Down the Dōgo Arcade from the Honkan, just where the arcade makes its turn, is another hot spring called Tsubaki no Yu, which is supplied with the same spring waters. This bathhouse was built in 1953 and refurbished recently. It forms one side of a plaza with Asuka no Yu on the other side. There’s a pleasant garden and water feature in between the two bathhouses.

Entrance is an economical 400 yen for adults. You buy a ticket from the machine when you enter. No soap or towels are provided, but if you haven’t brought your own, you can get a little set for 60 yen. The soap is scented with mikan orange. You’ll need a ten-yen coin for the locker in the changing room, so if you don’t have one, ask for change at the counter.

At Tsubaki no Yu, the single bathroom is similar to the ones in the Honkan but bigger and simpler. It has the same granite floors, bath and massive fountain stone with its two little spouts from which the blessed water flows. It’s very elegant. The water of Dōgo is well known for being hot, and inside the bathroom it’s steamy so you see everything through a mist. With the retro styling, it’s like being in a painting by the 1950s American painter Edward Hopper.

The water is hot, but not quite so hot as in the Honkan where most people tend to feel dizzy after a few minutes. There bath is popular with the old folk of Dōgo, and they ignore strangers. The bath itself is quite deep. The water is slightly slippery with minerals. Tsubaki no Yu is a convenient, no frills bathhouse with a homely, local atmosphere.