Ooedo Onsen Monogatari

Tourist trap for sure, but one that I enjoyed. You pay a cover to get in, and once you’re inside, you have to pay more for food, drinks, desserts, some spa services, etc. You don’t have to carry around cash or credit card because they give you this barcode that you can wear on your wrist to keep track of your purchases. I liked wearing a yukata and seeing everyone wear one too. I ate Korean food (chibbokki) at the food court in the unisex area. Didn’t go in the hot tubs because I wasn’t ready to get that friendly with my friends aahahah but we did enjoy dipping our feet in the foot onsen outside! Not sure if I would do this again, but I recommend this place if you haven’t been!

Leave your shoes at the door (and by that, I mean «in a locker»), receive your electronic wristband, choose a yukata, make your way past the initial tourist-​trap gift shop, and step out onto the main floor. If you’ve ever seen the film «Spirited Away», you might notice the striking resemblance this place shares with Yubaba’s bathhouse. This section is where all the restaurants and bars are located, and any food or drink items purchased here, will be charged to your wristband. (Ditto, any premium massage services you choose to partake in.)
This is a family-​friendly environment, so, in addition to female-​only and male-​only [areas], there’s an outdoor area with a footbath, suitable for both sexes and people of all ages to enjoy simultaneously. If you’ve never experienced an onsen, Oedo Onsen Monogatari is the ideal place to get your feet wet.

A unique experience I so happily indulged in on this trip and one I want to do all over again when I find myself in Tokyo next.
This Onsen (hot spring) is located in Odaiba, the man-​made island, so expect to see plenty of tourists in this establishment. After a day of shopping in the nearby Diver City Mall, your tired feet and body will thank you if you end your day here.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Take off your shoes and store it in a locker to the left of the entrance.
2. Check in and get a wristband with a bar code which acts as your locker key and credit card while inside the onsen. Do not lose this. You pay when you exit.
3. Pick your yukata (robe and belt) then head on over to the changing room where you’ll find your locker. Check your wristband for your locker number.
4. Store all your belongings in your locker as well as your clothes, wearing only the robe with your underwear still on. Instructions on how to wear the robe are inside the locker rooms. Bring your phone with you so you can take photos in the common area.
5. Walk out to the common area where you’ll see a plethora of shops, restaurants, and arcade. This is where you can mingle with your friends of the opposite sex while all of you are in Japanese robes. Great photo ops!
6. Decide what you want to do: massage chairs and relaxation rooms are on the 2^nd floor, foot spas are outside including a pond with fish that eat your dead skin, private massage services are available for scheduling, etc. Take note that most if not all have an extra charge. Basic fee only covers the use of the robe, lockers, and bath.
7. If you’re ready to do the bath (male and female separate), as you walk in, grab a towel and undress completely, leaving everything you have on you inside a locker. Wear your locker key as a bracelet so you don’t lose it.
8. Now once you walk inside, don’t be bashful, and prepare to see everyone completely nude :) As is Japanese culture, you are to clean yourself first, meaning take a shower in one of the open stalls you find to the right of the pools. Shampoo, conditioner, facial soap, and body soap are all provided for.
9. When completely rinsed, enjoy any of the hot pools indoor and outdoor. They also have a steam bath and dry sauna, as well as a cold pool to close off the pores when you’re done. Remember to keep your hair and tiny towel out of the water. Best way is to tie it around your head as is the norm which you’ll see when you’re there.
10. Relax and take it all in!
I’m impressed with how clean the amenities are and how everything you could possibly need are all provided for such as a sterilized hair brush, toothbrush which activates the toothpaste when wet, cotton buds, slippers when in the restroom, water and tea dispensers, etc. I also like that it’s open to everyone of all ages catering even to children. Some may find that a turn-​off but if you are travelling with family, that’s awesome. Yes, they get to be in yukatas as well! Super adorable! For those not interested in doing the bath, staying in the common area to eat and just hang is fine, too. However, you still pay the entrance fee of ¥2,072 for adults and children 4 – 11 are ¥1,058.
P. S. Anyone with tattoos are not allowed to use the bath.

This was definitely worth a trip and one of the highlights from my Tokyo experience. It is a mega onsen resort so expect busy, packed crowds. Probably not ideal if you’re looking to escape and find a quiet onsen retreat (other places are more authentic) but if you like the energy and hustle and bustle of lots of visitors from Japanese families to tourists roaming around in different types of yakuta, with a variety of food, gaming, massage experiences available to you, would definitely recommend visiting!

It’s a great way to experience a Japanese culture vibe. The hot springs are nice and relaxing, and you get to wear a Yukata which is pretty nice! However, it’s somewhat pricey.

