One Coin Onsen (Hot Springs) Kyushu's Best 10

　It's suddenly getting colder this year. It is winter after all! Cold winter makes me miss hot springs! Kyushu is a paradise of hot springs. Kyushu is a paradise of hot springs, with a plethora of well-known and unknown hot springs. Among them, we are especially thankful for hot springs that can be entered with a single 500-yen coin. At a time when prices are skyrocketing, we are grateful to the hot spring centers that let us in at a reasonable price. Here are 10 one-coin hot springs with history, charm, and uniqueness!

Chikushino City Futsukaichi Hot Spring, Hakatayu

Straight from the big city of Fukuoka City to the hot tub!

　About 30 minutes by car from Tenjin and Hakata Station in the center of Fukuoka City, Futsukaichi Onsen has a 1300-year history and is said to be the oldest hot spring in Kyushu. Hakata Yu" was established in 1860. The three-story wooden building is reminiscent of the time of its founding. The spring water is pumped up from 260 meters underground and poured into the bathtub without being exposed to the air. The water temperature is 38.7 degrees Celsius, and although it is heated, it is not watered or circulated.
　It smells of sulfur, and unusually for a high-temperature spring, it also boasts a high radon content. Its benefits include burns, dermatitis, neuralgia, muscle and joint pain, and chronic digestive diseases. The moist and pleasant water has an established reputation as "hot water for beautiful skin. Adult bathing fees are 350 yen on weekdays and 450 yen on holidays. Shampoo, body soap, and a hair dryer are provided for this fee, which is a nice touch!

Myohoji Onsen Hiryu no Yu, Itsuki-cho

Weekends and holidays only! Onsen bathing in the temple grounds!

　Shishiozan Myohoji Temple of the Shohojimon Hokke school of Buddhism is located in an area that once prospered from the Shinyashiki coal mine, and was opened on April 3, 1960, the year before the mine closed. Visitors can see the majestic inner sanctum of the main hall, one of the largest porcelain murals in the East, and a large chandelier with a motif of a linden tree. The temple's priest had a dream that a hot spring would spring up when he dug a hole in the temple grounds. The temple had been open to residents of the neighborhood, but after a temporary closure, it was reopened. Currently, it is open only in the afternoon on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
　The spring is a salty baking soda spring that tastes slightly salty when licked. The water is thick and has a pleasant sensation as if it clings to the skin. The baking soda helps to remove dirt from the skin and keep the stratum corneum moist, making it a "beautiful bath" that leaves the skin moist after bathing. The bathtub is small and cozy, but the fluffy hot spring water relaxes the body and mind. It is truly a paradise, a paradise. The temple café "Hananobo" is open from Saturday to Tuesday and on the 17th of every month. How about a cup of coffee after taking a bath?

Itsukimachi Kyuragi Onsen, Sayohime no Yu

Even better deals after 5pm! Even more on Wednesdays...!

　This hot spring facility is a 2-minute drive or 10-minute walk from Kyuuragi Roadside Station. Since it is located at the foot of Mt. Although the facility is old, one of the reasons for its popularity is that it is well cleaned. In addition, the bathhouse has three inexpensive bathtubs: one with a jet bath, a medicated bath, and a weekly fragrance bath, and it also has a sauna. In addition, for an additional 500 yen, you can enter the bedrock bath. It is very reasonable!
　Speaking of reasonable, after 5:00 p.m. in the evening, bathing fees are reduced from 500 yen to 450 yen for adults and 300 yen to 230 yen for children. In addition, every Wednesday, elementary school students and younger accompanied by their parents or guardians get in free of charge! (Excluding national holidays, GW, Obon, and year-end and New Year holidays) The pH (pH) value is 9.81, which is highly alkaline, and the mildly hot water removes dirt and sebum and softens keratin. Benefits include neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain, back pain, bruises, and hemorrhoids.

