Holidays
Visited by the Editor-in-Chief
The Editor-in-Chief visited in person in January 2026
Design Power That Dominates the Sauna Experience
Read the full review