Shizuoka Prefecture’s Kawazucho Town: Home of Odaru Onsen, Featured in the Japanese Hit Movie Thermae Romae

Hop into Takimi Rotenburo, the riverside outdoor bath featured in Thermae Romae, complete with a waterfall view

If any one feature is responsible for Odaru Onsen’s fame it’s the big, dynamic waterfall for which it is named (“Odaru” literally means big waterfall). This is where you’ll find Takimi Rotenburo. To access it, you’ll need to walk about 5 minutes from the lodge’s indoor bath area and changing rooms.

The indoor baths of the lodge are located on the first floor, while the entrance/exit is actually on the third. Head outside and venture down some steps and a winding pathway to arrive at the outdoor baths. It might feel a bit inconvenient, but the surrounding abundant nature and spaciousness make up for it. The sound of the waterfall drawing closer and closer stirs excitement.

Arrive to find the waterfall and Kawazugawa River spread out before your very eyes. Take your time, though, because there are a full six baths with waterfall views to enjoy. Most have a slightly lower temperature, so it’s easy to stay in for a long time and take in the scenery.

The Kawahara-no-yu bath, which faces the river, is full of negative ions from the river and waterfall. This very bath is where Lucius, the protagonist from Thermae Romae, healed his wounds in the movie!

Some like it hot

The hottest bath with a view of Odaru Waterfall is in a hut containing a small rotenburo (it also has shelves where you can leave your effects if needed).

The bath is actually half open-air, providing a view of the waterfall. However, it’s still underneath a roof, allowing guests to enjoy an outdoor feeling even in less than perfect weather. The 42℃ water temperature means it’s on the hotter side, perfect for anybody who really enjoys a hot bath.

And some like it cold

Odaru Onsen’s baths are a bit cool on average, but the coldest bath found here is called Katatataki-no-yu.

Located towards the back of the onsen area, this bath is notable for being perched right beside a small precipice. Rather than being a hot spring, it’s actually a cold water well. It’s a great place to cool down if you’re visiting all the different baths in the summer, but it would probably be too cold to enjoy in the winter.

This area was also featured in a scene in Thermae Romae.

A 30 meter long cave onsen!

There’s also a cave that contains a hot spring, called Hito-ana-buro. The entrance is separate for men and women, but it becomes mixed-gender just a few meters in. The most interesting area of this bath lies beyond the point where it becomes mixed-gender.

Step inside to get a full-on cave experience. Water drips from the ceiling and the cave fills with vapor, giving visitors a sense of adventure.

The water temperature is a bit cool and varies with the outside air temperature. I found it to be near body temperature. It’s just my personal opinion, but I felt like either being inside the cave or the minerals that were in the water made it feel not as cold, even though it was winter outside.

Located halfway between the indoor and outdoor baths, Kodakara-no-yu is famous for fertility

Kodakara-no-yu (lit. “the hot spring of being blessed with child”) received its name from its reputation as a place where couples struggling to conceive a child would visit. The somewhat narrow, cavelike entrance is down a few steps. The bath widens out a bit on the inside. Towards the very back is a peculiar elephant symbol representing the male gender.

The water in this bath is also on the cool side, typically at just about body temperature. While there’s no problem in summer, bathing outdoors in the winter can be cold, and the location of this bath halfway between the lodge and other baths makes it the perfect place to stop and warm up a bit on your way back. If you’re still cold when you get back, you can use the lodge’s indoor baths to warm up again.