KAI Kaga
界 加賀 · facing the Sōyu square
Hoshino Resorts' Kaga inn in the old Shiroganeya building, beside the public baths. Its baths are described as free-flowing.
from about ¥30,000 pp
Check rates ↗Living craftsYamanaka's gorge, Yamashiro's bath square and Katayamazu's lake, all a bus ride from Kaga-Onsen Station: 18 minutes from Kanazawa, 2h 43m from Tokyo.
Kaga Onsen (加賀温泉郷) is three hot-spring towns in Kaga city, Ishikawa, all reached from Kaga-Onsen Station: 18 min from Kanazawa (¥3,170 reserved) and 2h 43m from Tokyo (¥15,150). Yamashiro (10 to 15 min by bus) is the easy first choice, Yamanaka (30 to 40 min) has the gorge walk, and Katayamazu (10 to 15 min) sits on a lake. (Katayamazu guide) Public baths cost ¥500. It works best as one night in a ryokan.
The three towns are not walkable from one another, so the real decision is which one to sleep in. All have a public bath (sōyu, 総湯) at the centre and ryokan that include dinner and breakfast. Where the water comes from, and whether an inn heats or recirculates it, differs by inn and is noted on each town page.
Kaga is the first stop south of Kanazawa and sits between Komatsu and Awara-Onsen on the Hokuriku Shinkansen. Kaga-Onsen Station opened on 16 March 2024, which put the three towns within a short ride of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.
| Town | Character | Water | Public bath | From the station | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yamanaka 山中温泉 | Gorge town on the Daishōji river: the 1.3 km Kakusenkei walk, lacquerware, Bashō | Pooled spring, about 50°C, sulfate type. Most inns heat and recirculate; some room baths run free-flowing | Kiku-no-yu ¥500, 7:00–22:00, closed 2nd and 4th Tue | Bus 30–40 min, about ¥470; taxi about 20 min | Walkers, a quiet river-town night, lacquer |
| Yamashiro 山代温泉 | Cobbled bath square, a rebuilt Meiji bathhouse, Rosanjin and Kutani ware | Sulfate-chloride spring, about 63°C. Kosōyu runs it untouched; KAI Kaga and Araya Tōtōan are free-flowing | Sōyu ¥500, Kosōyu ¥700, both ¥1,000; 6:00–22:00 | Bus 10–15 min, ¥290; taxi about 10 min | First visit, bath-hopping, a short stay |
| Katayamazu 片山津温泉 | Lake Shibayama with Mt Hakusan beyond (for the mountain itself, see the Hakusan snow village); lake fireworks through August | Salty chloride spring, about 72°C. Most inns top up, heat and recirculate it | Sōyu ¥500, 6:00–22:00, open daily | Bus 10–15 min, ¥290; taxi about 10 min | Lake views, summer evenings, families |
Bath prices and hours checked 13 Oct 2026; Sōyu prices rose from ¥490 to ¥500 on 1 May 2025, and the Kosōyu price changed on 1 April 2026. Bus fares (Hokutetsu Kaga Bus) may change.
| From | Train | Time | Reserved fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | Kagayaki (fastest, a few trains), Hakutaka or Tsurugi | 2h 43m fastest; 2h 48m on others | ¥15,150 |
| Kanazawa | Tsurugi, Hakutaka or some Kagayaki | 14–19 min | ¥3,170 |
| Kyoto | Thunderbird to Tsuruga, then Tsurugi | About 1h 40m | ¥6,370 |
| Osaka | Thunderbird to Tsuruga, then Tsurugi | About 2h 10m | ¥7,950 |
Regular-season reserved fares for a weekday in mid-October 2026 (checked 13 Oct 2026). Kyoto and Osaka change at Tsuruga; allow 10 minutes (Tsuruga transfer). Full guides: Kyoto to Kanazawa, Osaka to Kanazawa. Komatsu Airport has a CAN BUS line to the station, ¥550, 30 to 40 minutes. The Hokuriku Arch Pass covers every Shinkansen leg.
