Since 1 October 2026, you can get into a Mirai Human Washing Machine — a fully automatic bathing pod that washes and dries you in about 15 minutes — at a hot-spring theme park in Osaka: Minoh Onsen Spa Garden.
It is the first onsen facility in Japan to install one.
It is also, on paper, the cheapest paid way to try one without booking a hotel room.
There is a catch, and it is a big one for anyone travelling: you cannot book in advance.
Launch date: Thursday, 1 October 2026 (the day the facility reopened)
Price: ¥11,000 per room (90 min, 2–4 people) + admission per person (weekday day pass ¥2,420; ¥2,090 after 17:00)
The catch: no advance reservations — same-day, first-come, first-served at the 1F bath reception only
Backup plan: all 68 shower taps in the building use Mirable Ex from 1 October, so you can still try the fine-bubble shower if the pod is full
Quick facts
| Opened | Thursday, 1 October 2026 (same day the facility reopened after renovation) |
|---|---|
| Price | ¥11,000 per room (incl. tax) — facility admission is charged separately: adults ¥2,420 on weekdays, ¥2,860 at weekends and on holidays, ¥3,190 on peak days (day pass, entry before 17:00), or ¥2,090 for entry after 17:00. Bathing tax is added on top. |
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Group size | 2–4 people (booked as a private bath) |
| Age | Junior-high-school age and above. Under-18s must be accompanied by a guardian |
| Reservations | None. Same-day, first-come only, at the bath reception desk on 1F |
| Opening hours | The washing machine runs 7:30–22:30. The facility itself opens 9:00–23:45 (last entry 22:45) |
| Operator | GENSEN HOLDINGS Co., Ltd. (Ooedo Onsen Monogatari group) |
Based on information published as of July 2026 (admission prices checked on the official site on 8 September 2026). Details may change after opening — verify them on the official site before you travel.
You can’t book ahead. Slots are given out in person on the day, first come, first served.
You cannot reserve — first come, first served
Places are limited each day and are taken on a first-come basis on the day, in person, at the 1F bath reception.
There is no phone or web booking.
If you are travelling from outside Osaka specifically for this, you may not get in. Three ways to handle that:
- Arrive as the doors open and go straight to the 1F bath reception. Day visitors cannot enter before 9:00 — the 7:30 start belongs to the machine itself, so overnight guests get there first
- Plan the day so it still works if you miss out — the onsen and the food are worth the trip on their own
- Stay overnight so you can try again the next morning
Is Minoh the best choice, or is there somewhere easier for a short trip?
人間洗濯機
編集部
It depends on how sure you need to be.
Minoh is the cheapest per person, but you can’t book. If you need a fixed time, choose a place that takes reservations.
How it compares
| Venue | Price | Booking | Certainty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minoh Onsen Spa Garden (Osaka) | ¥11,000 per room / 90 min / 2–4 people | Same-day only | Luck of the draw |
| Dotonbori Crystal Hotel III (Osaka) | From ¥18,000 / 90 min / 2+ people ¥10,000 during the campaign (6 Oct 2026) | Web reservation | Reliable |
| ES CON FIELD HOKKAIDO Hotel | ¥12,000 (2–3 people) + ¥2,200 per extra person | Reservation required; official page says hotel guests only | Reliable if you stay at the hotel |
| Yamada Denki LABI Ikebukuro (Tokyo) | Free | Lottery events only | Lottery |
Split ¥11,000 between four people and the machine costs ¥2,750 each.
But admission is charged per person on top, so a weekday visit works out at ¥5,170 each, plus the local bathing tax.
On the listed prices alone ES CON FIELD is cheaper (¥3,550 each for four).
But its official booking page says hotel guests only (checked 10 September 2026), so a room comes on top. Dotonbori is dearer.
And if you need certainty, book Dotonbori or ES CON FIELD instead.
Missed the machine? The showers use the same bubbles
The renovation installs more than the washing machine.
All 68 shower taps in the building are being fitted with Mirable Ex shower heads, and Mirabath bathtub systems go into the men’s and women’s baths.
It is the same fine-bubble technology from the same manufacturer, Science Co., Ltd.
So you can experience the technology even on a day when the pod is fully booked out.
Live in the US and want a Mirable shower head?
Mirable is sold only in Japan. We are checking whether enough people want one shipped to the US. If enough do, we will start with a small number of orders.
- Price = the Japanese retail price (Mirable Ex is ¥38,500 incl. tax) + our 30% service fee + international shipping + US import duty. You get the total in writing first.
- Nothing is charged or shipped until you accept the written quote.
- We buy a new unit from an authorized retailer and send you photos before shipping.
