I Looked Into Mikaeri no Sato Saika no Yu

I've been gradually researching and writing about day-use hot spring facilities, not just campsites. I've honestly lost count of how many of these I've covered by now, but I enjoy building up this kind of record, so I keep at it.

This time I looked into Mikaeri no Sato Saika no Yu, located in Nasushiobara City, Tochigi Prefecture. I came across some information suggesting it has an open-air bath with a panoramic view of the mountains of Shiobara from a hilltop, and that caught my interest, so I decided to look into it.

The Short Version

This appears to be a day-use hot spring facility whose biggest draw is an open-air bath offering views of the mountains of Shiobara from a hilltop.
As for Rakuten Mobile signal, the actual on-site measurement came back as a C rating, which isn't exactly great.

I've summarized the details below.

What Kind of Place Is Mikaeri no Sato Saika no Yu?

This is a day-use hot spring facility located in the Shiobara Onsen area of Nasushiobara City, Tochigi Prefecture, and it appears to be attached to a lodging and banquet facility called Mikaeri no Sato. It seems to be a place that's been featured on local tourism board and hot spring information sites for a while now, and when I compared multiple sources, the address, phone number, admission price, and hours of operation generally matched up, so those details were relatively easy to confirm.

There also seems to be an official website, but every time I tried to check it this time, I kept running into connection errors and couldn't actually view the content. If I get another chance to look into this place, I'd like to check it again.

Hours: apparently 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM (last entry at 9:00 PM), though some sources list closing at 8:00 PM with last entry at 9:00 PM, so there seems to be some inconsistency in the exact times
Closed: apparently on the third Wednesday of each month
Admission: apparently 700 yen for adults (junior high school age and up) and 400 yen for children (ages 3 through elementary school), both tax included
Reservations: it looks like reservations aren't required for day-use bathing, but I couldn't find a source stating this explicitly, so it might be a good idea to also confirm by phone whether a reservation is needed

Komorin

The slight differences in the listed hours across sources caught my attention a bit. When planning a visit, it's probably a good idea to build some buffer time into your schedule.

Checking Out the Hilltop Open-Air Bath and Water Quality

The main highlight of this facility does seem to be the open-air bath, built to jut out from the hilltop. It's apparently designed so you can soak in the tub while taking in the mountains of Shiobara and the surrounding scenery, and the local tourism association's website described it in much the same way. Judging from the photos, it looks like a spot where you can enjoy a wonderfully open view.

The water quality is apparently a calcium-sodium sulfate spring, with a source temperature of 48.8 degrees Celsius and a pH of 8.3, according to the listings I found. It's reportedly served on a source-fed, continuous-flow basis, so this may be a facility where the hot spring water itself is a big part of the appeal. There also seems to be an indoor bath, but the sources didn't specify the number or type of tubs, and I wasn't able to confirm whether there's a sauna or private bath. I'll leave that as homework for next time.

I also found a mention that the Momijidani Suspension Bridge is about a two-minute walk away. Enjoying the view from the open-air bath and then walking over to see the actual scenic spot in person sounds like a nice combination. There was also a mention of a tourist spot whose name is written slightly differently across sources but is often referred to as the Shiobara Monogatari-kan, though I couldn't find any listing of the distance or time it takes to get there.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

As for the signal conditions I was curious about, when I checked this facility's location using the official My Area Communication Simulation tool, the overall rating came back as a C.

Since this facility sits on a hilltop, signal conditions might vary depending on the exact spot. If you're a Rakuten Mobile user planning to visit, it may be worth checking with the official tool ahead of time as needed.

Komorin

A C rating was a bit of a surprise to me too. It really reminded me that great scenery and great signal are two completely different things.

See Rakuten Mobile Details

Wrapping Up

To sum it up, Mikaeri no Sato Saika no Yu left me with the impression that its biggest draw is the open-air bath with views of the mountains of Shiobara from a hilltop. The water is also reportedly served fresh from the source, so this seems to be a facility where you can enjoy both the scenery and the hot spring itself.

On the other hand, there were some inconsistencies in the listed hours, and I wasn't able to confirm details like whether there's a sauna or private bath, or specifics about the parking lot, so it might be worth checking directly with the facility before visiting. As for Rakuten Mobile signal, the result came back as a C rating, so if that's a concern, it's probably a good idea to check with the official Rakuten Mobile tool.

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