Shin’onsen Chō

The towns name, Shinonsen, literally translates to mean "New Onsen" or "New Hot Spring". It was formed from the merging of Hamasaka Town and Onsen Town (Hot Spring Town). While it may appear that "New Onsen" serves as a not-so-subtle way to advertise the town's major draw, the area of Yumura Onsen has been called "Onsen" (originally "Onsen Village", later becoming "Onsen Town") since the Nara Period, so while keeping "onsen" in the name was given the highest priority when the new name was chosen, it is not just a marketing strategy; it has history.

The merger has also given the town three distinct hot spring areas with three different types of waters: Hamasaka Onsen is a salt spring, Shichikama Onsen is a sulfate spring, and Yumura Onsen has a mix of carbonated, sulfate, and salt springs.

Tourist information site:

The town government's official site has a Japanese-only tourism section.

By train:

Four stations along the San-in Main Line are located in Shinonsen; Kutani (久谷), Hamasaka (浜坂), Moroyose (諸寄), and Igumi (居組) Stations. Hamasaka Station is the main station in the city. From Osaka there is only one direct Hamakaze Train per day to Hamasaka Station, so most travelers will need to take a Limited Express Train to Tottori, Himeji, or Kinosaki Onsen and transfer to reach Hamasaka Station (or any station in Shinonsen). From Okayama, it is also necessary to travel to either Tottori or Himeji and transferring.

By bus:

If your destination is Yumura Onsen, there are direct buses from Tottori, Osaka (3 hours), and Kobe (3 hours) to the onsen. If you are around any of these cities, the buses will be both faster and cheaper than going by train. Yumura Onsen is not located near any train stations, so those who take the train will still have to transfer to a local bus after arriving at Hamasaka Station, adding 25 min+ to the travel time and costing significantly more. In addition, there are about 6 buses per day from Yoka Station in Yabu to Yumura Onsen.