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Kurama Onsen

Kyoto · 鞍馬温泉

Kurama Onsen is a hot spring town in Kyoto, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 15°C, cool enough that the baths here are usually reheated. It measures pH 7.6 — mildly alkaline, the slippery kind. Officially the water is classed as sulfur spring.

Getting there

From Kyoto / Osakaunder 1 h

CarNot needed

JR PassNot a JR line

1. Train to Kurama Station
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

Sulfur spring 硫黄泉

The classic rotten-egg smell and milky white water. It can tarnish silver jewellery, so take it off.

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.

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

15°C

pH

7.6 (mildly alkaline)

Address in Japanese

京都府京都市左京区鞍馬本町

Figures from the town's Japanese Wikipedia article.

Where it is

35.1193, 135.7765 — open the map

Read more

Japanese Wikipedia