Kaga Onsen Guide: Yamanaka, Yamashiro, a Day from Kanazawa

Kaga Onsen (加賀温泉郷) is a group of four hot-spring towns in southern Ishikawa, not a single resort.^[1] It suits you if you want a ryokan night or a few hours in a local public bath after Kanazawa, and the Shinkansen now stops at Kaga Onsen Station, about 30 minutes from Kanazawa.^{[3] [3]} Pick one town for a half day: Yamanaka for the gorge walk, Yamashiro for the old bathhouse. If you only want a quick soak and have no time for the bus legs, you can skip it.

Key facts

• Worth it for: a public bath plus a short walk in an old onsen town, or a night in a ryokan; repeat visitors who have done Kanazawa itself.
• Time needed: 3–4 hours for one town (Visit Kaga's suggested Yamanaka Onsen and Yamashiro Onsen plans); a night if you want a ryokan stay
• From Kanazawa: about 30 minutes by Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kaga Onsen Station.^[3]
• CANBUS day ticket: ¥1,300, bought in advance, not on the bus; a single ride is ¥500.^{[5] [5],[4]}
• Public baths: ¥500 for adults at Kiku no Yu, Yamashiro Soyu and Katayamazu Soyu; ¥700 at Yamashiro’s Ko-Soyu.^{[5] [5],[7]}
• Nearest station: Kaga Onsen (加賀温泉); Awazu Onsen is the odd one out, in Komatsu.^[2]

Which of the four towns should I visit?

Choose by what you want to do between baths. The table puts the four side by side.

Item	Yamanaka Onsen	Yamashiro Onsen	Katayamazu Onsen	Awazu Onsen
Known for	Kakusenkei Gorge walk	Kutani-yaki porcelain, the Meiji-style Ko-Soyu	Lakeside bathhouse	One of the four towns, in Komatsu
Public bath, adults	Kiku no Yu, ¥500	Soyu ¥500, Ko-Soyu ¥700	Soyu, ¥500	Soyu
Closed	2nd and 4th Tuesdays	4th Wednesday, 6:00-12:00	—	—
From Kaga Onsen Station	30 minutes by local bus, then 8 minutes on foot to the gorge	Yamanaka Route local bus	Katayamazu Route local bus	—

Sources for the table: Yamanaka^{[6] [5]}, Yamashiro^{[9] [5],[7] [5],[7]}, Katayamazu^[5] and the local buses.^[4]

If you have time for one town only, Yamanaka gives you the most to do on foot, and Yamashiro is the easier hop if you want a bath and an hour of strolling. Katayamazu is a good stop for one bath with a view. Awazu is outside Kaga City and is best treated as a place to stay rather than a stop on a first visit.

Yamanaka Onsen: is the Kakusenkei Gorge walk worth it?

Yes, if you like an easy riverside path. The Kakusenkei Gorge (鶴仙渓) footpath is 1.3km long and follows the river from Korogi Bridge to Kurotani Bridge.^[6] Ishikawa Travel puts the walk at 15 minutes end to end, so you can add it to a bath without planning the whole day around it.^[1] The Yamanaka Onsen guide covers the walk, the bath and the bus times in full.

The Kakusenkei Kawadoko, a riverside cafe with seating by the water, is seasonal: it opens Apr.-Oct.: 9:30-16:00 and Nov.: 10:00-15:00, and is closed Dec.-Mar. and on rainy days.^[6]

After the walk, the town’s public bath is Kiku no Yu (菊の湯), with separate men’s and women’s buildings, each ¥500 for adults.^[5] It is closed on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month, or the next day when that Tuesday is a national holiday.^[5]

Yamashiro Onsen: which public bath, Soyu or Ko-Soyu?

Yamashiro Onsen (山代温泉) is as well known for Kutani-yaki porcelain as for its ryokans and hot springs.^[9] At the center are two bathhouses side by side. The Soyu (総湯) is the modern one and charges adults ¥500.^[5],[7] The Ko-Soyu (古総湯) is the Meiji-style one and charges adults ¥700.^[5],[7]

The difference that matters: the Ko-Soyu has no separate spaces for showering, as in the Meiji era.^[7] If you want to wash properly, use the Soyu, or wash at your ryokan first. If you are new to the routine, the onsen etiquette and tattoo guide explains how to wash, what to bring and how tattoo rules work.

