How Do You Get to Misasa Onsen and Mt. Mitoku from Kurayoshi and Osaka?

Published 2026-10-04 · Sources checked 2026-10-04 · Treasure Hunting Co., Ltd.

This guide is for visitors who want to reach Misasa Onsen and Mt. Mitoku in central Tottori Prefecture. It uses the English pages of the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). All pages were read on 2026-10-04. Timetables and fares are not on these pages, so confirm them with the operators.

The short answer

Go through Kurayoshi. JNTO says Kurayoshi Station on the San-in Main Line is the main transport hub for the area, and that the Super Hakuto limited express train connects Kurayoshi with Osaka in just over three hours. The pages give bus links from Kurayoshi to Misasa Onsen and to Mt. Mitoku, so the last leg is a bus.

From Osaka and Tokyo by rail

• From Shin-Osaka Station: the Super Hakuto limited express to Kurayoshi Station, about 3 hours.
• From Tokyo: JNTO says to take a bullet train to Kyoto Station and change to the Super Hakuto express for Kurayoshi.
• From Kansai International Airport: JNTO gives the Haruka limited express to Shin-Osaka, about 52 minutes, then the Super Hakuto, about 3 hours.

By highway bus and by air

JNTO says highway buses, slightly slower but cheaper than the train, link Kurayoshi and Misasa Onsen with Osaka in around three hours and 20 minutes and with Hiroshima in around four hours. Another JNTO page says the highway buses stop at a hotel on the edge of the onsen district about three kilometers from the main onsen area. By air, JNTO says flights run from Tokyo's Haneda Airport to Tottori Airport, and a bus then runs to JR Kurayoshi Station in about an hour.

From Kurayoshi to Misasa Onsen

The JNTO pages disagree on how long the bus takes. The Misasa Onsen page says local buses connect the onsen to Kurayoshi Station in around 25 minutes. The pages on the Hanayu Festival and on the Mt. Mitoku pilgrimage give about 45 minutes from Kurayoshi Station by city bus. The pages do not say why, so check a current timetable and allow the longer figure.

From Kurayoshi to Mt. Mitoku

JNTO's Mt. Mitoku page says to take a bus from Bus Stop No. 3 at Kurayoshi Station, a trip of around 40 minutes. The pilgrimage page says about 45 minutes. By car, the temple is about 22 minutes from Kurayoshi Station, and about 44 minutes from Tottori Airport, according to the Mitokusan Sanbutsuji page. The address given for the temple is 1010 Mitoku, Misasa-cho.

Around Misasa on foot

JNTO describes a stone path lined with inns, shops and an arcade with retro games running through the onsen area, with a foot bath and a small temple at its center. The Kawara bath is next to the river. The pages give no walking times between the sights, so ask at your inn.

A stop in Kurayoshi

Because every route passes Kurayoshi, JNTO suggests using the town as a stop. It says a small street of white-walled kura, the thick-walled storehouses from which the city takes its name, keeps its original charm, and that the neighboring city is a former merchant quarter. JNTO also suggests a walk around Lake Togo for views of Mt. Daisen and the Sea of Japan.

Check the weather before the mountain

The JNTO page on Mt. Mitoku says whether you can climb depends on the weather and that you cannot climb to the upper temples after snowfall. If you plan to go up to Nageiredo, keep the day flexible, and leave enough time in the bus schedule for the longer of the two journey times quoted above.

When the town is busy

JNTO gives two warnings about crowds. Rooms become scarce during the annual festival celebrating Marie Curie in Misasa, and the Hanayu Festival, a tug-of-war between East and West teams, is held every May 4 inside the onsen district. If you plan to travel on or near those days, book a room before you fix your train or bus, and check whether the bus times to Misasa change.

What we could not verify, and therefore left out

• Train, bus and flight timetables and fares.
• Which bus stop in Misasa serves which inn.
• Whether buses to Mt. Mitoku run in winter or after snow.
• Luggage storage and taxi availability in Kurayoshi.

Related guides

• What is Misasa Onsen? Radon springs, the white wolf legend and the Kawara bath
• What is Mt. Mitoku? The Nageiredo pilgrimage and the fire festival

Sources

All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.

1. Misasa (JNTO) — (Kurayoshi hub, Super Hakuto, highway buses)
2. Misasa Onsen (JNTO) — (25-minute bus, onsen area)
3. Mt. Mitoku (JNTO) — (bus, flights from Haneda)
4. Mitokusan Sanbutsuji Temple (JNTO) — (car times, address)
5. Spiritual Pilgrimage in Tottori (JNTO) — (bus to Mt. Mitoku)
6. Misasa Onsen Hanayu Festival (JNTO) — (Kansai Airport route)