Itinerary

Dogo Onsen: A Half-Day Route

One example of a route for a first visit to Dogo Onsen, taking in the main places in the hot spring quarter on foot at an unhurried pace. What follows is only a handful of the many places here. Feel free to change the order or how long you linger. The full list of places we cover is available from the category and area indexes.

This is one example of a route. It includes only a few of the many places in Dogo and is not a ranking. The order and the timings are rough guides, so feel free to rearrange them. Please check opening hours, closing days and prices on each place's own page and on the official sources.

1. 1 Dogo Onsen Honkan

   The symbol of the hot spring quarter. Start with the exterior and the atmosphere around it.

   The symbol of Dogo Onsen: a three-story wooden public bathhouse. Rebuilt in 1894 (Meiji 27), it is a National Important Cultural Property. Preservation and repair work was completed in December 2024, and the entire building is now open.

2. 2 Hojoen

   A small plaza right beside Dogo Onsen Honkan. A place to rest, with a foot bath and the clock.

   The plaza in front of Dogo Onsen Station. With the Botchan Karakuri Clock and a free foot bath that is easy to drop by, it is the starting point of a Dogo stroll.

3. 3 Botchan Karakuri Clock

   The mechanical clock standing in Hojoen. Its display on the hour is the landmark here.

   A mechanical clock in Hojoen plaza in front of Dogo Onsen Station. Installed in 1994 to mark the 100th anniversary of the main building of Dogo Onsen, characters from the novel Botchan appear on the hour. A free foot bath sits beside it.

4. 4 Enman-ji Temple

   A temple just off the shopping street. An easy stop partway through the walk.

   A temple near Dogo Onsen. It is known for its white-painted Yu-no-Odaizoson, a Jizo statue about 3.67 meters tall said to have been made by the monk Gyoki, and it preserves legends connected to Dogo's hot springs.

5. 5 Sora no Sanpomichi

   An observation deck on the hillside, looking down over the hot spring quarter.

   A scenic promenade on Kanmuriyama overlooking Dogo Onsen Honkan. It has a free foot bath fed directly from the source, with views over the Dogo townscape and seasonal flowering trees.

6. 6 Tsubaki-no-Yu

   A public bath used by local residents. A last soak to finish on.

   One of the external bathhouses of Dogo Onsen. A public bath cherished by locals, where you can enjoy the natural hot spring water along with Dogo Onsen Honkan and Asuka-no-Yu.