The solution to Oita Bungo-Ono's problems! Even if there are no hot springs, there are saunas!

　Oita Prefecture is known as "Onsen-ken Oita. There are hot springs everywhere in the prefecture, including Beppu. For some reason, however, there are no hot springs in Bungo-Ono City and Tsukumi City in the southern part of the prefecture. Recently, Bungo Ono City has been attracting attention as a "sauna town. Saunas are a great way to relax and unwind in the rich natural environment. Bungo Ono City is as hot as a sauna!

This is the original sauna! Medieval stone bath

　Sauna originated in Finland. Its history is said to be as long as 6,000 or 10,000 years. What about Japan? Although not as old as Finland, there have been steam baths called "Ishiburo" (stone baths) in the Sanyo and Shikoku regions since the Nara period (710-794). In Ogata-cho, Bungo-Ono City, there are 11 stone baths that have been designated as tangible folk cultural assets by the national and prefectural governments. Among them, the stone bath at Tsujigawara, along the Ogata River flowing to Harajiri Waterfall, has been in use since the late 16th century, and was used by local residents on a daily basis until the early Showa period. Today, it is the original sauna in active use only on January 1.
　A fire chamber and a trench for a flame path are built in the lower part of the fused tuff rock wall facing the left bank of the river, and a fire is built in the fire chamber to heat the floor stones. In the upper part of the chamber, the baths are covered with stone irises, which are medicinal herbs, and water is poured over them to create a steam bath. It is a magnificent sauna, isn't it? It is said to be effective for neuralgia. On the rock wall, there is a sculpture of Kilik, a Buddhist scripture representing Amitabha Nyorai, and on the cliff is said to have been the site of Fuzai Temple, which was burnt down during the Warring States Period. People sweat in the sauna every New Year's Day to pray for good health for the year ahead, hoping for the benefits of Amida Nyorai and the sauna effect.

Location 304-1 Tsuji, Ogata-cho, Bungo-Ono City, Oita Prefecture
Tel. 0974-27-4215 (Bungo Ono City Tourist Association)
Bungo Ono City Tourism Association Official Website
*Only for observation except for use on New Year's Day.

Reusable saunas are SDG-appropriate!

　People noticed the stone baths that have been around locally for a long time. They said, "Bungo Ono City has a long history of Japanese-style saunas!" . Yes, even if there are no hot springs, there are saunas! Eventually, the "sauna town" became a magnet for tourism.
　LAMP Bungo-Ono, an accommodation facility in Ogata-cho, is located at the foot of Mt. Grandmother and is a repurposed elementary school that was closed about 50 years ago. The exterior of the two-story wooden school building has a stylish English half-timber style. A sauna cabin was built in the old schoolyard using scrap wood. Its name is "Rebuild Sauna (RS). It can accommodate up to eight people, and the temperature can be adjusted by burning wood to enjoy self-launge. The water bath, which is fed from the uppermost reaches of the Okudake River, is a former elementary school swimming pool, and the cool natural water is the best. The new "Valo" sauna trailer accommodates up to three people, and its Finnish wood-burning stove provides a strong steamy experience. Reservations can be made online through the official website.

Location 57 Ohira Mine, Ogata-cho, Bungo-Ono City, Oita Prefecture
Phone: 0974-47-2080 (Sauna reservations cannot be made over the phone)
Open weekdays 10:00-13:00, 13:30-16:30, 17:00-20:00 for guests only, weekends and holidays 10:00-11:30, 12:00-15:00, 15:30-18:30 for guests only, each sauna limited to 1 pair for private use RS 20:00-22:00 ・Valo 20:00-22:00
Charge 4,500 yen per person on weekdays, 4,000-5,000 yen per person on weekends and holidays, 5,000 yen per person for overnight guests only, 20,000 yen per private RS (maximum 8 persons), 15,000 yen per Valo (maximum 3 persons)
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays
LAMP Bungo-Ono official website

Cold water bath after sauna is in an underwater stalactite cave!

