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Makinoshirotani Onsen

Shiga · マキノ白谷温泉

Makinoshirotani Onsen is a hot spring town in Shiga, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 21.4°C, cool enough that the baths here are usually reheated. It measures pH 8.3 — mildly alkaline, the slippery kind. Officially the water is classed as radioactive spring. 3 inns take visitors here.

Getting there

From Kyoto / Osakaabout 1½ h

CarNot needed

JR PassCovers the train

1. Train to Makino Station (JR)
2. Many inns send a car to the station — ask when you book

Fly into Kansai (KIX) or Itami. Times are rough estimates worked out from station locations, not a timetable — check the exact route on Google Maps.

The water here

Radioactive spring 放射能泉

Contains trace radon that leaves the water quickly. Also called radium or radon springs.

With tattoos

Many public baths still turn away visible tattoos, and the rule is set by each bath, not by the town. The reliable way round it is to bathe privately: a room with its own open-air bath, or an inn with a private bath you can book for yourselves.

More on tattoos and onsen

Where to stay

Opens Rakuten Travel, which lists inns in English. Onsen Guide earns a commission if you book through these links, at no extra cost to you.

Hot spring towns nearby

Similar water elsewhere

Towns further away with the same kind of water — useful if this one is hard to reach or fully booked.

The numbers

Water temperature

21.4°C

pH

8.3 (mildly alkaline)

Inns

3

Address in Japanese

滋賀県高島市マキノ町白谷

Figures from the town's Japanese Wikipedia article.

Read more

Japanese Wikipedia