Going to Tokyo, of course I have to stop by a hot spring. This was the closest one from my hotel in Ginza, just take the JR line and after a few stops you are there!
This place is super cool, it’s my first Japan hot spring. You go in and take off your shoes then lock them. Then you go and get your yakata, many designs to choose from. You will also receive a bracelet which is your locker and also has a barcode. The barcode is used to scan whenever you want to purchase a service, goodies, games and food inside. No need to bring cash, super convenient. After you change, you go to another paradise, it is filled with games, restaurants, resting areas and shops. You can go outside for a feet jacuzzi, it is male and female together, there are also hot stone bed and fish jacuzzi. Inside, separated male and female, there will be full body hot spring. Don’t be shy, everyone is fully naked, no towels allowed inside the baths, so BE FREE haha. You can also request massages! I tried it, super good. This is super fun and people usually go for the whole day, most importantly CLEAN!

The best way to describe Oedo Onsen is an animé high school cultural festival theme park. If you know what that means then there’s a good chance Oedo Onsen might be for you. If not, well, read on and find out.
The way the Onsen works is like this: you are given a yukata (traditional Japanese robe) — you get your pick of four different styles. You enter a changing room where you change into your yukata and from there you enter the main area. The main area is an arcade of restaurants, shops, games, and various sitting and resting areas. It is pretty lavishly decorated to look like a cultural festival, and there are animé themed character cutouts and pictures all around. Inside, everyone is wearing their yukatas and it looks really cool. The restaurants offer a variety of different Japanese cuisines. I had a chirashi sushi bowl and yakitori (meat skewers) chicken gizzards. The food wasn’t amazing but it was quite tasty.
The games are an assortment of various types you would find at a carnival — throwing things at targets, etc. Some of them have a Japanese feel, like throwing «shurikens» or a game where you try to grab objects out of water using a flimsy paper scoop before it breaks. The prizes are typical carnival trinkets but with a Japanese (i.e. Animé) feel. Quick note — you pay for everything by scanning a bracelet you carry around, so it’s really easy to rack up a huge bill if you’re not careful.
The onsen (hot springs) themselves are entered after going through another inner changing room where you leave your yukata in a locker. I’m pretty sure they aren’t real hot springs but just heated pools. Nonetheless it is pretty relaxing! Just remember to follow all the Japanese customs regarding onsen.
The reason I’m giving this five stars is mostly the atmosphere. It really is a lot of fun! This is probably the closest any American can get to being in a high school animé, and really, who wouldn’t want that?

⁹⁄₂₈: The best layover of my life! :)
We were feeling pretty icky and knowing that we still have a long flight home makes things a bit better with a stopover at this place. We thought we were going to have issues making our way here but it really wasn’t bad at all.
From the airport we went to the information center purchase a day ticket for the train, got directions and the way we go.
We arrived and it’s not far from the train stop at all. Once we arrived however we were a bit confused on what to do. Do we take off our shoes first or walk through? We figured out you have to take off your shoes first put it in the locker and line up for someone to assist at the counter.
I have to say this place is pretty pricey. But it’s all worth it. We check in and got a bracelet. The bracelet is for charging purposes as well. We walked to an area where we are asked to pick out a yukata. It is included in the price. Once we pick out our fashion wear it was time to go into the locker room. Separate areas for Women and Men. I walked in and the key has the number to my locker. So I go to the locker and was lucky to see that there was a picture on the wall with instructions on how to wear this attire. I was glad it was up there.
After fiddling through making a bow I walked towards the entrance to the onsen. I was a bit flabbergasted. I had no idea what to expect. I looked up the closes onsen to the airport and read something about everything is located there… But didn’t think too much about it. I just thought it was an Onsen, but dang it was full of stuff to do, eat, and drink. Similar to a small festival. It was a bit overwhelming at first because should I take a picture or walk around or should I get something to eat first or should we go outside, or what’s in that room? So many questions so… hahaha
First thing first was we walked around, there was free water and tea dispensers which was nice. There was little games here and there, it was more for kids. It was fun to see people play it tho. There was little vendor restaurants throughout the place. We were checking out what they were selling. Oooh definitely will have to get green tea soft serve later. Then we discovered an area where you can get massages. It was a bit pricey for us so we skipped that. Walked upstairs and well there was a quiet area. Lazy boy seats with tv and it was nap time. I definitely needed to take a nap. Felt so good. They have massage chairs there but you will have to bring change or money for change.
Well after our nap we went outside, warm pool water ankle deep. There’s an area for those fish to suck on your feet to get the dead skins out, but that cost money so we opt out. It was a nice relaxing day. Seems like everything cost money.
After that it was time to check out the Onsen what we really came here for. If you haven’t been here before it’s like Korean Spas. Naked. Yes so you go in the onsen area and they will give you a towel. Make sure to please clean yourself first before going into one the pool areas.
I love the atmosphere. Outside was very tranquil. Naked bodies everywhere but no one cared. I definitely had a great time, be careful, it’s not recommended to stay in hot water for a long time. Make sure to cool off once in awhile before going to the next warm/​hot pool. Feels good once you’re in.
Overall my experience was great. I could go on forever about this place, but I’m going to stop for now. Love it! I think it’s great for coming for the first time. YAY!