| Option | Fare | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Hokutetsu route bus | ¥290 to Yamashiro or Katayamazu; about ¥470 to Yamanaka | The cheapest single trip to one town. 10–15 min to Yamashiro, 30–40 min to Yamanaka |
| CAN BUS (キャン・バス) single ride | ¥500 adult, ¥250 child, paid in the fare box | Loops from the station: a Mountain route (Yamanaka, Yamashiro, the Kutani kiln ruins, Natadera, 63–86 min) and a Sea route (Katayamazu, Hashitate, a 1h 23m loop) |
| CAN BUS one-day digital ticket | ¥1,300, bought online, not sold on the bus | Pays back from the third ride. Paper day tickets ended on 31 March 2025 |
| Taxi | Meter; about 20 min to Yamanaka, about 10 min to Yamashiro | Two or more people with luggage. Many inns send a free shuttle if you book it |
The CAN BUS stop moved on 18 May 2026 to a stand 30 m from the station building on the Kaga Onsen side. The Sea route and the Kaga-Komatsu and Kaga-Echizen lines run one way only. The information desk inside the station (KAGA旅・まちネット, 8:45–17:30 daily) has maps and can send luggage ahead to your inn for a fee. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
Kaga is close enough to Kanazawa for a day, but the point of an onsen town is the evening.
Kaga-Onsen is on the pass, with reserved seats included. A Tokyo to Kaga return alone is ¥30,300, so the pass pays only when Kaga is one stop on a longer run. Worked fares.
Find on Klook ↗For Tokyo to Kaga and back, plain tickets are cheaper than any pass.
Rail passes →Hoshino Resorts' Kaga inn in the old Shiroganeya building, beside the public baths. Its baths are described as free-flowing.
One of the twelve old inns of Yamanaka, on the Kakusenkei gorge. Free shuttle from Kaga-Onsen Station if you reserve it.
A quiet inn on Lake Shibayama with its own 73°C source. It posts how each bath is run: part free-flowing, part recirculated.
Prices are per person with dinner and breakfast, two sharing, in October 2026, and move by date and by crab season.
For a first visit choose Yamashiro: it is about 10 to 15 minutes from the station, has two public baths on one square and a short walk of museums. Choose Yamanaka if you want a gorge walk and a quieter river town, and Katayamazu for a lake view and the August fireworks. One night in one town is enough.
Kaga-Onsen Station is 14 to 19 minutes from Kanazawa by Shinkansen (¥3,170 reserved) and 2h 43m from Tokyo on the fastest Kagayaki (¥15,150 reserved). The Tsurugi and Hakutaka stop there; only a few Kagayaki do, so check the train before you book.
By Hokutetsu route bus or by CAN BUS from the station. The route bus costs about ¥290 to Yamashiro or Katayamazu and about ¥470 to Yamanaka (30 to 40 minutes); CAN BUS is ¥500 a ride or ¥1,300 for a one-day digital ticket. A taxi to Yamanaka takes about 20 minutes. Many inns run a free shuttle if you reserve it.
Yes for Yamashiro: 18 minutes by Shinkansen plus a short bus, then the Kosōyu bath, the Iroha Sōan museum and the kiln-ruins museum in a half day. Yamanaka needs more time because the bus takes 30 to 40 minutes each way. A ryokan night with dinner and breakfast is the better use of Kaga if you have it.
¥500 for an adult at Yamashiro Sōyu, Yamanaka Kiku-no-yu and Katayamazu Sōyu; ¥700 at Yamashiro Kosōyu, or ¥1,000 for a Sōyu and Kosōyu combined ticket. The baths open at 6:00 or 7:00 and close at 22:00. Soap, shower taps and towels are not always provided, so bring a towel or buy one.
Male snow crab (Kanō-gani, blue tag) is in season from 6 November to 20 March, and the small female kōbako from 6 November to about 29 December. Hashitate is the Kaga port. The simplest way to eat it is a crab kaiseki dinner at a Kaga ryokan; book 1 to 2 months ahead for weekends. See snow crab season.
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