- The warranty is valid in Japan only. No exchanges or refunds after delivery.
- Fit: Mirable Ex uses a G1/2 thread; most US shower arms use 1/2-inch NPT, so you may need an adapter. We check this with you first.
US addresses only for now. Tornado Stick cartridges only with a shower head order.
Email us for a quote (free, no commitment)
Opens your email app with a short template. We reply in English. We do not store your details on this site.
House rules for overseas visitors
Tattoos: read this before you plan the trip.
- Guests with tattoos are refused entry.
- Only exception: a tattoo fully covered by up to two of the facility’s own paid cover stickers.
- If staff find out after you enter, you are asked to leave, with no refund.
Larger tattoos? This venue won’t work. Ask other venues about their policy before you book.
Source: “Notes on admission” on the official Minoh Onsen Spa Garden page, checked 17 September 2026.
Other published rules that catch visitors out:
- The washing machine: one wash takes 20 minutes, one slot covers up to four people within the 90 minutes, and the time cannot be extended. No food or drink in the room.
- Under-18s: children of junior-high-school age and below must be with a guardian. Under-16s on their own must leave by 19:00, under-18s by 22:00 — and families with children must also be out by 22:00.
- Photos and video are banned in the changing rooms, all baths (indoor, open-air and private), the bedrock bath, the saunas and the pool.
- Children aged 7 and over, or 120 cm and taller, use the bath for their own gender.
- No outside food or drink, and no pets (assistance dogs are allowed in, but not in the baths or tatami areas).
Still not published (checked 17 September 2026) — we are not going to guess:
- English-language support at the reception desk
- Whether swimwear is worn in the machine (it is required at ES CON FIELD; nothing has been stated for Minoh)
If either matters to your trip, contact the facility before you book flights. We will update this page when the details are published.
What else is inside
If you searched for “Minoh hot spring” rather than the washing machine: this is a day-use onsen complex on the hillside above Minoo Station, reopened on 1 October 2026 after renovation.
From the official site:
- Two large bath halls — one on 1F with an open-air bath, one on B1F built in cypress — each with a sauna. Men and women swap halls by day of the week.
- Private baths you can rent, and a bedrock bath.
- Places to do nothing: a lounge with about 5,000 books, a quiet room, desks for working, and a Sky Terrace looking out over the Osaka plain.
- A kids’ play area and two casual dining halls; the adjoining hotel runs lunch and dinner buffets, sold as a set with spa admission.
- Hours 9:00–23:45 (last entry 22:45). Children: primary-school age ¥1,320, younger children ¥770, under-3s free. Bathing tax is added.
Press preview footage from 29 September 2026 (local news channel Abeno Keizai Shimbun & OSAKA STYLE). The audio is in Japanese, but you can see the bath halls and the washing machine room.
▶ Footage from the 29 September 2026 press preview: the bath halls and the Human Washing Machine room.
Video: Kansai Keizai Shimbun & OSAKA STYLE (YouTube). Tap to play.
Getting there
Address: 1-1 Onsen-cho, Minoh City, Osaka 562-0006. There are two ways in from central Osaka:
- Hankyu: about a 5-minute walk from Minoo Station, the end of the Hankyu Minoo Line — about 40 minutes by train from Osaka-Umeda.
- Osaka Metro Midosuji Line: trains from Tennoji, Namba, Umeda and Shin-Osaka run through to Minoh-Kayano, the last stop (M06). From there take a bus bound for Hankyu Minoo Station — about 15 minutes — and walk 5 minutes. Handy if you are coming straight off the Shinkansen at Shin-Osaka.
The adjoining hotel, Ooedo Onsen Monogatari Premium Minoh Kanko Hotel, reopened at the same time.
▶ Check rooms and rates — Minoh Kanko Hotel on Agoda (English site)
💡 Booking tip for international travelers: the booking page below is in Japanese. In Chrome, right-click the page and choose “Translate to English”; in Safari, open the page menu in the address bar and choose Translate.
▶ Check rooms & rates — Minoh Kanko Hotel (Rakuten Travel, Japanese-language site)
Staying overnight is the practical way to get a second attempt the next morning.
Read next
- 👉 Where else can you try one? — Tokyo, Osaka and Hokkaido, compared
- 👉 How much does the machine itself cost? — every model and its 2026 price
- 👉 What is a ‘human washing machine’, exactly?
📎 Sources: Minoh Onsen Spa Garden official page (house rules, hours, prices and access, checked 17 September 2026); GENSEN HOLDINGS Co., Ltd. press release (1 July 2026); Science Co., Ltd. announcement (2 July 2026). 日本語版はこちら（Japanese version）
📢 Updates on X → @kurochan_de