Obama City Obama Onsen, Ajijido Yushicho

Free of charge for bathing after eating chanpon⁉

　Facing Tachibana Bay on the Shimabara Peninsula, hot water with a source temperature of 98 degrees Celsius gushes out from about 30 locations in Obama Onsen. The white steam smoke rises from the hot spring, and the amount of heat it radiates is said to be the highest in Japan. The area has been a therapeutic hot spring resort since ancient times, and is lined with hot spring inns and footbath spots. Yoshicho" is a unique feature of the Obama hot spring resort. The restaurant is located on the second floor of an old building, and the hot spring baths are actually on the first floor below the restaurant. If you eat a dish marked "♨" at the restaurant, the bathing fee is waived.
　One of the menu items they are proud of is their specialty, Obama Champon. It is characterized by a light soup based on pork and chicken bones, combined with seafood broth. Yoshicho recommends the Obama chanpon and nigirizushi set. There is also nibbled dried chanpon. The hot spring has a retro Showa-era appearance, with a nostalgic structure of a slide in the bathtub. The sodium spring water in the Obama Onsen warms the body to the core with its salt content. It is effective for neuralgia, sensitivity to cold, fatigue, women's diseases, stiff shoulders, and skin diseases. Shampoo, conditioner, and body soap are available.

Kanadegata Onsen, Ugi City

A relaxing, slightly carbonated spring

　It is located in Misumi-machi, Ugi City, on the Shiranui Sea side of the Udo Peninsula. The original discovery of the mineral spring is said to have occurred around 1803, and it gradually became popular as a carbonic acid spring that could be enjoyed for both drinking and bathing. From the Taisho era (1912-1926) to the early Showa era (1926-1989), the area was particularly popular, with inns and day-trip hot spring facilities. However, as time went by, those inns and hot spring facilities were closed. At the wish of the residents to once again have a hot spring facility, the "Intercommunity Exchange Facility Kanadegata Onsen" was born in July 2020 in a form that matched the times. As you can see, the stylish structure makes it hard to believe that this is a cheap hot spring facility with a 300-yen bathing fee.
　Two footbath spaces are located outside the building, and on weekends and holidays when the weather is fine, anyone can enjoy a footbath. The bathing facilities inside the building are small, with only an indoor bath and four washing stations. The spring water is a slightly carbonic acidic cold mineral spring. It is said to be effective for cuts, peripheral circulatory disorders, sensitivity to cold, and autonomic instability. Amenities can be purchased from a vending machine or brought with you. There is also a second spring located a 6-minute walk away, which is a brown simple carbon dioxide cold mineral spring with a high iron content. This spring is said to be good for the gastrointestinal tract if drunk.

Sankawa Onsenkyo, Sankawa Onsen Nagomi-no-yu, Wassui Town

Super cleansing hot spring in a super-hole

　Although the name "Mikawa Onsen-kyo" may not be familiar, it is located in Nagomi-cho, about 60 minutes from downtown Fukuoka via the Nanseki Interchange, and about 60 minutes from downtown Kumamoto via the Kikusui Interchange. There are only four hot spring facilities, but "Mikawa Onsen Nagomi-no-yu" is a publicly operated "Mikawa Onsen Furusato Koryu Center," which means that the bathing fees are inexpensive. On Tuesdays after 6:00 p.m. and on the 26th, a "bath day," the fee for junior high school students and older is 400 yen instead of the usual 500 yen.
　It should be noted that Sankawa Onsenkyo boasts a high level of alkalinity, with a pH value of around 10, one of the highest in Kyushu. Naturally, the alkaline ingredients in the thick water remove unnecessary dead skin cells and dirt, leaving the skin smooth and silky after bathing. This is why it is even referred to as a "super cleansing hot spring. The benefits range from neuralgia, muscle pain, and joint pain to gout, arteriosclerosis, chronic gall bladder inflammation, chronic women's diseases, and more. First of all, I would like you to take the time to polish your skin in the hot spring.

Tsukahara Onsen and Kiguchi-no-sen, Yufu City

Its acidity is among the highest in the country!

　Tsukahara Onsen is a highly acidic hot spring famous among hot spring enthusiasts. It is located at the end of a mountain road up Mt. Kyan-dake after getting off at the Yubudake smart interchange. Its iron content (456 mg) is the highest in Japan, more than 40 times the standard of the Onsen Law, and its acidity is the second highest in Japan, as is its aluminum ion content. It is also one of the three most medicinal hot springs in Japan. The history of this hot spring dates back to the Heian period (794-1185), when Minamoto no Tamecho found a wounded deer taking a hot spring bath to heal while hunting in the mountains.
　The bath fee of 500 yen is limited to the indoor baths, but no soaps or other products can be used due to the nature of the spring. After repeated soaking and drying, visitors can experience the benefits for chronic dermatitis, diabetes, bruises and cuts, women's diseases, and sensitivity to cold. Steamed eggs, which are soaked in hot spring water after being steamed for 20 hours in the fumaroles of Mt. Visitors can also go to the crater, a 5-minute walk away, by paying a crater tour fee at the reception desk. The crater is a power spot overflowing with the energy of the earth.

