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Makkari Onsen
Makkari Onsen is a hot spring town in Hokkaido, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 54°C, hot. It measures pH 7.8 — mildly alkaline, the slippery kind. Officially the water is classed as chloride spring, bicarbonate spring and sulfate spring. Its sources put out around 45 litres a minute.
Getting there
- Train to Kutchan Station (JR)
- By car or taxi, about 30 min
The water here
Chloride spring
Salty water. The salt leaves a thin film on the skin, so you stay warm well after leaving the bath.
Bicarbonate spring
Smooth, slightly slippery water. Often nicknamed bihada-no-yu, the water for beautiful skin.
Sulfate spring
Clear water with a faintly bitter taste. Known for holding heat.
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
Similar water elsewhere
The numbers
- Water temperature
- 54°C
- pH
- 7.8 (mildly alkaline)
- Discharge
- 45 litres a minute
- Address in Japanese
- 北海道虻田郡真狩村字緑岡
Figures from the town's Japanese Wikipedia article.
Read more
Other towns in Hokkaido
Planning a first soak? Read how an onsen stay works, and what to do if you have tattoos.