Ryusenji-no-yu

Ryusenji-no-yu is a Japanese day-trip hot spring (super-sento) brand operated by Oakland Kanko Kaihatsu Co., Ltd. (Oakland Group). It opened its first facility in 1989 in Ryusenji, Moriyama-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. The brand is widely regarded as a pioneer of the "super-sento" concept—a large-scale leisure-oriented public bath facility that combines the affordability of a neighborhood sento with the amenities of a health land. The founder, Shoichi Matsunaga, had been in the sauna business since 1956 and aimed to make the benefits of baths and saunas accessible to a broad public. The original Ryusenji-no-yu was not initially a natural hot spring; it was attached to an outdoor pool facility called Ryusenji Water Park. After the pool closed in 2006, the bathhouse was renovated and reopened in December 2007 as a natural hot spring facility. In 2000, the company became the first in the bathing industry to introduce high-concentration artificial carbonated springs across six of its locations, predating the nationwide carbonated spring boom by more than a decade. The brand has since expanded beyond Aichi into the Kanto and Tohoku regions, with locations in Kanagawa, Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, and Miyagi prefectures. Many stores have undergone large-scale renovations, adding enhanced sauna and cold bath facilities, relaxation lounges such as "forest villa," and co-working spaces. The brand is known for its early morning to late night operating hours, natural hot springs, spacious carbonated springs, saunas, and affordable rock bath (ganbanyoku) options. In 2022, the Spa Metzza Ootaka location in Nagano (Chiba) opened with overall production by the fashion brand BEAMS, and in 2023 Spa Metzza Sendai followed a similar concept. A new urban recovery spa, Sauna Metzza Oimachi Tracks, opened in March 2026. The brand continues to operate as a private entity under the Oakland Group.

Ryusenji-no-yu was founded in 1989 in Ryusenji, Moriyama-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, by Shoichi Matsunaga, who had been operating a sauna business since 1956. The original facility was not a natural hot spring; it was a bathhouse attached to an outdoor pool called Ryusenji Water Park. The concept was to offer a new type of facility—a "dream super-sento"—that combined the large-scale sauna and bathing facilities of a health land with the affordable pricing of a neighborhood sento. This innovation is credited with sparking the super-sento boom in the Nagoya region and later across Japan. In 2000, the company became the first in the bathing industry to introduce high-concentration artificial carbonated springs, installing them at six of its locations (Ryusenji-no-yu and Suomi-no-yu chain). This predated the nationwide carbonated spring boom by over a decade. In 2006, Ryusenji Water Park closed after its summer season, and the bathhouse was temporarily closed for renovation. In December 2007, it reopened as a natural hot spring facility under the name Ryusenji-no-yu. The main store underwent a major renovation in 2018, reopening as Tenku SPA HILLS Ryusenji-no-yu, and again in December 2024. Expansion continued: the Toyota Joshin store opened in Aichi in December 2008; the first Kanto location, Shonan Chigasaki, opened in April 2010; Sendai Izumi opened in September 2011; Yokohama Tsurugamine opened in March 2013; Hachioji Minamino opened in December 2015; Soka Yatsuka opened in September 2016; Spa Metzza Ootaka opened in April 2022; and Spa Metzza Sendai reopened in July 2023 after earthquake damage. In March 2026, Sauna Metzza Oimachi Tracks opened as an urban recovery spa. The brand continues to operate under Oakland Kanko Kaihatsu Co., Ltd.

• 2026

  Sauna Metzza Oimachi Tracks opens in March.

• 2024

  Main store undergoes further renovation in December.

• 2023

  Spa Metzza Sendai reopens in July after earthquake damage.

• 2022

  Spa Metzza Ootaka opens in Nagareyama, Chiba, in April, with BEAMS production.

• 2018

  Main store reopens as Tenku SPA HILLS Ryusenji-no-yu after major renovation.

• 2016

  Soka Yatsuka store opens in September.

• 2015

  Hachioji Minamino store opens in December.

• 2013

  Yokohama Tsurugamine store opens in March.

• 2011

  Sendai Izumi store opens in September.

• 2010

  First Kanto location, Shonan Chigasaki, opens in April.

• 2008

  Toyota Joshin store opens in Aichi in December.

• 2007

  Reopens as a natural hot spring facility in December.

• 2006

  Ryusenji Water Park closes; bathhouse temporarily closed for renovation.

• 2000

  Introduces high-concentration artificial carbonated springs at six locations, a first in the bathing industry.

• 1989

  First Ryusenji-no-yu opens in Moriyama-ku, Nagoya, Aichi.

Affordable, large-scale day-trip hot spring facilities combining natural hot springs, carbonated springs, saunas, and rock baths, positioned as pioneers of the super-sento category.

• Natural hot spring baths

• High-concentration carbonated springs

• Sauna rooms

• Rock bath (ganbanyoku) areas

• Relaxation lounges (forest villa, metsä Neliö)

• Original merchandise (BEAMS collaboration)

1. 1竜泉寺の湯ポータルサイトryusenjinoyu.com
2. 2竜泉寺の湯とは？ryusenjinoyu.com
3. 3Ryusenji-no-yu - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4竜泉寺の湯 - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org