Dogo Onsen Main Building

An antique onsen building which has 2 sides.
First one you can enjoy an onsen which counts as the oldest onsen.
Another one, you can visit a private bath that the japanese emperor once used.

This is a wonderful onsen to visit and experience. The staff were friendly and helpful explaining us the etiquette and showing us the way. The bathes were traditional, clean and soothing. The outside area offered many photo opportunities. Unfortunately the onsen was being renovated when we visited, so not all usually vantage points were available, but it was an amazing place to visit!

It is the oldest hot spring in Japan. Entrance fee is 450 yen/ adult. The hot spring water of Dogo Onsen is direct from the source of alkaline hot spring water with no reheating or added water. Our hotel offer us the use of Yukata bathwear. We wore the bathwear and stroll to the onsen. After the bath, we leisurely stroll back to our hotel.

Five stars for Chihiro, if u r a Spirited Away fan, and the fact that is some 3,000 years old 😳. Supposedly the oldest in Japan 🤔 It was still under rennovation (until 2025 they said) and only a very small portion was open but I recognized the halls and stairways immediately! I went on Valentine weekend 2022 and even at night there was an easy hour wait (I got in at 10 pm, they close at 11 pm - u can only stay for “up to 1 hr”) - when u show up at the door they give u a reservation slip and what time to come back. Cost ¥420 if u brought your own towel, soap, etc. otherwise they rent that too.

The Dogo Onsen is one of the oldest mineral onsens in the world which dates back to the 1800s. This main building is a small shopping area a minute away from the onsen. One of the stores have a large imabari towel collection.

Lovely place. Very clean. Make sure to bring your own towels and shampoo. This is a public bath house, bath products are not included.

Wonderful onsen that is said to have inspired the onsen in Spirited Away. It costs 600 Yen per person and yes you do have to be completely unclothed in the single sex baths – something of a shock for prudish Brits like us. The building is beautiful, although currently undergoing renovations. You pay your money and put your shoes in a locker, then you get a towel and split off into the male or female baths. The women’s bath is a beautiful stone bath, with a central fountain delivering piping hot water into the bath. There are sit down showers all around where you can sit on wooden stools and wash yourself. In the changing rooms there is a water fountain so that you can rehydrate when you come out. A really great experience. Please don’t listen to all the neigh-saying reviews, this is a great place to visit.

PSA to all tourists. Please wash yourself BEFORE entering the bath. Ive seen folks go straight in, dunk their towel into the bath and start washing themselves. This is a public bath, we don’t want to soak in your oil and dirt. Thank you!

This was such a nice place to visit. It was great to get a taste of Japanese culture that can only be experienced by going here. It was interesting to see the room reserved for the emperor. The service was great and the staff were super nice whenever I had questions about something.

We didn't go into the main onsen because it seems to be more popular so we went to the newer one at the end of the passage. But the building itself is charismatic and they out up an animation on the side wall during the renovation phase.

It was under renovation when i visited it.
One of the oldest onsen on Japan. A historical place.
Require a entry ticket for the onsen. You can buy the towel and can take it home as a souvenir (paid ofcourse).
So many restaurants nearby. A must visit place if travelling to Ehime.

Dogo Onsen is located in Matsuyama on the island of Shikoku, Japan, and is considered one of the oldest hot springs in the country. It has a rich history, with records of its existence dating back over a millennium.

The present bathhouse, Dogo Onsen Honkan, is an iconic three-story wooden structure that has stood for several centuries. It has been a source of inspiration for works of literature, including Natsume Soseki's novel "Botchan."

Dogo Onsen and its iconic bathhouse have been featured in various anime and manga, contributing to its cultural prominence. One notable example is the Studio Ghibli film "Spirited Away," directed by Hayao Miyazaki. While Dogo Onsen itself is not directly depicted in the film, its influence is evident in the bathhouse scenes, showcasing the rich Japanese bathing culture.