Visit Kaga lists both as open daily 6:00-22:00.^[7] Both close every 4th Wednesday of the month from 6:00-12:00, so on that day come in the afternoon.^[5],[7]

Katayamazu and Awazu: are they worth the detour?

Katayamazu Onsen (片山津温泉) is worth it for one bath. Its Soyu stands on the shore of Lake Shibayama (柴山潟) and was designed by the architect Taniguchi Yoshio. The lake-view bath and the woodland bath switch between men and women every day, so you get a different view if you come back.^[8] Adults pay ¥500.^[5]

Awazu Onsen (粟津温泉) is the fourth town, but its address is in Komatsu, not Kaga City.^[2] Unless you are staying there, keep it off a first visit and spend the time in Yamanaka or Yamashiro.

How much do the baths cost and when are they open?

The adult fees are ¥500 at Kiku no Yu, ¥500 at Yamashiro Soyu, ¥700 at Ko-Soyu and ¥500 at Katayamazu Soyu.^{[5] [5],[7] [5],[7] [5]} Those figures come from the CANBUS site, which lists a notice of a public-bath fee revision dated 5/1.^[5] Visit Kaga still shows the older Yamashiro fees, ¥460 at the Soyu and ¥500 at the Ko-Soyu, so pay what the counter shows.^{[5],[7] [5],[7]}

How do I get there from Kanazawa, and around the towns?

Take the Shinkansen to Kaga Onsen Station, then a bus. This route covers Yamashiro and Yamanaka in one outing. Coming from Kyoto or Osaka, the Tsuruga transfer guide explains the change onto the Shinkansen.

1. Kanazawa to Kaga Onsen by Hokuriku Shinkansenabout 30 minutes

   Shinkansen trains have stopped at Kaga Onsen Station since spring 2024.^[3] The ride from Kanazawa takes about 30 minutes.^[3]

2. Kaga Onsen Station to Yamashiro Onsen by bus

   Take the CANBUS Mountain Route or the local Yamanaka Route bus, which serves both Yamashiro and Yamanaka.^[4] On CANBUS, pay ¥500 per ride into the fare box, or show a one-day digital ticket bought in advance.^{[5],[4] [5]}

3. Yamashiro to Yamanaka Onsen

   Continue to Yamanaka. If you go straight from the station, the local bus takes 30 minutes to the Yamanaka Onsen Bus Terminal, and the gorge is 8 minutes on foot.^[6]

4. Back to Kaga Onsen Station

   Ride CANBUS on round the loop, or take the local bus back. A full Mountain Route loop takes between 1 hour 3 minutes and 1 hour 31 minutes.^[5]

Check the day’s last bus before you set off, because the Shinkansen back to Kanazawa is easy but the bus leg is not. The Mountain Route also serves Natadera (那谷寺); the Natadera guide covers that stop and its foliage season.

Where should I stay?

Stay a night if the bath is the point of the trip: Yamashiro’s public baths are open until 22:00, long after the last day visitors leave.^[7] Choose Yamashiro for the bathhouses and porcelain shops,^[9] Yamanaka for the gorge,^[6] or Katayamazu for the lake.^[8] If it is your first ryokan, read how a ryokan stay works before you book.

To weigh these towns against Yuwaku, Awazu and Wakura for one night, see the comparison of onsen towns near Kanazawa.

Tips

Watch the closing days. Kiku no Yu closes on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays,^[5] and the Yamashiro baths close on the morning of the 4th Wednesday.^[5],[7]

Frequently asked questions

Can I use the public baths with a tattoo?

The bathhouse pages we checked do not state a tattoo rule. Ask at the counter before you pay. The onsen etiquette guide linked in the Yamashiro section explains how tattoo rules usually work and what your options are.

Can I send my bags from Kanazawa Station to my ryokan?

Yes. A paid same-day service delivers luggage dropped at the Kanazawa Station Tourist Information Center to hotels and ryokan in the Kaga hot spring resorts.^[11] You can then do the baths and the gorge walk without your suitcase.

Is the Kakusenkei riverside cafe open in winter?

No. The Kawadoko cafe is closed Dec.-Mar. and on rainy days.^[6]

Do I need the CANBUS day ticket?

It pays off from the third ride: a single ride is ¥500 and the day ticket ¥1,300.^{[5],[4] [5]} Buy it in advance, because it is not sold on the bus.^[5]