I haven’t been to an onsen before so the experience was new for me. this place was like a spa resort though. They’ve got food, games, spas, hot baths, saunas, etc. If you want a place to relax and unwind for the whole day, this is well worth it.

This place was my husband’s first insensitive experience and I should have thought about how crowded this place can get.
The place add up in prices. We tried the fish spa, which was super fun. New experience for us but i think it was hyped. We were in the fish spa for about 30 minutes and I swear I do a better job scrubbing my own feet than the fish.
The amenities of the place is convenient. The onsen is bit far from most hotels. Took us 50 min one way from our hotel.

This place looks better in person than I anticipated from seeing it online. Great facilities, good cheap option for overnight accommodations, beautiful outdoors and calming atmosphere. I do have to ding them for their rude staff that was interacting with everyone the next morning.
There is a night market inside that has very few shops but many food vendors. It’s pretty with the lanterns and watch tower in the area. It’s designated near the meeting point where many people hang out. The food options though they had many vendors I didn’t particularly find much variety. My sister who is allergic to seafood had an even harder time finding anything she could eat. I got some Ramen which was okay but not impressive. Cheap at $ 8 USD. They did have many dessert options though that were appealing like many ice cream shops and some shaved ice offerings. However they do close fairly early.
I got a fish therapy treatment which is essentially sticking your feet into a pool of fish that come suck on your skin. It was one thing I crossed off my list to try but I won’t be doing it again. Just a bit weird for my liking but cost but $ 15 USD so not bad. I was the tourist shrieking as I was first getting used to the feeling but got over it.
The breakfast options in the morning consisted of 1 shop serving food that were preset meals. 4 different preset meals that appeared good. The miso soup was good.

My husband and I so liked the Onsen Monogatari in Urayasu so we wanted to try it out in Odaiba — we thought it would be bigger and maybe have more to do but it doesn’t. The one in Urayasu is newer and nicer with an outdoor bathing (in swimsuits) area and water play area for kids. I guess I should write a review for that place next…
Anyhow, this place is so so — has the basics and it’s fun but a little less kid friendly for those with younger kids (I wouldn’t recommend bringing kids under four).
Reason why I only give it one star is because on my way out I was buying gifts at the store with two noisy kids and completely distracted — and I paid and was about to leave and was completely dumbfounded that the store person said to her co-​worker — before I had even gathered my things to leave (in Japanese) «this customer has no manners». I had been speaking English so she assumed I didn’t understand her. I have no problem if she said this about me after I had left but she obviously did this as an extra dig — to do it in my face with the (terribly ignorant) assumption that I didn’t understand what she was saying. I was completely shocked that she was talking about me in front of my face (although I am frankly pretty familiar with the two-​faced Japanese thing). Needless to say, it ruined my whole trip and day.
I usually never have a problem with Japanese customer service — and I know myself sometimes you want to say stuff about rude people and I’m sorry that she thought I was (I thought I was a distracted mom) but I think this was pretty disrespectful. They probably do this all the time with foreigners… Overall really poor experience for us. For a better experience… Try Urayasu. Also don’t be a distracted parent.

Once you enter this place through the auto door, you’ll need to take off your shoes and put it in a locker. Next, you’ll go get a key for the locker to put away your belongs. You don’t need money since your key will be a form of credit card. There are multiple areas inside the female bath to enjoy. The water is pretty hot. You could also go outside to enjoy the water. They also got the foot section which you walked through a path with various shapes and sizes of rocks. If you want to do the fish foot than you’ll need to pay extra. There’s a resting area where you can watch tv or sleep. Overall, the bath house was ok

Japan loves their theme parks, to the point that there is actually even a Onsen them park! We actually walked our butts here from the shopping in Daiba, but hey we’re on vacation, might as well get a good work out.
You leave your shoes at the entrance and you make your way in. From there you pay your fee and get to enjoy the world of hot baths and make new friends of random strangers! Overall, if you like bathhouses, then you need to make your way here. Simple as that.

I finally got to check out this place and I love it! It’s kinda like an onsen park, where there is an onsen section (naked), as well as a foot bath section (clothed, co-​ed). It also has a matsuri /​old Japan play area where you can shop, play, and eat. If you plan to go here, it’s best to have ample time so you can enjoy everything it has to offer.

