Muraoka Onsen

Muraoka Onsen is a privately run day-use bathhouse in Shikada, Muraoka district of Kami Town, Mikata County, in the mountainous Tajima region of northern Hyogo Prefecture. It sits directly on National Route 9, an easy landmark for travellers, and Kami Town's official tourism site has long described it as a privately operated bath in a convenient roadside location. With the Hachikita Kogen and Sky Valley ski areas nearby and the Hachi Kogen hiking base a short drive away, it serves mainly as a stop-off bath on the way home from the mountains.

The water deserves a careful note. Kami Town's official pages list no spring classification, no source temperature and no pH value. Regional tourism materials for the Tajima and Kita-Kinki areas describe it as a hypotonic alkaline simple spring, while other sources call it only weakly alkaline, so the accounts do not agree. Relief from neuralgia, muscle pain, chronic digestive complaints and haemorrhoids is commonly cited. No primary source states whether the baths are free-flowing or recirculated, so visitors should check the official spring analysis certificate posted on site for the definitive classification and supply method.

The bathing area centres on a generously sized indoor tub finished entirely in marble, with windows looking out onto a well-tended garden. A tatami rest room adjoins the changing area, so bathers can stretch out and rest afterwards. Parking is free. Hours are 11:00 to 20:00, and admission is 600 yen for adults and 300 yen for children. The adult fee rose from 500 yen in May 2026, when the bath also adopted a regular Thursday closing day.