Awara is a city in Fukui Prefecture which is famous for its many onsen or hot spring spas. The onsen at Awara date back to 1883 when a farmer who was digging for a well accidentally discovered a source of hot mineral water. The following year a number of onsen resort hotels opened in the area, and the town has never looked back.
In addition to being a pleasant resort town, Awara is also a convenient jumping off point for a visit to the dramatic Tojinbo cliffs on the Hokuriku sea coast. Awara is about an hour away from Kanazawa by car. The fastest rail route is the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Kanazawa to Awara Onsen Station, which takes about 30 minutes, followed by a short bus, taxi, or ryokan shuttle ride to the onsen town.
Awara Onsen Seifuso Hotel hot spring
Awara Onsen Hotels
Basically Awara is a town in which to relax, soak in a bath, and enjoy the very best local food. Located on a flat plain, the local scenery is gentle rather than dramatic, and Awara is a low-key onsen town rather than a place packed with major sights. However, there are several easy local stops around Awara-Yunomachi Station, including the free Awara Onsen Ashiyu footbath, Yukemuri Yokocho food-stall village, and small cultural facilities around Awara-Yunomachi Plaza. The town’s spa hotels are the main attraction, with beautifully landscaped gardens, excellent dining facilities, and various baths boasting different health-boosting properties.
All of the hotels have dug their own wells, so the type of spring water is different from bath to bath. Day-use bathing is available at some ryokan and at Saintpia Awara, but hours and acceptance vary, so check with each facility before going. For overnight guests, the Awara Onsen Mankitsu Ticket offers bath-hopping at 10 participating ryokan, plus one small Fukui experience, and is sold at ryokan cooperative member front desks. It is valid only on the accommodation date, and bath-hopping hours are 16:00 to 21:00. Below are some of the most popular of Awara’s hotels. Most of these hotels can arrange a pick-up service at Awara Onsen Station if you order it in advance.
Kofuyuden Beniya traces its history back to the early years of Awara Onsen, but the inn has been rebuilt with a fresh design based on 140 years of history. It has 17 guest rooms, all with partly open-air baths supplied by natural hot spring water. Meals are served in an elegant kaiseki multi-course style.
Matsuya Sensen is a large, modern, friendly, and reasonably priced venue with large open air baths, as well as a range of other facilities which include a lounge bar, karaoke room, and souvenir shop.
Haiya dates from 1884 but was completely renovated in 2006. Combining traditional style with modern convenience this hotel has gorgeous interiors and beautifully laid out gardens. The hotel also serves top quality Hokuriku seafood cuisine with the winter crab especially recommended.
Mimatsu is built around a lovely courtyard garden. Guest rooms come in both Japanese and Western styles and look out onto the garden below. This hotel has several large public baths, which include saunas and open air bathing areas. Among other facilities are a club room and a karaoke box.
Tsuruya is a traditional Japanese wooden inn with 23 tatami floored guest rooms. This hotel has a high standard of service and is known for its colorful multi-course meals featuring the very best local ingredients. Tsuruya has three springs and both outdoor and indoor baths. Private onsen baths are also available for some rooms.
Grandia Housen is a large, modern, luxury ryokan with fantastic facilities. The hotel’s interior is traditional but comfortable, and the guest rooms are very spacious. Several large indoor and outdoor baths are available. Multi-course dinners include exquisite dishes of local seafood. There is also a fine traditional interior garden, and a range of club, karaoke, and bar options for after dinner fun. And if you get peckish later on, they also have casual eatery where you can get ramen noodles and sushi.
The Tojinbo Cliffs
The main sightseeing attraction near Awara is the Tojinbo Cliffs. These are a dramatic 1 kilometer stretch of rocky cliffs on the Hokuriku seacoast which tower 25 meters above the foaming waves below. Famous for their rugged beauty these ancient volcanic rock formations have many local legends and ghost stories attached to them. If you want to visit the Tojinbo Cliffs then Awara is a very convenient place to stay.
The Tojinbo Cliffs
Keifuku Bus Tojinbo Line services run from Awara Onsen Station and Awara-Yunomachi Station toward Tojinbo and the Mikuni coast. From Awara Onsen Station, the bus takes about 40 minutes to get to Tojinbo and the fare table lists 790 yen. Services are mainly about hourly on weekdays and about twice hourly on weekends and holidays, but check the Keifuku Bus timetable before building a day trip around the connection.
How to Get to Awara Onsen
There are three main ways to travel between Kanazawa and Awara: by Hokuriku Shinkansen, by ordinary local train, or by car. The Shinkansen is the fastest and simplest rail option. The ordinary local train is cheaper but slower, and a car is useful if you want to explore Fukui Prefecture beyond Awara.
A local train on the Hokuriku Main Line
By Train
Awara Onsen Station is served by the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Kanazawa. The fastest rail route from Kanazawa is to take the Hokuriku Shinkansen directly to Awara Onsen Station, a ride of about 30 minutes, then continue to the hot-spring town by Keifuku Bus, taxi, or ryokan shuttle. The onsen town itself is about 15 minutes from the station. Use a date-specific JR West timetable and fare search before departure, because fares vary by train and seat type.
For a cheaper route, travel by ordinary train on the IR Ishikawa Railway and Hapi-Line Fukui conventional-line route. Services and transfers depend on the timetable, and the Hapi-Line fare table lists the ordinary Kanazawa-Awaraonsen fare at 1,260 yen. This is slower than the Shinkansen but can be useful for budget travel or short hops between towns.
The Thunderbird and Shirasagi limited express trains are useful on the Tsuruga side of trips from Kansai or Nagoya, but they are not the Kanazawa-Awara train route. Travelers coming from those directions generally transfer at Tsuruga to the Hokuriku Shinkansen for Awara Onsen.
The Limited Express Shirasagi
By Car
Awara Onsen can be reached by car via the Hokuriku Expressway and Kanazu IC. The drive from Kanazawa to Awara Onsen takes about 1 hour under normal conditions, and Kanazu IC is about 15 minutes by local road from the hot-spring town. Check the NEXCO toll search for the exact toll from your chosen Kanazawa interchange to Kanazu IC. Of course this does not include the cost of renting a car. Although car rental is not the cheapest option for Awara, a car will be more practical if you want to explore other parts of Fukui Prefecture. For more information on local driving check our article on Car Rental in Kanazawa. For more information on Fukui’s main attractions see our article Day trip from Kanazawa to Fukui.
Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved. Last updated 05-Jun-2026.