Highly recommend! Great spa experience both indoors and outdoors and plenty of options and space. There’s arcades, traditional Japanese games, cafes, gift shops, relaxation room, and outdoor foot spa. Great place to experience a traditional onsen and being able to dress in traditional yakuta wear. Outdoor foot spa was really nice and great for pictures. There’s additional fish therapy and massages for additional fees. We had a great time doing many of the activities, great for anyone visiting Japan!

Great onsen experience. This place is like an amusement park! They have food stalls, gift shops, and even a relaxation room upstairs with TVs and snoring men. I’m a prude American so I didn’t particularly enjoy all the nudity involved in the hot springs but everything else was a good time.
–They give you an electronic bracelet so you don’t have to carry money around and you can just put it all on your credit card upon exit.
–There’s a selection of robes and sashes so you can make a fashion statement.
–The massages were great and you can get a «couples discount»
–The outdoor foot spa was my favorite because it was in a beautiful garden and it’s coed so you can hang out with your buddies

This place is really great. It is close to the station (if only I knew before walking here from Aqua City!) so after you’re done, you can hop on the train and go wherever you need to. The price is over 2500 yen but you do not need to bring anything and you’re given a yukata that you get to pick out. It is very fun to walk around in a yukata. Once you get dressed and walk out of the locker room, you will find yourself in an old fashioned version on Japan where you can enjoy some shopping, plenty of eating (they have so many treats!!!), and entertainment provided for you. I walked around and there are many options from traditional Japanese meals to ice cream to crepes. Make your choice!
You can either go to the foot spa (?) and soak your feet in an outdoor setting amongst many others in a beautiful garden. It is quite wonderful. You can go back inside and walk to the women’s bath where you end up in a locker room. They give you towels and you pick a locker to undress at and keep your clothes in. From there, you go outside and shower. Watch the others if you’re ever confused on what to do.
There are a few selections of baths to choose from, but very few of them seem to differ. I think only the temperatures or tubs differ. I didn’t notice any difference. There are a few outdoor baths as well and there’s a large tarp over the area so people can’t peek or I guess people can’t get an aerial shot.
This is a nice onsen with a few choices and things to do. You will stay entertained all day even if you do not spend the whole day bathing. I went here by myself and was able to navigate with little/​no Japanese knowledge. More foreigners visit this onsen compared to the other onsen I went to a few days after I visited this place. I highly recommend this onsen if you just want to try one. It is pricier than most other onsens, but you get a yukata to wear around and to try a bunch of baths so why complain?

Ooedo Onsen is a sort of a theme park, where you can experience a Japanese onsen (hot spring) in the middle of Tokyo. It’s located in Odaiba, right off of the Yurikamome train line. They also have free shuttle buses from various parts of Tokyo. (I personally took their free shuttle bus from JR Shinagawa station.)
The bath house is around 2000 yen per person to enter, and offers several indoor baths, a few outdoor baths, and a unisex foot bath. They also have some premium services at an extra charge, such as massages and rock salt sauna.
Upon arrival, you’ll be given your own set of yukata to change into, and then you get to try the different baths while also enjoying an old school Japanese festival atmosphere between baths. There’s also a fair selection of food court restaurants and drink offerings. Personally, I think this is a cool concept and definitely enjoyable for visitors, especially for those from outside Japan.
Compared to a true hot spring ryokan however, the food isn’t as good or extravagant, it can be super crowded on the weekends, the water isn’t sourced from an actual hot spring, and at 2000 yen per person plus money for food and drinks, it’s not exactly cheap.
Being a native Japanese who loves hot springs, I would probably shell out 8000~10 000 yen per person to go to a real hot spring ryokan in nearby Atami, Ito, or Nikko (Ryokan in Hakone is more like 20 000 – 30 000 yen per person)… but if you’re visiting from abroad and you just want a quick experience of a Japanese hot spring without making a significant monetary commitment, Ooedo Onsen is an excellent choice.

This spot is great! If you’re looking for something different in urban Tokyo, this is a good spot. This particular onsen (traditional Japanese hot spring) is great since it is easy to travel to via Metro/​subway and is located in Tokyo. With separate areas for men and women, the bathing areas are nice… most of the area is indoors with several different bathing areas varying in temperature. There’s also an outside area which I really enjoyed since it gave the allusion of being in secluded springs in the mountains. There’s a central area for men/​women/​boys/​girls to eat and be entertained. There’s also a section to get your feet massaged by walking through a sequence of stones (it’s painful!).
This place is very clean and it’s pretty easy to figure everything out.