Izumisano · InunakiyamaNo.154★Open in map →
Inunakiyama Onsen
A small cluster of hot-spring inns in a forested gorge in Izumisano, southern Osaka Prefecture — the prefecture's only onsen town, paired with a 1,300-year-old temple of mountain ascetics.
Inunakiyama Onsen sits in a wooded gorge on the southern edge of Osaka Prefecture, and it is the only hot-spring resort in the whole prefecture. A handful of inns line the Inunaki River, below Shipporyuji — a temple that has been a center of Shugendo, Japan's tradition of mountain asceticism, for well over 1,300 years. The valley holds waterfalls, and behind the main hall, the Gyoja-no-taki (Ascetic's Falls) is still used for takigyo: standing under cold falling water as a discipline. The temple runs seasonal one-day training sessions that visitors can join, and, unusually for a Shugendo site, both men and women may take part. The spring water is a mild sulfur cold-spring, faintly cloudy and alkaline, locally known as a 'beauty spring' for the skin.
Why it stays quiet
The valley sits about 30 minutes by car from Kansai International Airport, yet almost no international visitors reach it: there is little English information about it, and getting there means a train plus an infrequent country bus, off the main tourist routes. So it stays a local temple-and-onsen valley rather than a sightseeing stop.
Background & history
Shipporyuji is said to have been founded in 661 by En no Gyoja, the semi-legendary founder of Shugendo, making Mount Inunaki one of Japan's oldest sites of mountain-ascetic practice. The name 'Seven Treasures' comes from seven of the mountain's waterfalls, likened in Buddhist tradition to the seven treasures of gold and silver. The mountain is one of the twenty-eight sacred sites of Katsuragi Shugendo, and in 2019 it was included in a nationally recognized Japan Heritage story about the historic medieval estate of Hine-no-sho.
What to look for — in walking order
- Onsen inns by the river
- inns at the foot of the approach road, at the base of the valley
- Shipporyuji Temple
- head temple of the Shingon Inunaki school, a working Shugendo training center for over 1,300 years
- Gyoja-no-taki falls
- sacred waterfall behind the main hall where ascetics stand under the cold flow as a discipline
- The gorge of falls
- old-growth forest threaded with waterfalls, forty-eight by local tradition
How to enjoy it
Walk the forested approach road from the bus stop up along the river to the temple and falls — best in autumn, when the maple leaves turn red — then soak at one of the riverside inns. If you want more, the temple runs open seasonal one-day Shugendo training that includes standing beneath the cold falls.
How to actually get there
- Namba Station → Izumisano Station (Nankai Main Line, express toward Wakayama/Kansai-airport, ~35 min).
- Izumisano Station → Inunakiyama, last stop (Nankai Wing Bus, Inunaki Line, from the east exit, ~35 min).
- Inunakiyama bus stop → Shipporyuji temple and the falls (walk up the riverside approach road, ~30-40 min; the onsen inns are right by the stop).
- Nankai Main Line to Izumisano, then Nankai Wing Bus (Inunaki Line)
- Namba Station (Osaka) →(Nankai Main Line, express toward Wakayama/Kansai-airport, ~35 min)→ Izumisano Station →(Nankai Wing Bus, Inunaki Line, from the east exit, ~35 min)→ Inunakiyama, the last stop. Total about 70-80 min. The bus runs only about once an hour (roughly 8 times a day) — check the day's timetable before you leave.
- Bus back to Izumisano, then Nankai Main Line
- The buses back to Izumisano and Hineno stations run through the afternoon and end in the early evening. Check the return times posted at the Inunakiyama bus stop when you arrive, so you do not miss the last one.
Before you go
- Cash
- The bus is a small country bus and may be cash-only, so carry some coins for the fare. A one-day 'Inunakiyama 1-Day Free Pass' covers the bus with unlimited rides plus onsen discounts.
- Closing days
- The valley approach road is narrow and cars also use it — step to the side when a vehicle passes.
- Another way
- You can also reach Inunakiyama on the same Nankai Wing Bus (Inunaki Line) from JR Hineno Station on the JR Hanwa Line, which is another option from the Osaka side.
- After you get off
- From the Inunakiyama bus stop, the approach road follows the river uphill; the onsen inns are right by the stop, and it is roughly a 30-40 minute walk up to Shipporyuji temple and the falls.