Bungotakada City, Kunisaki Rokugo Onsen, Isidani Onsen

If you suffer from high blood pressure, this is the hot water for you!

　The Kunisaki Peninsula is a place where Buddhist culture, known as "Rokugo-Mansan," a syncretism of Shintoism and Buddhism, flourished. Many temples are scattered around Mt. Ryoko, and the valley is also called Yaba, which is a series of strange rocky peaks in the Ryoko Mountain range. The Isidani Onsen, located in the valley, is popular among tourists for its high quality hot spring water, which is also used by many as a hot-spring cure. It boasts of its sulfate spring water, which is rich in sulfate ions and rare even in Oita Prefecture, a hot-spring prefecture. It also offers separate open-air baths for men and women. Moreover, the bathing fee is only 400 yen. Shampoo and body soap are also provided.
　The sulfate spring water is slightly greenish brown and bottomless. The efficacy of calcium's calming effect is said to be good for "hot water for wounds" and "hot water for chubu" external wounds, skin diseases, and diseases caused by high blood pressure, while the sodium effect is likewise good for hypertension, arteriosclerosis, and external wounds. The view of the barbarians outside the window of the rest room is another healing effect.

Shirotori Onsen Kamiyu, Ebino City

Hot water of Hi-no-Yama loved by Saigo-Don

　Shirotori Onsen Kamiyu is located halfway up Mt. Shirotori from the Ebino Interchange to the Ebino Plateau. Shirotori is a volcano, and its northern slope is a "hell" where hot fumaroles gush out from the ground. It is said that in 1874, Saigo Takamori, who was defeated in his campaign to conquer Korea, stayed here for three months to heal his body and mind. At that time, the hot spring seemed to be an open-air spa with a wild atmosphere. In the Showa period (1926-1989), the hot spring facilities were improved, and "Kamiyu" and "Shimoyu" are now in operation. A five-minute walk along the promenade from the Kamiyu site will take you to the hot spring hell of the source.
　The upper bath is equipped with an indoor bath, an open-air bath with a view, and a natural wooden steam bath, and the view from the open-air bath is particularly exhilarating. Below you can see the Kakuto Basin (Ebino City), which originated from the Kakuto Caldera that was formed about 34 years ago. The indoor bath also offers a panoramic view of the Kakuto Basin, and the spacious washing area provides a sense of openness. Benefits include neuralgia, muscle pain, joint pain, stiff shoulders, motor paralysis, and chronic digestive diseases. The "Shimoyu" located in front of the lower level of the Kamiyu is a simple hot spring, and for the same bathing fee, visitors can enjoy a garden open-air bath, etc.

Makizono-cho, Myoken Onsen, Touji no Yado Tajima Honkan

Healed in a retro hot-spring cure and sunken hearth place

Myoken Onsen" of "Shinkawa Valley Hot Spring Village" is located along the Amori River and has been a popular therapeutic hot spring since the early Meiji period. Tajima Honkan is the origin of this hot spring, and is also the parent company of the high-class ryokan "Ogenosato Gajyoen" and the high-class spa resort ryokan "TENKU". Tajima-Honkan has maintained its original concept of a hot-spring cure hotel and warmly welcomes its guests. There are three types of hot springs: "Gastrointestinal Hot Spring," "Hot Spring for Wounds," and "Hot Spring for Neuralgia," and only the "Neuralgia Hot Spring" is open for day-trip bathing.
　The "Neuralgia Hot Spring" is called "God's Hot Spring" and is said to relieve neuralgia, rheumatism, stiff shoulders, and muscular pain. Although it is a wooden structure with old-fashioned facilities, the translucent water is constantly poured over the bathtub, allowing visitors to soak in it for a long time. Next to the bathtub is a small bathtub filled with natural water. After taking a bath or while waiting for the hot water, you can spend time in the sunken hearth space equipped with the inn's cooking stove. This is also a comfortable time that invites the feeling of traveling.

　There are still many one-coin hot springs in Kyushu, a hot spring paradise. Some bathtubs may be a little small or old, but some are inexpensive and well-equipped. The best thing about them is that the quality of the water is excellent. We hope you will enjoy not only the facilities we have introduced here, but also the cheap public baths in Kyushu.