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Awara Onsen Hot Spring Resort

HOME > Japan’s Local Treasures > Awara Onsen Hot Spring Resort

Indulge in free footbaths and Japanese street food in Fukui

Fukui Prefecture

A trip to the hot springs is a great way to get to know Japanese culture better. Awara Onsen resort in the north of Fukui Prefecture welcomed its first guests in 1883. In Japan, it is known for its refined elegance and over the years has been popular with writers and artists. It is easily accessible from the Kansai region’s world-famous cities of Osaka and Kyoto, making it an ideal stop for rest and relaxation.

You’ll find as many as 74 hot springs around town, each one boasting its own unique set of health benefits. Some 20 ryokan inns with onsen baths, filled with the natural geothermal water, offer a world of blissful relaxation. The open-air baths are simply divine.

A short walk from Awara Onsen Station are five foot baths, all of which are free to use. The popular footbaths have varying water qualities and temperatures and are ideal for resting your feet after a day of sightseeing.

At night, head to the glowing red lanterns right by the foot baths and you’ll find a warren of nostalgic food stalls known as Yukemuri Yokocho, meaning “Hot Spring Steam Alley.” Each small eatery here has room for only around nine seats. Pull up a stool and chat to the locals as you enjoy the likes of kushikatsu skewers, ramen, soba, and gyoza dumplings.

Other perks include a great selection of local sake, extra fresh seafood straight from the nearby Sea of Japan (especially Echizen crab in winter), light yukata cotton kimono to wear on an evening stroll around town. Many bathhouses offer access to their onsen for a short dip without having to spend the night.

How to get there

Take the express train from Shin-Osaka Station to JR Fukui Station (about 1 hour and 50 minutes). From JR Fukui Station, walk to nearby Echizen Railway Station and take a train on the Mikuni-Awara Line for about 40 minutes to Awara-Yunomachi Station.

Futaomote, Awara-shi, Fukui-ken