Onsen Near Kanazawa (2026): Which Town? Kaga 15 Min Away

For most travellers, the best onsen night near Kanazawa is in Kaga Onsen (加賀温泉郷): on JR West’s timetable for October 21, 2026, Hokuriku Shinkansen trains from Kanazawa leave Kaga Onsen Station 15 to 19 minutes later.^{[6] [6]} If you want the closest option and do not mind a bus, Yuwaku Onsen (湯涌温泉) is inside Kanazawa City. Wakura Onsen (和倉温泉) on the Noto Peninsula is open again, but only partly.^[12] What decides it is where you go the next morning.

Key facts

• Closest: Yuwaku Onsen, ¥630 one way by bus from Kanazawa Station East Exit, stop No. 6.^[3]
• Last bus to Yuwaku: 18:43 on weekdays, 17:18 on weekends and holidays.^{[4] [4]}
• Best rail link: Kaga Onsen Station for Yamashiro and Yamanaka, 15 to 19 minutes by Shinkansen.^{[6] [6]}
• Wakura status: 11 of 19 cooperative ryokan taking guests, news release dated September 16, 2026.^[12]
• Taxes in Kanazawa City (Yuwaku): bathing tax 150 yen per night, plus ¥200 or ¥500 accommodation tax from ¥5,000 a night.^{[17] [16]}

How do the onsen towns near Kanazawa compare?

Compare them by the trip from Kanazawa Station, the last practical connection and the next morning’s route.

Item	Yuwaku	Yamashiro	Yamanaka	Katayamazu	Awazu	Wakura
From Kanazawa	Bus, 46 minutes on the last weekday run	Shinkansen to Kaga Onsen, then 10 minutes by car	Shinkansen to Kaga Onsen, then 30 minutes by local bus	Shinkansen to Kaga Onsen, then Katayamazu Route bus	Train to Komatsu, then 33 minutes by bus	Limited express, 58 minutes
Last connection	18:43 weekdays, 17:18 weekends	Most ryokan offer free pick-up	Yamanaka Route local bus	Katayamazu Route local bus	19:00 from Komatsu on weekdays	Book an open ryokan first
Next morning	Back to Kanazawa	Kaga Onsen Station on the Shinkansen	Kaga Onsen Station on the Shinkansen	Kaga Onsen Station on the Shinkansen	Komatsu Airport, 12 minutes from Komatsu Station	Noto Peninsula

Sources for the table: Yuwaku,^{[4] [4]} Yamashiro,^[7] Yamanaka,^[8] the Kaga local buses,^[9] Awazu,^{[5] [11] [11]} the airport bus^[7] and Wakura.^[14]

If you continue south toward Tsuruga and Kyoto the next day, stay in Kaga: Yamashiro or Yamanaka. If you fly out of Komatsu, Awazu puts you closest to the airport. If you return to Kanazawa, or have only the afternoon, Yuwaku saves you a train ride. Choose Wakura only if the Noto Peninsula is your next stop.

Yamashiro or Yamanaka: which Kaga town for a night?

Pick Yamashiro if you want the shortest transfer, Yamanaka if you want the river gorge. Both are reached from Kaga Onsen Station, where the Hokuriku Shinkansen stops.^[6] Yamashiro is 10 minutes by car from the station, and most ryokan there offer free pick-up.^[7] Yamanaka is 30 minutes by local bus to the Yamanaka Onsen Bus Terminal.^[8] The local Yamanaka Route bus serves both towns.^[9] The Yamanaka Onsen guide covers the gorge walk, the public bath and the bus times.

For a night, the choice is mostly about the transfer. With a ryokan pick-up, you can step off the Shinkansen and be in Yamashiro without planning a bus. The Kaga Onsen guide compares the public baths, the Kakusenkei Gorge walk and the tour bus, so you can see what each town offers between baths.

The next morning, both towns put you back at Kaga Onsen Station for the Shinkansen. That makes Kaga the natural stop between Kanazawa and Kyoto or Osaka. If it is your first ryokan, how a ryokan stay works explains check-in times, meals and what is included before you compare rooms.

Awazu and Katayamazu: worth it for the airport or the lake?

Awazu Onsen (粟津温泉) is one of the Kaga Onsen towns, but its address is in Komatsu, not Kaga City.^[10] Ishikawa Travel notes that its historic ryokan include one of the oldest hotels in the world.^[10] Choose it if you fly from Komatsu Airport the next day.

To get there, take the Shinkansen from Kanazawa to Komatsu; on the October 21, 2026 timetable the 06:00 from Kanazawa is due at Komatsu at 06:11.^{[5] [6]} Then take Hokuriku Railroad’s Awazu Line bus from Komatsu Station, stop 3: on weekdays the 10:00 bus reaches Awazu Onsen at 10:33, calling at Awazu Station on the way.^[11] The last weekday bus leaves Komatsu Station at 19:00 and arrives at 19:27.^[11] For the flight home, Komatsu Station is about 12 minutes from Komatsu Airport by the City Bus Airport Line.^[7]

Katayamazu Onsen (片山津温泉) is the lake town of Kaga Onsen. It has its own Katayamazu Route local bus from Kaga Onsen Station, separate from the Yamanaka Route.^[9] Treat it like Yamashiro for the next day’s trains, and choose it if a lakeside room matters more to you than the old streets. The Kaga guide covers its lakeside bathhouse.

