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Irohajima Onsen

Saga · いろは島温泉

Irohajima Onsen is a hot spring town in Saga, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 32°C, cool enough that the baths here are usually reheated. It measures pH 8.6 — mildly alkaline, the slippery kind. Officially the water is classed as chloride spring and bicarbonate spring. 1 inns take visitors here.

Getting there

From Fukuokaabout 2 h
CarTaxi from the station
JR PassCovers the train
  1. Train to Karatsu Station (JR)
  2. By car or taxi, about 30 min

Fly into Fukuoka. Times are rough estimates worked out from station locations, not a timetable — check the exact route on Google Maps.

Chloride springBicarbonate spring

The water here

Chloride spring 塩化物泉

Salty water. The salt leaves a thin film on the skin, so you stay warm well after leaving the bath.

Bicarbonate spring 炭酸水素塩泉

Smooth, slightly slippery water. Often nicknamed bihada-no-yu, the water for beautiful skin.

Things to see nearby

Nagoya CastleCastle · 14.1 km
Tashima Shrine (Imari)Shrine · 4.8 km
Karatsu ShrineShrine · 11.9 km
Kawamura Art MuseumArt museum · 12.2 km
Mount KagamiMountain · 16 km

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.

Rooms with an open-air bath — SagaInns with a private bath — Saga

More on tattoos and onsen

Where to stay

Onsen inns — Karatsu City

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

Takeo OnsenSaga · 武雄温泉27.4 km southeast
Bicarbonate spring
Furuyu OnsenSaga · 古湯温泉32.9 km east
Simple spring
Kumanokawa OnsenSaga · 熊の川温泉36.2 km east
Radioactive spring
Ureshino OnsenSaga · 嬉野温泉36.3 km south
Chloride springBicarbonate spring

Similar water elsewhere

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

Koshibu OnsenNagano · 小渋温泉Also bicarbonate and chloride, similar pH
Chloride springBicarbonate spring
Niikappu OnsenHokkaido · 新冠温泉Also bicarbonate and chloride, similar pH
Chloride springBicarbonate spring
Rokuroshi OnsenFukui · 六呂師温泉Also bicarbonate and chloride, similar pH
Chloride springBicarbonate spring
Narada OnsenYamanashi · 奈良田温泉Also bicarbonate and chloride, similar pH
Chloride springBicarbonate spring
Kajiro OnsenFukushima · 神白温泉Also bicarbonate and chloride, similar pH
Chloride spring+2
Teshiogawa OnsenHokkaido · 天塩川温泉Also bicarbonate and chloride
Chloride springBicarbonate spring

The numbers

Water temperature
32°C
pH
8.6 (mildly alkaline)
Inns
1
Address in Japanese
佐賀県唐津市肥前町満越

Figures from the town's Japanese Wikipedia article.

Where it is

33.4043, 129.8543 — open the map

Read more

Japanese Wikipedia

Planning a first soak? Read how an onsen stay works, and what to do if you have tattoos.