Yamakawa Onsen

Kumamoto · 山川温泉

Yamakawa Onsen is a hot spring town in Kumamoto, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 100°C, hot enough that it has to be cooled before anyone can get in. Officially the water is classed as chloride spring, sulfate spring and sulfur spring. 5 inns take visitors here.

Getting there

From Fukuokaabout 2½ h

CarTaxi from the station

JR PassCovers the train

Train to Bungo-Mori Station (JR)
By car or taxi, about 50 min

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

Chloride springSulfate springSulfur 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.

Sulfate spring 硫酸塩泉

Clear water with a faintly bitter taste. Known for holding heat.

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

Nabe FallsWaterfall · 7.7 km

Shindō FallsWaterfall · 10.4 km Mount WaitaMountain · 4.4 km

Oguni Ryo ShrineShrine · 5 km

Sakamoto Zenzō Museum of ArtArt museum · 7.8 km

Mangan-ji TempleTemple · 7.9 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 — Kumamoto Inns with a private bath — Kumamoto