For any foreigner looking to experience the traditional Japanese public baths, Dogo Onsen Honkan is a must-visit. They offer different packages however the price is so reasonable (around 1500 - 2000 yen for the top tiers if I remember correctly), that it is worth it to go "all out" in a manner of speaking. We got the most expensive package which gave us a private tatami room to change in, yukatas, access to an smaller and more exclusive onsen that had soap, shampoo and conditioner, access to the larger onsen (where people go directly if they pay lower tier), matcha with a mochi dessert in your private room after your soak, and access to the rooms where the Imperial family would stay when they visited. I believe the second-to-highest price point offers everything that I just described minus the private room (you have your tea and mochi in a larger tatami room with other people, which was also a beautiful room and could be a good experience if you prefer a more social environment). The price did not include bath towels so you should bring your own unless you want to rent one for around 100 yen.
For anyone going to a public onsen for the first time, it could be worth it to look up the proper etiquette ahead of time so that you aren't confused when you arrive and so that you don't do anything that would be considered improper. The onsen are all gender segregated. Upon entering the change room, you must take off your clothes and leave all of your personal effects in the lockers (free lockers with keys are provided). When you get into the onsen room, you have to sit on the little stool and wash yourself thoroughly with soap, shampoo and conditioner prior to entering the bath. After you finish soaking, you dry off and put your yukata back on before moving on to the next onsen or to the rest area for your tea/dessert.
Note that the larger, less exclusive onsen did not have soap, shampoo or conditioner. I was not sure prior to entering the bath if I had to re-wash my entire body again with soap however since I didn't have any, I had no choice but to just rinse myself (I am still not sure if I offended anyone by doing this, or if it is even necessary to shower again if you already did in the more exclusive onsen).
After soaking, I went back to the private room to meet my cousin for tea and mochi, both of which were delicious (the mochi was so soft!). The private rooms are only reserved for a period of 80 minutes, so you have to keep track of time while you're soaking so that you leave enough time to relax afterwards.
After our tea, we were allowed to explore the building which was so cool! There seemed to be endless narrow corridors, steep stairwells, hidden passageways and rooms, and I can definitely see how this building inspired the location in the Spirited Away film. The building is old and filled with history and tradition. The imperial area was also pretty interesting (a paper with English information was given to us so that we could learn the history).
We did not get the chance to visit the newer Dogo Onsen building, which is supposed to be a lot more modern and luxurious. However I do not regret visiting the old building since it was a wonderful experience nonetheless.
Pro tip: visit on a weekday in the morning/before noon and there will barely be anyone around. I had the exclusive onsen entirely to myself.

The whole building will be open by July 2024.

Amazing place, have 3 prices, from 400 yen to 1500 yen, I recommend the 1500 yen ticket . Private room, green tea and Japanese treats, and better bath.

Back of the building is covered for maintenance but you could still see the most part of the building from the front. One of the most massive onsen I’ve ever seen.

For an onsen with historical importance, I feel that the entrance fee is very fair. I like their system of managing onsen guests too and how they have live updates on the queue situation on their official website.

You might want to come early before the sun rises to join the line for their waiting list ticket (整理券) if you want to go in in the morning. If what you're after is evening bath, you can try asking for the ticket in the morning for the time slot that you want.

Overall, enjoyable and excellent 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Very good & clean public onzen. It will be closed for 5 year renovation by this year! If you wanna come, be hurried. Interesting culture is to wear Yukata from hotel to onzen.

An amazing bathing experience for onsen officianados. For 840 yen, I got a nice bath, wore a yukata, and had tea and cookies. I was only there for a short time, but you can lounge and relax for quite a while. The bath itself was nice, if a bit small, but knowing about the history of the onsen made everything so much more meaningful. I'm sure that paying for the fancier service is 100% worth it, but I myself was satisfied with the second tier. Make sure to bring your own bathing supplies, as the onsen does not come equipped, although if you forget, the onsen sells them for pennies. You will probably have a bit of a wait, but they will let you know when it's your turn, and it's more than worth the wait, in my opinion.

Full of transitional Japanese style hot spring. Recommended to buy 2nd floors "靈之湯" ticket and enjoy the quiet environment.