Izura Hot Spring: Hidden Traces of Rice Terraces (Yukoku Kakuretadaato Onsen)

Located in Otsu-cho, Kitaibaraki City, Ibaraki Prefecture, this hot spring facility sits on the former terraced rice paddies embraced by forest along the Izura coast once loved by art movement leader Okakura Tenshin. It opened on September 30, 2024, together with teamLab's nighttime forest museum of the same theme, becoming the only facility in Japan where visitors can bathe while viewing large-scale digital light art, drawing nationwide attention right after opening.

The water is a sodium chloride spring with a source temperature of 60.9C, served free-flowing without dilution -- a strongly saline, high-temperature spring shared with nearby facilities such as the Taikan-no-yu bath at Izura Kanko Hotel Annex Taikanso (source temperature 68.8-71C). The open-air bath is built directly into the contours of the former rice terraces, with teamLab's floating lamps creating a fantastical bathing space after dark.

The bathing facilities comprise a gender-separated indoor bath with shower booths and a large tub, plus a co-ed open-air bath where swimwear is required. Day-trip bathing launched on February 18, 2025, operating from 18:00 to 20:00 (hours vary seasonally), priced at 1,800 yen for adults and 500 yen for children and visitors with disabilities (plus 200 yen if purchased on-site), typically bundled with admission to the teamLab exhibition. The grounds also include 20 glamping tents and two cottages, where guests can stay overnight and enjoy meals made with local ingredients.