Onsen & Sento · Murasakino / Nishijin
Funaoka Onsen 船岡温泉
Kyoto's most famous sento, a 1923 public bath in Murasakino with carved wooden panels, majolica tiles and an outdoor rock bath. Cheap, local and one of the city's real time capsules.
About
Funaoka Onsen was built in 1923 as an annex to a ryokan and became a public bath in the 1930s. Its changing room ceiling is a dense carving of birds, clouds and the Battle of Shanghai, a reminder of its wartime era, and the narrow passage to the baths is decorated with brightly coloured majolica tiles. Inside are a cypress tub, a jet bath, an electric bath (gentle shocks, locals swear by it), a herb sauna, and an outdoor rock bath under the sky. Despite its fame among travellers, it remains a neighbourhood bath where grandfathers soak after work. Funaoka-yama park and the quiet Nishijin weaving district are nearby, and the old shotengai of Kuramaguchi are good for a stroll afterwards.
Highlights
- Carved wooden ceiling panels in the changing room
- Majolica tile corridor
- Outdoor rock bath and cypress tub
- Electric bath and sauna
- A 1923 building in the Nishijin area
Tips
- Bring a towel and soap or buy them at the counter
- Tattoos: check at the counter; small ones are usually tolerated, but be discreet
- Weeknights after 20:00 are calmest
- Cash only
Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09
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Open in the appNearby
- Funaokayama ParkPark · 340 m away
- Daitoku-ji and SubtemplesTemple · 770 m away
- Imamiya ShrineShrine · 990 m away
- Aburi Mochi KazariyaCafé & Sweets · 1000 m away
- KamishichikenPhoto Spot · 1.1 km away
- Kitano TenmanguShrine · 1.1 km away
- Tenjin-san Flea Market (Kitano)Market · 1.2 km away
- Seimei ShrineShrine · 1.2 km away