Ohara Onsen
Ohara Onsen is a hot spring town in Kyoto, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 27.9°C, cool enough that the baths here are usually reheated. It measures pH 8.7 — mildly alkaline, the slippery kind. Officially the water is classed as simple spring, bicarbonate spring and radioactive spring. Its sources put out around 119 litres a minute.
Getting there
- Train to Kyōto Station (JR)
- Local bus, about 15 min
The water here
Simple spring
Mild and low in dissolved minerals. Usually clear and gentle on the skin, which is why these baths are often recommended for first-timers.
Bicarbonate spring
Smooth, slightly slippery water. Often nicknamed bihada-no-yu, the water for beautiful skin.
Radioactive spring
Contains trace radon that leaves the water quickly. Also called radium or radon springs.
Things to see nearby
Places from Wikidata, photographs from Wikimedia Commons. Distances are in a straight line from the town.
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.
Where to stay
Hot spring towns nearby
Similar water elsewhere
The numbers
- Water temperature
- 27.9°C
- pH
- 8.7 (mildly alkaline)
- Discharge
- 119 litres a minute
- Address in Japanese
- 京都府京都市左京区大原 {{Location map many | Japan Kyoto Prefecture | relief = 1 | caption
Figures from the town's Japanese Wikipedia article.
Where it is
35.1238, 135.8220 — open the map
Read more
Planning a first soak? Read how an onsen stay works, and what to do if you have tattoos.