Dogo Onsen Honkan, Ehime | Japan is Nippon

A wooden public bathhouse from 1894, an Important Cultural Property shared by locals and travellers. Fully open again since December 2024 after restoration.

Side view of the multi-roofed Dogo Onsen Honkan building with the small tower on top — Photo: z tanuki, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Dogo Onsen Honkan's layered tiled roofs seen from the street — Photo: Ayasesaya, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Bathing inside an Important Cultural Property

Dogo Onsen Honkan is a public bathhouse (a bath anyone can use for a fee) at Dogo Onsen hot spring in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture. The building was put up in 1894 (Meiji 27) at the initiative of the town's mayor at the time, Isaniwa Yukiya. In 1994 it became the first public bathhouse to be designated a national Important Cultural Property.

The hot spring itself is far older. Legend tells of an injured white heron that healed by soaking in the water, and there is a story that Prince Shotoku visited in 596.

The bathhouse also appears in Natsume Soseki's novel Botchan, and on the third floor there is the Botchan Room, which Soseki is said to have visited.

The building and the time drum

The small tower on the roof is called the Shinrokaku, and its windows use red glass, a rarity at the time. A statue of a white heron stands on top.

The drum hanging inside the Shinrokaku is called the Toki-daiko (time drum), and it is beaten three times a day: at 6 am, noon and 6 pm. The custom dates back to the bathhouse's early days, and its sound has been chosen as one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan.

The water and how to bathe

The water is an alkaline simple hot spring, known for feeling soft on the skin. Water from 18 sources at different temperatures is blended to about 42°C, and it is gensen kakenagashi: free-flowing spring water that is neither heated nor diluted.

The Honkan has two baths: the standard Kami no Yu, and the Tama no Yu, made with granite and marble. Which baths and rest areas you can use depends on the course you choose. The private rooms on the third floor must be booked. Check the official website for prices and opening hours.

Inside the Honkan there is also the Yushinden, built in 1899 (Meiji 32) as a bath for the exclusive use of the Imperial family, and you can view its lavish interior (at some times it has required a reservation, so check the official website).

Getting there and other baths nearby

From in front of JR Matsuyama Station, take the city tram bound for Dogo Onsen; it reaches the terminus, Dogo Onsen, in about 25 minutes. From there the Honkan is about a 5-minute walk.

Besides the Honkan, Dogo Onsen has two more public bathhouses, Asuka-no-Yu and Tsubaki-no-Yu, where you can bathe in the same Dogo water.

Tips

If you want to hear the time drum, be in front of the Honkan at 6 am, noon or 6 pm.
If you want to use a private room on the third floor, book in advance on the official website.
In Japanese public baths, the etiquette is to wash your body before getting into the bath and to keep your towel out of the water.