Dogo Onsen Honkan: Floors, Bathing Ticket Types by Course, and Differences in Included Amenities

The Difference Between Kami no Yu and Rei no Yu

Prices include tax: adults are 12 and older and children are 2–11. The last entry is the final time at which bathing tickets are sold. Kami no Yu courses allow entry only to Kami no Yu, while Rei no Yu courses allow entry to both Rei no Yu and Kami no Yu.

Amenities and Towel Rental (Which Courses Include Them)

Shampoo, conditioner and body soap are provided in both the Kami no Yu and Rei no Yu bathing areas and can be used with any course. Hairdryers are also free with all courses. Hairdryers, skin lotion and hair essence are placed at the washstands and in the 2nd-floor women's changing room, and are also provided inside the 3rd-floor private room and reserved rooms. The 2nd-floor women's changing room is available to people on Kami no Yu 2nd-floor seating and higher courses.

Rental towels are included in the bathing ticket only for Rei no Yu 2nd-floor seating, Rei no Yu 3rd-floor private room and Rei no Yu 3rd-floor reserved room, and come with a rental towel and rental bath towel. They are not included with Kami no Yu ground floor or Kami no Yu 2nd-floor seating, so bring your own or rent a towel (110 yen) or bath towel (320 yen) at the 1st-floor shop. The shop also sells the Dogo Onsen Honkan original face towel (360 yen). The FAQ lists a rental towel at 100 yen and a rental bath towel at 300 yen. Check the shop display (checked 2026-10-23).

The changing rooms have free lockers, and the shoe lockers are free and keyed. Large carry-on cases can be stored for a fee in the 1st-floor shop area.

Payment Methods (Cards, E-Money, IC and QR)

The Honkan page lists credit cards, debit cards (branded debit), electronic money, transit IC cards and QR code payment as accepted methods.

Buy bathing tickets at the outdoor ticket booth (fudaba) outside the Honkan. The “Dogo Onsen 3-Bath Tour Ticket,” which gives 1 entry each to the Honkan's Kami no Yu ground floor, Asuka no Yu's 1st-floor bath and Tsubaki no Yu (1,440 yen for adults, 680 yen for children, valid for 2 days: the day of purchase and the following day), can also be bought at this booth. The only Honkan course covered by the tour ticket is Kami no Yu ground floor, and you cannot change to another course even by paying the difference.

Honkan Bathing Courses and Floor Layout

The baths are on the 1st floor. There is 1 Kami no Yu bath for men and 1 for women, and Rei no Yu also has baths for men and women. The rest rooms are on the 2nd floor for Kami no Yu 2nd-floor seating and Rei no Yu 2nd-floor seating, and on the 3rd floor for the Rei no Yu 3rd-floor private room and the 2 reserved rooms. The 3rd floor also has the “Botchan Room,” which Natsume Soseki is said to have used.

Dogo Onsen Honkan was designated a national Important Cultural Property in December of Heisei 6 (1994), the first public bath to receive that designation. Preservation and repair work that began in January of Heisei 31 ended on December 20 of Reiwa 6, and the Honkan is now operated by the designated manager, the Dogo Onsen Consortium.

Kami no Yu Ground Floor

After showing your bathing ticket at reception, walk down the central corridor and turn left partway along. Men enter the changing room on the right as they face it; women enter the one on the left. This course is for bathing only, without a rest room, yukata or towels.

2nd-Floor Seating: Kami no Yu and Rei no Yu

With a 2nd-floor seating course, you show your bathing ticket again at the entrance to the 2nd-floor seating area, and staff guide you to your seat. You receive a rental yukata and obi, and after bathing you return to your seat for tea and sweets. The yukata pattern is set for each course.

Kami no Yu 2nd-Floor Seating

You rest in the large hall on the 2nd floor, which can accommodate up to about 70 people. From June to September, reed blinds are hung.

Rei no Yu 2nd-Floor Seating

The rest room is in a building constructed in the Taisho era, with lamps shaped like white herons hanging from the ceiling. The course also includes free viewing of Yushinden, the bath reserved for the Imperial Family.

Rei no Yu 3rd-Floor Private Room and Reserved Rooms

After bathing, notify staff through the intercom in your room and they will bring tea and sweets to the room. The use time is 90 minutes, 30 minutes longer than the other courses.

There are 2 reserved rooms: Hisho no Ma (capacity 10) and Shirasagi no Ma (capacity 18). The rooms do not have their own baths; guests use Rei no Yu and Kami no Yu. Reservations are accepted from 90 days in advance; the reservation website accepts them until 22:00 the previous day, and same-day reservations are accepted by phone (089-921-5141). People with a reservation do not join the waiting line at the ticket booth; tell the staff that you have a reservation.

Even without a Rei no Yu course, you can see Yushinden on a guided tour (500 yen for adults, 250 yen for children aged 6–11; 9:00–17:00, last entry 16:30; 30 minutes).

How to Buy a Bathing Ticket and How Tattoos Are Handled

When waiting times are shown, get a numbered ticket through the call system, then arrive at the ticket booth within 15 minutes of the phone call and buy a bathing ticket. After 15 minutes, the ticket is cancelled automatically.

The official information does not state whether people with tattoos (irezumi) may bathe (checked 2026-10-23). According to the FAQ, bathing is allowed in a special “bathing garment” that covers scars from breast cancer surgery, skin grafts and similar procedures; clothing other than a bathing garment, such as underwear or swimwear, is not allowed. The bathing garment costs 500 yen at the Honkan shop. To ask about tattoos, contact the Honkan (089-921-5141).

A full list of what to bring is in What to Bring to the Public Baths and Whether You Can Go Empty-Handed (Towels and Amenities), and the differences among the 3 public baths are in Dogo's 3 Public Baths and Their Water Quality: Honkan, Tsubaki no Yu and Asuka no Yu.

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Sources:

• Dogo Onsen Honkan (Prices, Hours, Shop Products and Accepted Payment Services) | Official Dogo Onsen Website
• Guide to Using the Baths | Official Dogo Onsen Website
• FAQ | Official Dogo Onsen Website
• Bathing Fees and Hours | Dogo Onsen Official Area Guide

Last verified: 2026-10-23