Kagurayu: a neighborhood bath close to Otsu Station
Kagurayu near Shimanoseki is a neighborhood sento with a dry sauna and well-water cold bath. Check the latest admission price, hours and parking before you go.
Kagurayu is a compact public bath for a quick soak and sauna in central Otsu. It sits about two minutes from Keihan Shimanoseki Station and roughly eight minutes on foot from JR Otsu Station, making it an easy stop if you're already around the prefectural office or the city centre. Think local sento, not a resort spa: the draw is the hot bath, sauna and cold plunge, not a lounge or a place to spend half the day.
Admission and fees
The latest shop listing I could verify gives the following rates. The ¥600 sauna option is listed as including a towel; the listing does not specify towel size or quantity, so ask at the counter if you need a particular type.
| Published shop rate | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult bath admission | ¥490 |
| Elementary-school child | ¥150 |
| Preschool child | ¥100 |
| Bath and sauna, towel included | ¥600 |
Shiga Prefecture's legal ceiling for general public bath admission changes on October 1, 2026:
| Category | Current ceiling | New ceiling |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | ¥490 | ¥550 |
| School-age child | ¥150 | ¥200 |
This is a ceiling, not an announcement that Kagurayu will charge the new maximum. Its shop listing still shows the rates in the table; confirm the actual price with the bathhouse before an October-or-later visit.
Opening hours
The schedule published by Otsu City and repeated in current bath listings is:
| Day | Opening hours |
|---|---|
| Monday–Thursday and Saturday | 4:30–10 p.m. |
| Sunday and public holidays | 4–10 p.m. |
| Friday | Closed |
Sunday is an earlier evening opening, not a morning bath. Otsu City warns that schedules may change, so check the bathhouse's Instagram or call before making a special trip. The listed phone number is 077-525-2915.
What the bath is like
Kagurayu has a simple hot bath, a dry sauna and a cold plunge supplied by well water. The facility does not identify a natural hot-spring source, so this is a neighborhood sento rather than a documented onsen.
Online visitor notes give sauna readings around 94–98°C and cold-water readings near 18°C. Those are snapshots from individual visits, not fixed settings guaranteed by the operator. If you want an elaborate sauna circuit with an outdoor cooling area, dedicated loungers, restaurants or several types of bath, Kagurayu is likely too small. It's better suited to a straightforward wash, soak and one or two sauna rounds before heading back out.
Getting there, parking and tattoos
The address is 3-6-4 Chūō, Otsu. Shimanoseki is the closest station; JR Otsu is also walkable if you are staying near the station or arriving by train. The short walk is Kagurayu's strongest practical advantage over larger facilities outside the centre.
Parking counts differ between listings. The shop's Otsu Wari profile says two dedicated spaces plus three shared with neighbouring businesses, and points drivers to a coin-operated lot about 40 metres away if those are full. Nifty Onsen lists three dedicated spaces plus the same three shared spaces. Don't plan around a guaranteed spot; walking or using a nearby paid lot is the safer fallback.
Kagurayu and Otsu City publish no tattoo rule. Third-party directories suggest tattoos may be accepted, but check with the bathhouse before travelling if entry depends on it.
Is it the right stop for you?
Kagurayu makes sense if you're already in central Otsu, want an inexpensive local bath and don't need a polished spa setup. Its location keeps the visit easy to fit around sightseeing, and the sauna option is modestly priced in the published listing.
For an outdoor bath and a more involved sauna visit, compare Yutopia Kirishima. If you need a later closing time, see the Otsuyu guide. The Otsu sento comparison and Shiga sento guide cover more neighborhood options; for confirmed natural hot-spring facilities, browse the Shiga day-use onsen guide. Tattoo rules are discussed separately in the Shiga tattoo onsen guide.