Yuwaku Onsen: the one inside Kanazawa City

Yuwaku is a small mountain onsen village. Ishikawa Travel counts nine traditional ryokan, most of them small, and one guesthouse.^[1],[2] It suits you if you want a quiet ryokan night without leaving the city, and you are happy to ride a local bus.

The bus is the catch. Hokuriku Railroad’s Yuwaku line leaves from Kanazawa Station East Exit, stop No. 6, and costs ¥630 one way; the tourism association says the fare may change.^[3] On the operator’s weekday timetable, the last bus that runs all the way to Yuwaku leaves at 18:43 and arrives at 19:29, a 46-minute ride.^[4] On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays the last one leaves at 17:18.^[4] Several earlier buses turn back before Yuwaku, so check that your bus shows Yuwaku Onsen (湯涌温泉) as its destination.

If your ryokan has no bath you like, the town’s public bath, Shirasagi-no-yu (白鷺の湯), is open from 7:00 to 22:00 and closed on the third Thursday of the month.^[2] Adults pay ¥450.^[2]

Wakura Onsen: can I stay there now?

Yes, at some ryokan. In a news release dated September 16, 2026, the Wakura Onsen Tourism Association and ryokan cooperative say that 11 of the cooperative’s 19 ryokan have resumed taking overnight guests.^[12] The rest are still closed after the Noto Peninsula earthquake, so book only a ryokan that confirms it is open for your dates.

The public bath is open too. As of August 2026, Visit Kanazawa says the Wakura Onsen Soyu (総湯) is operating as usual, although some inns remain closed.^[13]

The train is direct. On JR Odekake Net’s timetable for October 23, 2026, a Noto Kagaribi (能登かがり火) limited express leaving Kanazawa at 08:58 reaches Wakura Onsen at 09:56.^[14] Wakura is the right choice when your next day is on the Noto Peninsula. The Noto Peninsula guide lists which sights have reopened.

How to decide

Answer these points before you book.

Before you book an onsen night

• Next stop: Kyoto or Osaka → Yamashiro or Yamanaka; a Komatsu flight → Awazu; back to Kanazawa → Yuwaku; Noto → Wakura.
• Arrival time: for Yuwaku, plan around the last bus (18:43 on weekdays, 17:18 on weekends and holidays).
• Private bath: if you want a bath to yourself, look for rooms with their own bath or a reservable private bath (kashikiri) when you compare ryokan.
• Luggage: send your suitcase ahead from Kanazawa Station, so you travel with a day bag.
• Wakura: confirm the ryokan is open for your dates.

The last-bus times are from Hokuriku Railroad’s timetable.^{[4] [4]} A paid same-day service at the Kanazawa Station Tourist Information Center delivers luggage to hotels and ryokan in Kanazawa City, the Noto area and the Kaga hot spring resorts.^[15]

What does a night add in taxes?

In Yuwaku, you pay two Kanazawa City taxes on top of the room rate. The bathing tax is ¥150 per person per night, or ¥100 per visit if you only bathe for the day; the bath operator collects it.^[17] The accommodation tax is ¥200 per person per night when the room rate before tax is ¥5,000 or more but under ¥20,000, and ¥500 from ¥20,000. Stays under ¥5,000 are not taxed.^[16]

In the Kaga Onsen towns in Kaga City (Yamashiro, Yamanaka and Katayamazu), the city’s fiscal 2025 budget papers list the bathing tax at ¥150 for overnight guests and ¥50 for day visitors.^[18] Kanazawa’s accommodation tax applies only to stays inside Kanazawa City.^[16]

Frequently asked questions

Can I use the onsen with a tattoo?

The town pages we checked do not state a tattoo rule. Ask your ryokan before you book, or choose a room with its own bath. The onsen etiquette and tattoo guide explains how tattoo rules usually work.

Can I send my suitcase from Kanazawa Station to the ryokan?

Yes. Drop it at the Kanazawa Station Tourist Information Center for paid same-day delivery to hotels and ryokan in Kanazawa City, the Noto area and the Kaga hot spring resorts.^[15]

How much do children pay at Yuwaku's public bath?

Elementary school children pay ¥130 at Shirasagi-no-yu; adults, from junior high school age, pay ¥450.^[2]

Is Yuwaku close enough for an afternoon soak from Kanazawa?

Yes, if you watch the return. The last weekday bus takes 46 minutes on Hokuriku Railroad’s timetable,^[4] and Ishikawa Travel describes the trip as about 40 minutes.^[1] Shirasagi-no-yu is open until 22:00.^[2]