　Discovered in 1976, the Inazumi Underwater Cave in Mie Town is Japan's largest underwater limestone cave, which was created more than 200 million years ago and submerged in water 85,000 years ago in the Mt. It is one of the few caves in the world where stalactites can be seen underwater. The underwater cave is more than 1 km long! Even now, academic research is being conducted by professional divers.
　Such natural underwater stalactite caves will begin to be utilized for sauna water baths from March 2021. Probably the rarest style in the world, the second set of staff will guide you through the mysterious limestone caves by boat. Limestone cave SUP is also available as an option. The water temperature in the underwater limestone caves is 16 degrees Celsius all year round. This cools down your body and gives you a unique "totonou" feeling. The sauna is equipped with a conventional tent sauna and a hut-type sauna newly built in September 2024. Visitors can enjoy outdoor sauna to the fullest.

Location 300 Oaza-Nakatsuru, Mie-cho, Bungo-Ono City, Oita Prefecture
Phone: 0974-26-2468
Open 9:30-17:00, 3 slots each for 1 private party (2 hours per slot, max. 15 people, reservation required)
Fee Tent sauna 1 person 9,000 yen, more than 2 persons 1 person 6,500 yen Hut sauna 1 person 13,000 yen, more than 2 persons 1 person 6,500 yen (including limestone cave entrance fee)
Holidays No holidays
Inazumi Underwater Cave official website

Good sauna in a cute sauna hut

　The "Satoyama Tabi Resort Lodge Kiyokawa," a resort campground along the Okudake River in Kiyokawa Town, has a riverside tent sauna and a Finnish-style sauna hut called "Naba," which appeared in February 2024. Named "JOKI (Yoki) SAUNA," "Yoki" means "river" in Finnish. Naba" is a local word for "shiitake mushrooms," and the firewood is also made from shiitake logs. The firewood is also made from the waste wood from collecting shiitake mushroom logs. A German-made sauna stove is installed, and the Estonian thermoly wood interior maximizes the aroma of the wax.
　The exclusive water bath uses natural water from the Okudake River and mineral-rich groundwater. The cold stimulation is pleasant and the feather phenomenon will make you take a deep breath and say "Ha~". The tent sauna allows you to sweat it out while listening to the murmuring of the river. The water bath is right in front of the Okudake River. The clear, clear stream will make you feel like you are on a retreat of the highest quality. Spend your holiday in a good sauna.

Location 158 Udaeda, Kiyokawa-cho, Bungo-Ono City, Oita Prefecture
Phone: 0974-35-3601
Business hours: 3 slots for day-trip tent sauna 11:00-17:00 (2 hours each, reservation required), 7 slots for overnight tent sauna 7:00-21:00, 3 slots for day-trip Naba sauna 10:30-18:00, 5 slots for overnight Naba sauna 10:30-22:30.
Fee Tent sauna: 2,500 yen per person for one-day trip, 1,500 yen per person staying overnight; Naba sauna: 3,500 yen per person for one-day trip, 2,000 yen per person staying overnight
Holidays No holidays
Lodge KIYOKAWA official website

I'm addicted to the water bath with the worst conductivity in Japan.

　This is a sauna hut located across the river from the "Satoyama no Tabi Resort Lodge Kiyokawa. The owner of "Cafe Param" built it himself and named it "Tuuli Tuuli," which means "wind" in Finnish. The sauna hut has a small window that allows visitors to look out on the greenery outside while enjoying the sauna in the self-launge. The sound of the river and the sound of wild birds make for a relaxing experience. And the pleasant river breeze allows you to take a bath in the open air. The water bath is naturally a dip in the river, but you have to descend a steep flight of stairs, go down a bouldering area, and then follow a rope to the riverside. The name of the bath is "Japan's worst-conducted water bath" (laugh). (Laughs.) However, a natural water bath in a clear stream is still exceptional.
　The café offers stone oven pizza, curry, shaved ice, etc., and if you eat the sauna meal (sa-meshi) "Lowryu Curry" (1,300 yen), the sauna fee of 1,000 yen will be reduced to 500 yen! No, the original sauna fee is cheap, too!
　There are other sauna facilities in Bungo-Ono City, so if you like saunas, you should definitely visit one!

Location 1699-2 Mitama, Kiyokawa-cho, Bungo-Ono City, Oita Prefecture
Phone 090-4340-2906
Business hours: 11:00-18:00
Fee 1,000 yen per person (500 yen for using the cafe)
Holidays Wednesdays